A Novel Oil-immersed Medium Frequency Transformer for Offshore HVDC Wind Farms

Sammanfattning: In this project, a design of an oil type medium frequency transformer for offshore wind farm applications is proposed. The design is intended for applications when series coupling of the output of the DC/DC converters of the wind turbine on their secondary side is done to achieve a cost-effective high voltage solution for collecting energy from offshore wind parks. The focus of the work is on the insulation design of the high voltage side of a medium frequency transformer where the magnetic design constraints should also be satisfied. Above all, a proof of concept is made demonstrating a possible solution for the design of the transformer for such a DC/DC converter unit. The transformer suggested is using oil/paper as insulation medium. Furthermore, characterisation of an eco-friendly biodegradable transformer oil for this type of HVDC transformer application is made. Moreover, an introduction of reliable high frequency characterisation test methods to medium frequency transformer designers is made. In addition, the Non-Linear Maxwell Wagner (NLMW) relations are further developed to form a method for the development of an HVDC MFT transformer. All in all, the DC series concept has been further developed one step closer to pre-commercialization, i.e. from TRL 1 to about 2.