Cooperation of Converter-Interfaced Devices: Application on Low-Emission Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms

The emerging penetration of converter-based generation through offshore wind turbines and battery energy storage systems (BESSs) aims to reduce carbon emissions in modern offshore oil and gas platforms (OOGPs). This system represents a unique and challenging test case for studies related to power system flexibility and resilience. The new onboard converter-interfaced devices together can provide various grid services, including voltage regulation, frequency response, reactive power control, and peak shaving. Moreover, in the event of an outage, BESS converters can help to restore power rapidly, thus enhancing power system resilience. It can be established that enhanced flexibility and resilience on modern OOGPs is possible only with cooperation of power electronic converters, such as those of variable frequency drives (VFDs), wind turbines, BESSs, and active power filters (APFs). By working together, these technologies can maximize their exploitability, enhance efficiency of gas turbine generators and/or reduce the need for them, and increase resilience by integrating BESSs endowed with grid-forming capability. Hence, this article explores diverse case study scenarios, providing valuable insights into the necessity and opportunities for cooperation among different devices on the platform. This marks a step forward in OOGPs’ green transition, potentially serving as a useful paradigm for several other autonomous systems.