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This paper deals with the high accurate current set-points solution for interior permanent-magnet synchronous motors (IPMSM) in wide-speed range applications. Considering voltage and current constraints, the operating regions can be divided into maximum torque per ampere, maximum current, field weakening, and maximum torque per voltage regions, which requires solving different nonlinear functions in real time to obtain optimal current set-points. Traditional methods including curve-fitting methods and polynomial approximation (PA) methods are not easy to obtain these solutions, especially involving magnetic saturation problems. In this paper, Newton–Raphson algorithm for improving the control accuracy of the current set-points is proposed. Meanwhile, parameters influence including magnetic saturation and resistive voltage drop is fully investigated. Compared with PA method, the proposed method is able to converge to accurate solutions in few numbers of iterations with reduced execution time, which can be easily implemented on an off-the-shelf digital signal processor. Both simulation results and experimental results on an 8-kW IPMSM rig are conducted showing good agreement with the expected results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the model predictive current control is introduced in the semicontrolled open-winding permanent magnet synchronous motor (OW-PMSM) generation system with a common dc bus to suppress the zero-sequence current for the first time. Particularly, the basic voltage vectors of the semicontrolled OW-PMSM, which are synthesized by the three-phase full-controlled converter and the three-phase uncontrollable diode bridge, is analyzed and their influences on the zero-sequence current are investigated for the first time in this paper. Then the current-error-based cost function that includes dq-axis current error and zero-sequence current error is designed to evaluate all the voltage vectors. Moreover, to further improve the steady-state control performance of the whole generation system, a zero-sequence current suppression method based on the uncontrollable side voltage vector adjustment, which has the advantage of low computation burden, is developed. In this method, two voltage vectors of the controllable converter are applied during one control period. Based on the distribution character of the basic voltage vector in the semicontrollable OW-PMSM generation system, the first voltage vector is selected according to the three-phase current direction to adjust equivalent vector of the uncontrollable diode bridge, whereas for the second voltage vector, the selection method based deadbeat voltage vector sector is designed to reduce the range of the candidate voltage vector. In addition, the vector durations are also computed. Finally, simulation and experiment are carried out to validate the proposed control approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Conventional finite control set-model predictive control (FCS-MPC) applies single voltage vector within each control period. This leads to relatively high steady-state ripples and requires fast sampling rate. Additionally, enumeration-based optimal vector selection is computationally intensive. Recently, double-vector-based schemes have been proposed to improve the steady-state performance of FCS-MPC. However, they are usually complicated in vector selection and duty ratio calculation. In this paper, a universal multiple-vector-based MPC (UMV-MPC) is proposed, which achieves the same performance as the state-of-the-art double-vector-based MPC, but executes in a much more efficient and universal way. Unlike conventional FCS-MPC, enumerating process and state predictions for candidate voltage vectors are not required in the proposed UMV-MPC to select the best voltage vectors. In UMV-MPC, the optimal vectors and duty ratios are directly constructed from deadbeat control (DBC) based on space vector modulation (SVM), which is easy to follow and quick to use. The proposed UMV-MPC is not only more efficient than prior methods, but also reveals the inherent relationship between double-vector-based MPC and DBC with SVM. A comparative study of UMV-MPC and prior double-vector-based MPC is carried out in this paper. The theoretical analysis as well as simulation and experimental tests on a 2.2-kW induction motor drive are demonstrated to validate the effectiveness of the proposed UMV-MPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neutral-point voltage-balancing control is a critical issue of a neutral-point-clamped converter. The conventional control strategy is to inject the specific zero-sequence voltage to regulate the redundant vector, but it is unacceptable to the three-phase four-wire system. This paper provides a neutral-point voltage-balancing control by the dipolar modulation, and the control freedom of the zero-sequence voltage is flexible. Therefore, the proposed method is suitable for both three-phase three-wire and three-phase four-wire systems. Besides, the proposed method improves the control dynamic in a reactive power system. The proposed neutral-point voltage-balancing control is verified by the mathematical analysis and experimental results. The control dynamic, power loss estimation, and the output current performance are analyzed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a decentralized control scheme for controlling active and reactive power of grid-tied ac-stacked photovoltaic (PV) inverter architecture using single member phase compensation. Reactive power control is required for the next generation of grid-tied smart PV inverter systems in power networks with high PV penetration. The decentralized control scheme proposed in this paper allows for a fully distributed architecture, both in terms of active and reactive power control and physical implementation of a PV system. This will result in higher reliability and potentially lower cost with minimum communications requirements. A decentralized controller enables higher switching frequencies that can shrink passive components. Therefore, string voltage variations due to voltage drop across passive components will be negligible and the system will be controlled with minimum communications requirement. The relative gain array approach has been used to study the feasibility of the decentralized control scheme. Detailed modeling and analysis are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed decentralized approach and the effect of this approach on control implementation. Finally, effectiveness of the proposed decentralized approach is verified using mathematical modeling, simulation, and a lab-scale experimental setup in different operation conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a battery simulator (BS) based on a Z-source rectifier (ZSR), with the intention of emulating the discharge or charge characteristic of an actual lithium-polymer battery with high voltage and large capacity. The proposed BS is used for power testing for battery applications. The battery model, combined with a Shepherd model and a Thevenin model, is adopted to freely change the properties and specifications of the battery and to replicate the dynamic behavior of the battery, which is discretized to utilize the digital controller of the BS. The closed-loop voltage controller at the dc side of the ZSR is designed to emulate the rapid dynamic characteristics of the battery based on small-signal methods, considering the influence of the components of the impedance network. In this paper, battery voltage control algorithm (BVCA) is also utilized to minimize the voltage stress across switches while controlling two dc-side voltages within a wide range of output voltages. Simulation and experimental results are provided to verify the BS of the new feature and the proposed control method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An improved version of power flow-controller (PFC) which is based on multi-winding transformer (MWT) is presented in this paper. The objective of this article is to control the power flow in a power-line to alleviate overload in a heavily loaded system and increase power flow of an under loaded line. The novelty of multi-winding transformer based power-flow controller is the use of unequal voltage ratio in the tap-changer windings of MWT with bi-directional switches to provide a compensating voltage required to achieve the desired power flow. This new model drastically increases the number of compensating points to make it more compact with higher flexibility. It aims to utilize the full potential of a line (bound by its thermal limits) to contribute in power flow by providing several times higher resolution with limited number of switches and reduced amount of copper and iron volume compared to existing state-of-the-art technology. The proposed MWT model has been included in Newton Raphson Load Flow (NRLF) method for power flow analysis. The feasibility of the model has been realized using a standard 5 bus test system and a modified IEEE 57 bus system. Operation of the PFC has been demonstrated using a hardware laboratory prototype for generating nearest compensating points (voltage vectors) corresponding to the obtained compensating voltages after load flow solution. The results obtained are verified by simulating the controller in MATLAB/Simulink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DC–DC converters are expected to interconnect High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) grids with different configurations or voltage levels, which will increase reliability and operational flexibility. The dc Modular Multilevel Converter (DC-MMC) is suggested as a potential non-isolated topology for HVDC applications. This paper presents an energy-based closed-loop control for the DC-MMC. Such control structure provides a full control of the current components, while ensuring energy balancing in normal and fault operation. First, the converter configuration is described and the fundamental equations are presented. Then, the normal operation of the converter is explained from the steady state conditions and the energy and current components. A closed-loop control is designed to ensure a proper dynamic response, balance the internal energies of the converter, and minimize the ac circulating current. Also, the control structure is modified to ensure dc fault ride through capability. Simulation results in MATLAB/Simulink are used to validate the converter control under normal operation and DC faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an efficient dc voltage control scheme in rail transit traction power systems with reversible converters for dc voltage regulation and power sharing. The proposed dc voltage control scheme is executed in a hierarchical structure based on the optimal power flow. Unlike conversional constant dc voltage control applied in traction power systems, this scheme allows the reversible converters operating in both rectifier and inverter regions and considers regenerative braking power sharing among multiple traction substations. The steady-state equivalent models of traction power systems including reversible converters are established, and the ac/dc sequential power flow algorithm based on Newton–Raphson method is presented. Finally, a multi-trains dynamic operation simulation is carried out with Matlab. The simulation results prove the validity of proposed scheme and indicate that the system energy saving effect in traction power systems with reversible converters is obvious with proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Voltage sags mitigation has become a significant concern for utilities due to the pressure from both customers and regulators recently. This paper proposes a novel multi-objective optimization formulation for STATCOM allocation problem to mitigate voltage sags. The allocation of STATCOM is formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem (MOP) with two conflicting objectives including the voltage sag performance and annual investment costs of STATCOM. To analytically evaluate the voltage sag performance in the optimization process, a mathematical voltage sag profile calculation model of power system with multiple STATCOMs is proposed and solved by nonlinear programming method. System Average RMS Variation Frequency index-X index is chosen to quantify the voltage sag performance for optimization. Sensitivity-based candidate bus selection is also performed as an essential step to reduce problem size. An improved multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA) called SPEA2+SDE (Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm with shifting density estimation) is utilized to solve the proposed MOP model, so a set of Pareto optimal STATCOM allocations for voltage sag mitigation can be derived demonstrating the trade-off between two objectives and better supporting the decision-making. IEEE 30-bus system and IEEE 118-bus system are tested to demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fast output voltage equalization control strategy applied to 10-kV/100-kW high power density photovoltaic dc–dc converter system is proposed in this paper. The converter modules in the system have two dynamic priority factor loops for fast response with an inconsistent voltage between modules and a soft start-up circuit to precharge output capacitance for solving inrush current problem in boost circuit. The proposed strategy can realize fast voltage equalization control under inconsistent leakage inductance and parasitic resistance parameters condition between modules compared to the traditional unified duty cycle control strategy. The fast equalization performance is verified by 10-kV/100-kW photovoltaic dc–dc converter system. The converter system adopts an isolated boost full-bridge topology and input parallel output series structure, which meets high conversion ratio and high-power density requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the unbalance operation of a standalone brushless doubly-fed induction generator (BDFIG), the negative sequence component causes significant unbalanced effect on the voltage and current of the power winding (PW). In this paper, a new control strategy is proposed to minimize the voltage unbalance effect of a standalone BDFIG under unbalanced loads. The proposed control strategy consists of two parts. The first part represents the conventional direct voltage control strategy to control the frequency and magnitude of the positive sequence PW voltage. The second part is the proposed strategy to minimize the negative sequence component in the output voltage of PW with a negative sequence compensator in the machine side converter. The dual second-order generalized integrator is used to extract negative-sequence component of the PW voltage. Proportional integral controllers are used to obtain reference of the control winding (CW) current which compensate the negative sequence component of the PW voltage. The proportional-integral-resonant controller is applied to regulate the CW current in positive reference frame. A prototype 30 kVA BDFIG test platform is developed in the laboratory to verify the proposed strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Voltage model observer is a simple and economical technique for flux estimation in induction motor sensorless drives. However, it shows poor performance in low-speed regions. Therefore, in most cases, the use of this observer is limited. On the other hand, using a simple but accurate estimator is important when the control method is sophisticated and requires heavy computation. This issue will be important in predictive control more than the other methods because the accuracy of the prediction is dependent on the flux estimation. In this paper, a modified closed-loop technique based on voltage model observer is proposed for flux estimation. The feedback loop is supported by the proposed model reference adaptive system direct flux magnitude estimation technique. The dependence of the feedback loop on the stator resistance is eliminated. Therefore, the drift error will be avoided. This will allow the method to withstand the high stator resistance error even at low speeds. Also, a new Lyapunov-based technique for the stator resistance estimation via reduced-order model is proposed. By using the proposed observer, the predictive direct voltage control technique is used as the control method in order to achieve a control method that requires low computation. The proposed method is validated through the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The operating principle of the clamp circuits like clamping diodes and flying capacitor in three-level LLC converter is different from other three-level converters, because the mean value of the resonant tank current is always zero and pulse-frequency modulation control is generally used instead of pulsewidth modulation control. And the converter with only the clamping diodes or flying capacitor is difficult to realize voltage balance. In this paper, the characteristics of the three-level LLC converter with single clamp circuit are first analyzed. Then, the operation principle of the hybrid-clamped circuit under the unbalanced voltages on input capacitors is described with the mode analysis, based on which the mechanism for voltage autobalance is elaborated and the effects of two clamp circuits are derived. Then, the design of the clamping diodes and the flying capacitor is also involved. Finally, a three-level LLC converter prototype is built and the experimental results verify the validity of the theoretical analysis and design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-stage single-phase inverter system has found many applications in distributed generators and grid-connected systems. However, the existence of double-line frequency ripple on the dc-bus voltage due to single-phase inverter's operation has given rise to some design and reliability issues. Some of these are the degradation in the quality of inverter's output voltage and shortening of dc-bus capacitor's lifetime. The problem is rooted in the controller design of the front-end dc–dc converter, which is often designed based on a simplified mathematical model of the dc–dc converter that fails to account for some complex phenomena, such as system's nonlinearities and circuit parameter variations due to temperature and aging effects. In this paper, a disturbance-observer-based control is proposed where these unmodeled effects are treated in the form of lumped disturbance and compensated for in a feed-forward manner. The major advantage of this control solution is that only minimal plant information is needed for controller design and that a decoupled composite controller can be realized, where the feedback compensator is designed to meet certain stability criteria while the disturbance-observer-based feed-forward compensator is designed to handle fast transient events. A prototype of a dual-active-bridge (DAB) dc–dc converter implemented with disturbance-observer-based control is constructed to verify its effectiveness. Experimental results show that the dynamic response of the DAB converter is significantly improved and the double-line frequency ripple on the dc-bus voltage is effectively suppressed by the proposed control solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-frequency oscillations caused by voltage source converters (VSCs) in current control timescale (less than 20 ms) have brought great challenges to the security and stable operation of the VSC-dominated power systems. However, relevant studies on this multi-input multi-output (MIMO) system still lack enough mechanism cognitions of its voltage amplitude/phase dynamics. Thus, this paper will propose a single-input single-output (SISO) equivalent method of this MIMO system to separately study its amplitude/phase dynamics. First, a linearized VSC model based on internal voltage motion equation in current control timescale is derived. This model can explicitly depict VSC's self-characteristic, which is suitable for multi-VSC voltage amplitude/phase dynamic analyses. Then, with reserving and converting the interactions of other outputs into one output, the MIMO system based on this VSC model can be equivalent into the amplitude motion and the phase motion, respectively. These two SISO systems are extremely convenient for engineers to study the mechanisms of the voltage amplitude/phase dynamics. Besides, this SISO equivalent method of the MIMO system can also be used to quantitatively analyze the interactions among the multi-VSC. Finally, the application of this method is illustrated in a single VSC system and the time domain simulations validate the correctness of the analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventionally, standard proportional and integral (PI) controllers with constant PI gains are commonly used for the dc-link voltage control of single-phase grid-connected converters (GCCs). For such controllers, the selection of the PI gains will lead to a tradeoff between two control objectives: 1) the reduction of the dc-link voltage fluctuations caused by random swings of the active power drawn by the single-phase GCC; and 2) the reduction of the grid current harmonics mainly caused by the 2f oscillation of the active power in single-phase applications. To solve this tradeoff, this paper presents a systematic approach for the design of an adaptive PI controller for the dc-link voltage control of single-phase GCCs. The proposed design approach is simple and it provides a convenient method to properly determine the adaptive PI controller parameters. Representative simulation and experimental results are presented and discussed in order to show the effectiveness of the proposed dc-link voltage controller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a modeling approach for capturing closed-loop load behavior in distribution networks using bottom-up time-variant load models and incorporating load-flow feedback for thermal loads. Traditional load models are useful for providing insights into instantaneous changes in power, however, they do not capture the time-variant response to changes in voltage due to the effects of appliances with closed-control loops such as those which are thermostatically controlled. This paper proposes a modeling and co-simulation platform to simulate closed-loop load-modeling using state-of-the-art bottom-up load modeling techniques for the residential sector with a feedback model for time series steady-state load-flow. It incorporates time-variant load models and discrete state-space representation of thermostatically controlled appliances. The developed methodology is used in a conservation voltage reduction case study on an urban distribution network, allowing detailed assessment of the voltage response and analysis of changes in active and reactive power and network losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circulating current can be decomposed into double line-frequency positive-, negative- and zero-sequence components under unbalanced voltage conditions. First, in order to decrease peak/rms value of arm current, double line-frequency circulating current should be eliminated. Second, ac-side current that consists of positive- and negative-sequence components under unbalanced voltage conditions should be regulated to track the reference signal. Furthermore, fundamental frequency circulating current caused by asymmetry of the upper and lower arm should be also removed. To effectively control ac-side current and eliminate all circulating currents, an arm current control strategy based on a decoupler and proportional-integral controller plus the vector proportional integral (VPI) controller is proposed in this paper. The proposed control strategy works well under balanced and unbalanced voltage conditions as well as asymmetry of the upper and lower arm. In addition, this paper proposes a design procedure for the VPI controller to reduce the uncertainty of this process. A three-phase modular multilevel converter simulation model is set up on PSCAD/EMTDC to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charge control is a well-known sensorless approach to operate piezoelectric actuators, which has been proposed for more than 30 years. However, it is rarely used in industry because the implemented controllers suffer from the issues of limited low-frequency performance, long settling time, floating-load, and loss of stroke, etc. In this paper, a novel controller circuit dedicated to overcome these issues is presented. In the proposed scheme, a grounded-load charge controller with decoupled configuration is developed, which separates high-frequency and low-frequency paths, thus achieving arbitrarily low transition frequency without increasing the settling time. Based on this, a self-compensating configuration is further proposed and integrated into the controller circuit, which makes full use of controller output to improve its own control performance at low frequencies. Experimental results show that the presented charge controller can effectively reduce more than 88% of the hysteretic nonlinearity even when operating close to the transition frequency. To demonstrate its practical value, we then integrate it into a custom-designed high-speed atomic force microscope system. By comparing images obtained from using voltage drive and charge controller, it is clear that the piezoelectric hysteresis has been significantly reduced in a wide bandwidth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetization and demagnetization current control is a critical part of the variable-flux permanent magnet machine control, but the variable-flux properties and saturation effects deteriorate conventional current controller performances. Thus, this paper proposes an improved feed-forward current controller that compensates voltage variations during the magnetization and demagnetization manipulations, obtaining better control performances. The compensation voltages are analyzed by finite-element method, and a modified mathematical model is developed to present the relation among the voltages, the flux linkages, and the manipulation currents. This model considers induced voltage and variable electromotive force, which are caused by the change of the permanent magnet flux linkage during the manipulations. Based on the model, the induced voltage, the cross-coupling rotating voltage, and the resistance voltage are compensated in the proposed feed-forward controller. This controller is verified by experiments, showing fast response and accurate trajectory tracking advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ever-increasing utilization of sensitive loads in the industrial, commercial, and residential areas in distribution networks requires enhanced reliability and quality of supply. This can be achieved, thanks to self-healing features of smart grids that already include the control technologies necessary for the restoration strategy in case of a fault. In this paper, an analytical and global optimization model is proposed for the restoration problem. A novel mathematical formulation is presented for the reconfiguration problem reducing the number of required binary variables while covering more practical scenarios compared to the existing models. The considered self-healing actions besides the network reconfiguration are the nodal load-rejection, the tap setting modification of voltage regulation devices (incl. OLTCs, SVR, and CBs), and the active/reactive power dispatch of DGs. The voltage dependency of loads is also considered. Thus, the proposed optimization problem determines the most efficient restoration plan minimizing the number of de-energized nodes with the minimum number of self-healing actions. The problem is formulated as a Mixed-Integer Second Order Cone Programming (MISOCP) and solved using the Gurobi solver via the MATLAB interface YALMIP. A real 83–node distribution network is used to test and verify the presented methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper extends the application of a frame-angle-based (FAB) direct torque controller (DTC) for permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drives to low and very low speeds. The FAB-DTC is intended for PMSM drives that are fed by $3\phi$ six-pulse wavelet-modulated dc–ac converters. The foundations of the FAB-DTC are based on regulating the $d\text{--}q$ -axis stator voltages, in response to variations in the load torque and/or drive speed. The adjustments in $d\text{--}q$ -axis stator voltages are created by changing the angle $\vartheta$ of the frame spanned by the $d\text{--}q$ -axis stator voltages. In order to extend the FAB-DTC to low and very low speeds, the changes in $\vartheta$ are accompanied by changes in the maximum scale. The values of maximum scale and $d\text{--}q$ -axis stator voltages are used to update or change the reference signals employed by the wavelet modulation to generate switching pulses to operate a $3\phi$ dc–ac converter. The complete PMSM drive system incorporating the modified FAB-DTC is implemented for a 10-hp PMSM drive system. The performance of the FAB-DTC is investigated for different changes in the command torque for various low and very low speeds. Performance results demonstrate stable, fast, dynamic, and accurate responses, which have minor sensitivity to variations in load torque and/or drive speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an accurate steady-state initialization method for electromagnetic transient (EMT) models of modular multilevel converters (MMCs). The proposed method uses steady-state arm voltages and currents to initialize internal electrical variables and control systems of the converter, including capacitor voltage and gating signals of each sub-module. In addition to typical voltage source converter upper level control, MMC specific controls are also considered, including circulating current control, dc ripple control, and capacitor voltage balancing algorithm. EMT simulations on 101-level and 401-level MMC-HVDC systems confirm the accuracy of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the control of the parallel operation of two voltage source converter (VSC)-HVdc links interconnecting an offshore wind farm. The aim of the study is to propose and validate a control system that allows the parallel operation of two VSC-HVdc links by controlling the currents injected by the VSC converters. The currents set points are established by a voltage controller in order to maintain constant voltage and frequency in the capacitor of the output filter and therefore within the offshore wind farm (OWF). It is demonstrated that the decoupled control of the d-q component of the voltage at the capacitor allows achieving the direct control of voltage and frequency, respectively. The voltage and frequency control is implemented by orienting the capacitor voltage toward a synchronous axis that is generated within the controller and therefore is not subjected to any grid disturbance. Both converters collaborate therefore in maintaining constant voltage and frequency, achieving in this way the parallel operation of the converters. The validation of this approach is demonstrated by simulation where the OWF and the VSC-HVdc rectifier have been modeled. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed control system allows the parallelization of the converters while maintaining constant voltage and frequency within the OWF, even during transient faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the distributed optimal frequency control of power systems considering a network-preserving model with nonlinear power flows and excitation voltage dynamics. Salient features of the proposed distributed control strategy are fourfold, first, nonlinearity is considered to cope with large disturbances, second, only a part of generators are controllable, third, no load measurement is required, fourth, communication connectivity is required only for the controllable generators. To this end, benefiting from the concept of “virtual load demand,” we first design the distributed controller for the controllable generators by leveraging the primal-dual decomposition technique. We then propose a method to estimate the virtual load demand of each controllable generator based on local frequencies. We derive incremental passivity conditions for the uncontrollable generators. Finally, we prove that the closed-loop system is asymptotically stable and its equilibrium attains the optimal solution to the associated economic dispatch problem. Simulations, including small and large-disturbance scenarios, are carried on the New England system, demonstrating the effectiveness of our design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are technical challenges when the grid-connected current source converter operates under unbalanced grid voltage conditions. The negative sequence component of the unbalanced grid voltage would result in the low-frequency ripple at dc side, as well as current harmonics at ac side. It has an adverse impact on the system operation. In order to solve the problem, the system mathematical model is established in this paper. The limitation of the conventional control strategy is clearly clarified. And then, the improved control strategy is discussed from the viewpoint of constant instantaneous active power. In order to further enhance the system performance, a new control strategy is proposed. Instead of the complicated instantaneous power theory, the proposed solution is a direct control strategy. Both the low-frequency dc-side ripple and ac-side current harmonics can be significantly reduced with a simple control structure, due to the direct control concept. Finally, the comparison evaluation of the conventional and proposed control strategies is carried out. The experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The five-level nested neutral-point-clamped (5L-NNPC) converter is one of the most promising topologies for medium-voltage (2.3–7.2 kV) high-power applications such as medium-voltage drives, wind energy conversion systems, and grid-connected systems. The 5L-NNPC requires a fewer number of switching devices, freewheeling and clamping diodes, and flying capacitors compared to the existing five-level multilevel converters. In the 5L-NNPC topology, each flying capacitor voltage is regulated at one-fourth of the dc-bus voltage to obtain the five-level operation. Due to the lack of redundant switching states, it is difficult to control the flying capacitor voltages by using the pulse-width-modulation-based classical control methods. This paper proposes a model-predictive current control (MPCC) approach to control the flying capacitor voltages along with the output currents of the 5L-NNPC converter. The discrete-time model of 5L-NNPC is developed to implement the MPCC scheme. The simulation and experimental studies are conducted to verify the dynamic and steady-state performance of 5L-NNPC with the MPCC scheme. The performance of the proposed MPCC approach is compared with the conventional space-vector-modulation-based voltage-balancing approach. Furthermore, the flying capacitor voltage control capability of MPCC is verified at different load power factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of decentralized generators in the provision of ancillary services, such as voltage and frequency regulations, is currently growing in many power systems. The impact of these new regulations on islanding detection is generally investigated by calculating the nondetection zone (NDZ) of the protective relay located at generator level. This subject has already been studied in the literature, but has been generally treated by means of steady-state calculations only. As demonstrated in the present paper, the analysis yields very different results when the entire time-evolution of the system is taken into account. It is shown that the impact of the studied regulations, i.e., the P(f) and Q(U) controls, on a standard test system is to reduce the NDZ which goes against the conclusion of several previous works based on steady-state calculations. Then the generalization of this result to other loads and generators is investigated. At last, the impact of the dynamics of the grid and the dynamics of the regulations is further investigated through a parametric study which shows that, if the power regulations dynamics are slow enough compared to the voltage and frequency dynamics, then the NDZ is necessarily reduced by the addition of the new regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new predictive power-factor-correction (PFC) controller for series-interleaved three-level boost (TLB) converters. Compared to the state-of-the-art TLB PFC controllers, where a two-cycle prediction and a detection of an operating region are necessary, the proposed controller achieves a low total harmonic distortion of the input current by using a single equation to predict the input current in all operating regions of the converter, in just one operating cycle. The average current control is achieved by sampling at the peak of the triangular carrier. The proposed PFC controller significantly reduces the distortion of the input ac current near the zero-crossing points, resulting in a low total harmonic distortion of the input current. The operation of the proposed controller was evaluated, and its stability and robustness to parameter changes was confirmed analytically. The controller operating principles were verified in simulations and validated by experiments on a medium-voltage 50-kW converter prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new model of a grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) plant suitable for power flow analysis is proposed in this paper. Unlike existing models, the proposal departs from the equivalent generator representation of the PV plant and is based instead on the operation and control modes of PV panels and voltage source converters. The resulting set of nonlinear equations is assembled together with the network's equations to formulate a generalized power flow problem in a unified frame of reference, which is efficiently solved by using the Newton–Raphson algorithm. The complementarity condition approach is adopted for directly including all operation and control mode constraints of the PV plant in the power flow formulation, which permits the simultaneous and automatic handling of limits of all state variables associated with these constraints during the iterative solution process. The effectiveness of the proposed method is fully demonstrated by numerical examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power flow is a nonlinear problem that requires a Newton's method to be solved in dc microgrids with constant power terminals. This paper presents sufficient conditions for the quadratic convergence of the Newton's method in this type of grids. The classic Newton's method as well as an approximated Newton's method are analyzed in both master–slave and island operation with droop controls. Requirements for the convergence as well as for the existence and uniqueness of the solution starting from voltages close to 1 pu are presented. Computational results complement this theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comprehensive set of steady-state models to be included in power flow simulation studies of dc railway networks. This simulation framework covers all important aspects and features of each element of modern dc railways. The proposed models are simplified to achieve the maximum simulation speed while keeping the required accuracy. Not only nonreversible, controlled, and uncontrolled reversible substations are considered, but also onboard and offboard accumulation systems. The train model can consider the low network receptivity (overvoltage protection for trains equipped with regenerative braking) and overcurrent protection. It is also possible to include in the simulation dc/dc links between nodes of the railway network at the same or different voltage. To date, there is no other work able to conjugate all the mentioned models in a complex multitrain scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the development and performance evaluation of a new approach for detecting voltage flicker events in power systems hosting distributed generating units. The proposed approach is based on extracting the magnitudes and phases of the different frequency sub-band contents present in the voltage signal(s). Desired magnitudes and phases are extracted by processing the voltage signal(s) using nine phaselet frames that are realized by a modulated filter bank. The modulated filter bank is designed using nine digital high-pass filters (HPFs), each of which implements one phaselet frame. The coefficients of HPFs are determined by bi-orthogonal phaselet basis functions. Extracted high-frequency sub-band contents provide signature information for accurate detection and quantification of voltage flickers. The performance of a phaselet transform based approach is experimentally tested for different conditions, including voltage flicker events that are triggered by an interconnected photovoltaic system. Performance results show accurate, reliable, and fast detection and quantification of voltage flickers, along with a negligible sensitivity to the source producing voltage flicker events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates power shunt filter topologies composed of three standard three-leg converters applied in either three or four-wire system. Compared with the usual three-phase shunt filter, the proposed ones allow us to reduce dc-link voltages, harmonic distortion or/and the semiconductor losses, and fault tolerant operation. Suitable control strategies to adjust filter and circulating currents, as well as the three dc-link voltages are presented. Two pulse-width modulation techniques are developed for the proposed topologies in order to achieve the best voltage-pulse pattern. Comparisons between these techniques are carried out in this paper. Simulation and experimental results are presented to validate the theoretical approach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents an improved corrective security constrained optimal power flow (CSCOPF) for a meshed AC/DC power transmission network with voltage source converter based multi-terminal HVDC (VSC-MTDC) grids. The security constrains of N-1 contingencies for both AC and DC networks are fully considered in the CSCOPF problem. The corrective actions employed in this paper include not only the traditional long-term rescheduling control actions of the AC system, but also the short term post-contingency fast corrective control of multi-terminal VSC-HVDC. A hybrid method is developed to solve the improved CSCOPF problem and the effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated and demonstrated in this paper by two example meshed AC/DC power systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a dc capacitor voltage balancing control method for the star-connected cascaded H-bridge pulsewidth modulation converter in the static synchronous compensator applications. With the zero-sequence voltage injection as a basis for dc capacitors voltage balancing, this paper investigates the detailed power flow of the converter as a whole and within individual modules under unbalanced grid voltages and then proposes a method to control the reactive power output and the dc capacitors voltage by precisely managing the power flow. This approach enhances the low-voltage ride-through capability, which is very critical as the penetration of distributed energy resources grows rapidly. The proposed control method is verified by a scaled-down prototype in the laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a new simplified model of a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) that is integrated with a rotor-side converter for studies of large-scale transient stability. This model accurately considers the rotor field dynamics of an induction generator to yield simulation results that are more accurate in terms of voltage stability, as well as angle stability. The purpose of this paper is to provide a simple but effective DFIG model for the study of large-scale transient stability, and to examine the important aspects of rotor voltage and rotor slip power. This new simplified DFIG model with an electric/turbine control system was tested against a six-machine and 23-bus system, and the responses obtained in case studies of transient stability were compared with those of a PSS/E program. Finally, the proposed DFIG model was also validated by comparing the simulation results for a single-machine and infinite-bus system with those of PSCAD/EMTDC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A modular multilevel converter control system, based on converter energy storage, is proposed in this paper for two different control modes: active power and dc voltage. The proposed control system decouples the submodule (SM) capacitor voltages from the dc bus voltage. One of the practical applications is the management of active redundant SMs. A practical HVDC system with 401-level MMCs, including 10% redundancy in MMC SMs, is used for validating and demonstrating the advantages of the proposed control system. This paper also presents a novel capacitor voltage balancing control based on \max–\min functions. It is used to drastically reduce the number of switchings for each SM and enhances computational efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel modular cascaded multi-level converter with multiwinding high-frequency (MWHF) transformer is proposed for medium- or high-voltage applications. In the proposed converter, a cascaded H-bridge rectifier (CHBR) is connected directly with the input ac source while the traditional step-down transformer is no longer necessary. Then, an isolated dc-dc converter composed by a group of H-bridge converters and a MWHF transformer with high power density is used to isolate the dc buses produced by the CHBR. The equivalent circuit and mathematical model of the MWHF transformer and the high frequency (HF) converter are obtained firstly in this paper. Then, the voltage stability under unbalanced loads is analyzed and the naturally balance ability is verified. To accelerate the dc bus voltage balancing process, a voltage balance control algorithm based on energy exchange between different transformer windings is proposed that is realized by accomplishing the phase shift adjustment of the terminal voltages on different windings. Simulations and experiments are implemented to verify the performance of the proposed converter and voltage balance algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the design and development of a novel interleaved tri-state boost converter (ITBC), which produces lower ripple and exhibits better dynamic response, is discussed. Boost converters are frequently connected in parallel and operate in an interleaving mode for the reduction of ripple content in source current and in output voltage. In this way, interleaved boost converter (IBC) is conceived, which improves the power handling capabilities and increases the overall system rating. It also has the advantage of reduction of the ripple content in source current and output voltage, but when control-to-output transfer function of IBC is derived under continuous conduction mode of operation, then a right-half-plane (RHP) zero appears in the transfer function. Due to the presence of RHP zero, IBC has nonminimum phase problem, which deteriorates the dynamic performance. The tri-state boost converter (TBC) is the best choice for RHP zero elimination, but due to the extra freewheeling mode, ripple content will also be increased. The proposed converter is a parallel combination of two TBC and operates in an interleaving mode. Therefore, the proposed converter has both of the advantages of TBC and IBC. The performance analyses of ITBC, TBC, and IBC have been studied based on simulation and experimental results. From the comparative analysis, it is observed that ITBC is performed better than other two converters. The ripple comparisons between three converters have also been done. It is found that the ripple content in ITBC is slightly greater than IBC but is less than TBC. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study adopts the method of third-order harmonic voltage injection (THVI) to move the peak value of a reference voltage toward the high capacitor voltage and increase the utilization rate of the capacitor voltage. This method can lower the cost or enlarge the capacity of a modular multilevel converter (MMC) when applied in high-voltage direct-current transmission. In this paper, the principle of THVI is introduced. Two calculation methods for modulation waves are studied, and the mathematical expressions of the capacitor voltage under all operating conditions are deduced. Thus, the optimal magnitude and phase of the third-order harmonic voltage are determined under all operating conditions. The mathematical expressions of the optimal magnitude and phase of the third-order harmonic voltage are obtained, and their online calculation burden is reduced. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed method of THVI is feasible and effective. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

When investigating voltage and current stresses in critical main circuit components during faults of the converter, a detailed equivalent model capable of representing the balancing control strategies of the capacitor voltages on the submodule level, along with blocking and delocking, is always necessary. Among previously proposed equivalent models of the modular multilevel converter (MMC), only submodule averaged models (SAMs) can capture interested inner dynamics inside each arm. However, the simulation accuracy of SAMs is not always satisfactory, especially when the time step is larger than 10 $\mu$s. In order to further improve the simulation accuracy with guaranteed simulation efficiency, the shifted frequency modeling of the half- and full-bridge hybrid MMC is proposed in this paper. Therein, each submodule is represented by Thévenin equivalents derived by submodule dynamic phasors. The arm of the MMC is represented by Norton equivalents to guarantee the efficiency, considering both normal and dc-blocking conditions. The effectiveness of the proposed model in terms of accuracy and efficiency is validated by simulating an MMC-based HVdc transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher levels of renewable electricity generation increase uncertainty in power system operation. To ensure secure system operation, new tools that account for this uncertainty are required. In this paper, we adopt a chance-constrained AC optimal power flow formulation, which guarantees that generation, power flows, and voltages remain within their bounds with a predefined probability. We then discuss different chance-constraint reformulations and solution approaches for the problem. We first describe an analytical reformulation based on partial linearization, which enables us to obtain a tractable representation of the optimization problem. We then provide an efficient algorithm based on an iterative solution scheme which alternates between solving a deterministic AC optimal power flow problem and assessing the impact of uncertainty. The flexibility of the iterative scheme enables not only scalable implementations, but also alternative chance-constraint reformulations. In particular, we suggest two sample-based reformulations that do not require any approximation or relaxation of the AC power flow equations. In a case study based on four different IEEE systems, we assess the performance of the method, and demonstrate scalability of the iterative scheme. We further show that the analytical reformulation accurately and efficiently enforces chance constraints in both in- and out-of-sample tests, and that the analytical reformulations outperforms the two alternative, sample-based chance constraint reformulations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A fractional-order capacitor (FOC) plays a vital role in fractional-order circuits. However, the FOC with order $1< \alpha < 2$ based on existing manufacturing schemes can be only operated in milliwatt power level. Thus, the applications of an FOC in power conversion are limited. To solve the problem, this paper proposes a novel method for realizing a high-power FOC with order $1< \alpha < 2$, in which a power converter is applied to emulate the current–voltage characteristic of an ideal FOC, so the rated power of the FOC can be increased greatly and depended on the power converter. The corresponding topology and its control strategy are provided. The available experiments verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a dc-link voltage fast control strategy for high-speed permanent magnet synchronous motor/generator of flywheel energy storage system (FESS) to ensure fast dynamic performance within its wide operation range. Instead of the conventional strategy with cascaded outer dc-link voltage loop and inner current loop, the proposed strategy is a direct voltage control strategy without an intermediate current loop. The nonlinear dc-link voltage loop model is globally linearized by treating the square of dc-link voltage as the state variable, and lumping the nonlinear and uncertain terms in the power balance equation as the total disturbance. An extended state observer (ESO) is designed to observe the total disturbance, and a control law that compensates the speed variation and the total disturbance is proposed. The inner dynamic of the proposed ESO is analyzed, and the tracking performance and antidisturbance capability of the proposed strategy is hereby derived. Finally, the proposed strategy is validated on a high-speed FESS test bench. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A crude oil production and shipping terminal was built and expanded over time such that the facility was powered by three isolated power systems. These separate plants have since been interconnected to permit the sharing of generation reserves. Initially, the interconnected system was supervised by a power management system (PMS) that relied on isochronous operation of one power plant for frequency control. The PMS attempted to implement system wide load sharing by issuing raise and lower speed and voltage signals to the second power plant, which was operated in droop control. Due to a variety of factors, this control proved unsatisfactory. The control strategy was revised to operate all generators in droop mode and to handle management of frequency, voltage, and power flows between plants at the secondary control level. This paper describes why the initial PMS was unsatisfactory, why it was abandoned, and how it was modified to enable the successful interconnection of all three power plants into a single network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the development of highly efficient electric power converters, the number of studies on the construction of low-voltage dc (LVDC) systems is gradually increasing. To use LVDC distribution systems, voltage regulation methods to compensate for the voltage drop and to limit the voltage unbalance are essential. In a bipolar LVDC distribution system, a voltage drop and voltage unbalance could occur because of the load current and the variation in the amount of power supplied to the poles. However, not enough research has been conducted on voltage regulation methods for LVDC distribution systems. To reduce the voltage drop and the voltage unbalance, this paper proposes a voltage regulation method based on the neutral to line drop compensation (NLDC) method, which employs a modified LDC to calculate the sending-end reference voltage. In the NLDC method, the neutral current and neutral line impedance are taken into consideration to compensate for the neutral line potential fluctuation and voltage drop on the pole. The next sending-end voltage is determined by checking the voltage unbalance factor, and it is adjusted to maintain it within the allowable voltage unbalance factor. A voltage regulation algorithm and a bipolar LVDC system model are implemented using the Electromagnetic Transients Program. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The objective of this paper is to propose an efficiency model to evaluate the impact of the pulse width modulation (PWM) duty cycle jitter on the efficiency of switching-mode power converter. By taking the product of two perturbation terms into consideration, which is ignored in the conventional average small-signal model, the average efficiency model is proposed first. Due to the nonlinear characteristic of the PWM generator, the multifrequency efficiency model is also developed by considering the sideband frequency. Three different perturbation waves are induced to the control loop of the converter to generate the jitter to observe its impact on the efficiency. The mathematical expression of the efficiency drop based on the proposed multifrequency model is derived. The reason of control-to-output gain's magnitude spike on the Bode plot can be explained by the derived equations. Eventually, the methods to reduce the efficiency drop caused by the jitter are suggested. In spite of various perturbation frequencies, amplitudes, and waveforms, the mathematical calculation, the computer simulation, and the hardware measurement of the efficiency drop are consistent which validate the accuracy of the proposed multifrequency efficiency model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]