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This paper presents Space Vector Modulation (SVM) sequences that reduce Common Mode Voltage (CMV) in Dual Three-phase Asymmetrical Induction Motor (DTAIM). At first, two existing SVM techniques such as Reference SVM (RSVM) and CMV1 are studied. Additionally, three new switching sequences are developed as CMV2, CMV3 and DCMV3, which reduce peak magnitude of CMV by 66.8% in comparison with RSVM technique. In SVM techniques, to obtain least CMV, zero vectors are usually replaced by two opposite large Active voltage Vectors (AV) with equal time duration. In such topologies like CMV1, total six AVs are utilized to synthesize the reference vector. The proposed SVM technique CMV2 utilizes only five large AVs to synthesize the reference vector and reduces CMV. Selection of five neighbouring AVs is reflected in reduction of harmonic flux trajectories and stator current ripple in proposed techniques. Additionally, two more switching sequences (CMV3 and DCMV3) are developed related to utilization of specific zero voltage vectors in all sectors (7 and 56) that produce zero CMV. These two switching sequences also provide easy implementation feature during the development of c-code program. In this study, CMV and stator current ripple are considered as performance parameters for different SVM techniques. All SVM techniques are analysed by analytical results, computer simulations, and using prototype test setup of DTAIM fed by Dual Three-phase Voltage Source Inverters (DTVSIs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the continuation of Part I in which an online reference limitation strategy for shunt-connected converters is presented. This limitation strategy is successfully validated in this Part II of the paper by means of experimental results obtained in a laboratory setup. Two different experiment sets are carried out in order to check the two application scenarios described in Part I. On the one hand, the limitation strategy is implemented in the STATCOM application reducing the reactive power reference. On the other hand, the grid balancer functionality is implemented together with the new limitation strategy reducing the current references. In this last scenario, two different experiments are shown: 1) a switching-on of the converter; and 2) a voltage variation at the point of common coupling. In both functionalities, the corresponding reference limitations are activated due to overcurrent and overvoltage cases and the limitation due to the dc bus voltage oscillations is validated in the grid balancer functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As penetration of distributed generation increases, the electrical distribution networks may encounter several challenges mainly related to voltage control. The situation may deteriorate in case of a weak grid connected to an intermittent source such as photovoltaic (PV) generation. Fast varying solar irradiance can cause unacceptable voltage variations that may not be easily compensated by slow-responding utility equipment. The PV inverter can be used to control the grid voltage by injecting/absorbing reactive power. A small-signal model is derived in order to study the stability of a PV inverter exchanging reactive power with the grid. This paper also proposes a method that utilizes the available capacity of the PV inverter to support the grid voltage without violating the rating of the inverter and the maximum voltage that the inverter's switching device can withstand. The method proposed in this paper is validated using PSCAD/EMTDC simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes a position sensorless operation of permanent magnet brushless direct current (BLDC) motor. The position sensorless BLDC drive proposed, in this paper, is based on detection of back electromotive force (back EMF) zero crossing from the terminal voltages. The proposed method relies on a difference of line voltages measured at the terminals of the motor. It is shown, in the paper, that this difference of line voltages provides an amplified version of an appropriate back EMF at its zero crossings. The commutation signals are obtained without the motor neutral voltage. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through simulation and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a modification of the Vienna rectifier (VR) to obtain more than three voltage levels at the DC line connection, while preserving the unity power factor at the AC grid side. The proposed unidirectional multilevel there-phase rectifier, called the “Negev rectifier”, has a reduced device count and utilizes a unique novel Time Division Multiplexed based control scheme, which makes the challenging N-level VR expansion possible. The Negev rectifier can serve as a grid interface for supplying dc voltage to multilevel inverters with 4 up to 7 voltage levels, eliminating the burden of inverter-side voltage balancing control. The Negev hardware can be constructed by two complementary topologies, making it suitable for either high current or high voltage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flying-capacitor-based multilevel converter is one of the well-known breeds of the multilevel power converters. This paper proposes a new flying-capacitor-based multilevel converter to minimize the number of flying capacitors (FCs) and power switches. The advantage of the proposed FC-based multilevel converter in comparison with the conventional flying-capacitor multicell converter is that it needs fewer FCs. Also, in comparison with the stacked multicell converter, the proposed multilevel converter requires fewer semiconductor switches. In order to balance the voltage of the FCs in proposed multilevel converter, a new active voltage balancing method which is fully implemented using logic-form equations is presented. The proposed voltage balancing method measures output current and FC voltages to generate switching states to produce the required output voltage level, as well as balance the FCs voltages at their reference values. The output voltage of the proposed multilevel converter controlled with suggested active voltage balancing method can be modulated with any pulse-width-modulation (PWM) method, such as phase-shifted-carrier PWM or level-shifted-carrier PWM. Simulation results and experimental measurements of proposed FC-based multilevel converter are presented to verify the performance of the proposed converter, and its novel switching and modulation strategy, which is based on the active voltage balancing method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a new diode-clamped multilevel inverter that can effectively balance the voltages of dc capacitors. For the proposed inverter, the inductors are inserted between the diodes and the main switches. Also, the voltage balance of the dc capacitors can be guaranteed by controlling the opening time of the corresponding main switches in particular modes. Thus, the parallel circuits on the dc side in the conventional inverters are canceled. Consequently, the proposed topology requires fewer switches, diodes, and capacitors, although it adds the compensation currents to the corresponding main switches. Both the simulation and experimental results demonstrate the suitability and applicability of the proposed topology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DC winding induced voltage pulsation in the wound field synchronous machines (WFSMs) will cause dc winding current ripple, challenge the dc power supply, and deteriorate the control performance, especially at high speed. In this paper, the influence of dc winding configuration including the dc coil number and the parallel branch number on its induced voltage pulsation is investigated for WFSMs. Based on the modeling of both open-circuit and on-load dc winding induced voltages, the preferred dc winding configurations for WFSMs having various stator/rotor pole number combinations with double layer or single layer ac windings are obtained and validated by finite element (FE) analysis on four typical partitioned stator WFSMs (PS-WFSMs). A PS-WFSM prototype is built and tested to validate both analytical and FE analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predictive control represents an optimization-oriented alternative for the control of power converters and drives. Predictive torque control of induction machines has been shown to achieve excellent initial results. The objective of this paper is to help develop this promising control approach by introducing new elements to improve its performance. The resulting algorithm improves the efficiency of the converter from \91.1\% to \92.6\% and achieves a common-mode voltage mitigation of \50\%, compared to the basic control method. A tradeoff is observed in the power quality. The algorithm gives the designer the ability to select the best operating point for each particular application and to optimize the converter’s performance. Experimental results are presented to validate the proposals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Direct power control (DPC) has gained much attention for medium-voltage applications due to its fast power control capability. However, a conventional static switching table based DPC can lead to unsatisfactory response when the converter is connected to an electric grid because it is commonly designed assuming ideal and constant voltages of the grid and the dc link. Therefore, the actual grid voltage and the actual converter dc-link voltage should be considered while designing the switching table. This paper proposes a novel dynamic switching table for the DPC, considering actual grid and dc-link voltages variation. The proposed dynamic switching table incorporates a new definition of power influence crossover angles of each converter space vector. The proposed scheme dynamically adapts the switching table by feeding forward the actual grid and dc-link voltages, and hence the converter's power is precisely controlled. The proposed technique is verified for the three-level neutral point clamped converters connected to a standard IEEE 9-bus test system. Moreover, the real-time simulations are performed in a real-time digital simulator, OPAL-RT. The obtained results verified the effectiveness of the proposed DPC strategy under different grid fault scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a multi-objective model-predictive control (MOMPC) strategy for controlling converters in high-power applications. The controller uses the system model to predict the system behavior in each sampling interval for each voltage vector, and the most appropriate vector is then chosen according to an optimization criterion. By changing the cost function properly, multiobjectives can be achieved. To eliminate the influences of one step delay in digital implementation, a model-based prediction scheme is introduced. For high-power applications, the converter switching frequency is normally kept low in order to reduce the switching losses; this is done by adding a nonlinear constraint in the cost function. However, to avoid system stability deterioration caused by the low switching frequency, an N-step horizontal prediction is proposed. Finally, the control algorithm is simplified using a graphical algorithm to reduce the computational burden. The proposed MOMPC strategy was verified numerically by using MATLAB/Simulink, and validated experimentally using a laboratory ac/dc converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-speed operation of the switched reluctance generator (SRG) in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) as well as in continuous conduction mode (CCM) is considered in this paper. Very simple control method of SRG that enables stable SRG operation in CCM without using the rotor position information is proposed. Although the conventional SRG power converter can be used to implement this sensorless method, two more suitable converter topologies are also proposed. These topologies are based on diode bridge rectifiers and do not contain switch components. The output power of SRG is controlled by regulating the dc excitation current. The simulation results show that the proposed control method provides much more output power of SRG at high speeds than conventional control in DCM, and the same power as conventional control in CCM. Experimental results confirm validity and effectiveness of the proposed control method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Line-commutated converters (LCCs) are widely used in various high-power applications such as generator-rectifier systems, exciters, front-end rectifier loads, and classic high voltage dc systems. Among various techniques used for modeling LCC systems, the dynamic average value modeling (AVM) wherein the effect of switching is neglected or averaged over a prototypical switching interval has become indispensible since it results in continuous, linearizable, and computationally efficient models. The conventional AVMs can only predict the fundamental component of the ac voltages and currents, and neglect the harmonics injected at the ac side by the switching converter. In this paper, a recently proposed parametric average-value modeling (PAVM) approach is extended using multiple reference frame theory to include the significant harmonics of interest (e.g., fifth and seventh) for diode rectifiers. The new PAVM is verified against the detailed simulation in steady-state and transient studies, and is effective in predicting the transient waveforms, while achieving significant computational advantage (speed up) in time-domain simulation over conventional models. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper studies the validity of the standard method in IEC 61400-21 for assessing the flicker emission from multiple wind turbines. The standard method is based on testing a single wind turbine and then using the results of this test to assess the flicker emission from a number of wind turbines. This study is based on the data from two wind farms, one with fixed-speed wind turbines and one with variable-speed wind turbines. The data are: a type test at the terminals of a wind turbine, and measurements at the connection of a collection line to the substation. The type test data are used to assess the flicker emission at the collection line; this assessment is then compared to the actual measurements in order to study the accuracy of the estimation. It was observed in both wind farms, that the assessment based on the standard method is statistically conservative compared to the measurements. The reason for this is the statistical characteristics of flicker emission. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Due to the increase of the number of wind turbines connected directly to the electric utility grid, new regulator codes have been issued that require low-voltage ride-through capability for wind turbines so that they can remain online and support the electric grid during voltage sags. Conventional ride-through techniques for the doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) architecture result in compromised control of the turbine shaft and grid current during fault events. In this paper, a series passive-impedance network at the stator side of a DFIG wind turbine is presented. It is easy to control, capable of off-line operation for high efficiency, and low cost for manufacturing and maintenance. The balanced and unbalanced fault responses of a DFIG wind turbine with a series grid side passive-impedance network are examined using computer simulations and hardware experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase of wind energy conversion system (WECS) capacity, conventional two-level voltage source converters tend to be replaced gradually by multilevel neutral-point (NP)-clamped converters. In this study, the topology of a boost three-level (TL) chopper on the front of a TL diode-clamped inverter is used for direct-driven WECSs. The switch-signal phase delay control (SSPDC) is proposed for NP potential balancing of TL inverter based on the characteristics of boost TL chopper. As the boost chopper is also used for maximum power point tracking, the controller with dual PI regulators is designed for the chopper. Parameters of the two PI regulators are determined according to the state space averaging model of the boost TL chopper using SSPDC. In addition, the proposed NP balancing method is compared with two methods based on redundant vector selection. The validity of the proposed method is verified by analysis and simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]