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Partial discharge (PD) detection is a fundamental tool for the design and diagnosis of insulation systems, particularly organic materials that must operate throughout their life without PD. While the methods for PD measurements under sinusoidal supply voltage are well-established, the same does not hold under repetitive-pulse voltage waveforms, such as those provided by inverters. Electromagnetic noise generated by electronic switch commutation in inverters can overlap with PD pulses, making it difficult to measure, separate from noise, and identify PD. This is particularly more cumbersome when fast rise-time switches are employed. To address these issues, this paper investigates methods to detect PD pulses on enameled wires under repetitive impulsive voltages with different rise times of 60, 500, and 1000 ns, proposing techniques which allow separation of PD from noise even when they overlap in time and frequency domains. This paper employs a time-domain approach using standard deviation curve acquired from a set of measurements to discriminate PD from repetitive commutation disturbance. These techniques can be implemented to achieve unsupervised noise rejection, which would be an important goal for both offline and online PD testing. The proposed approach is validated successfully through tests carried out on a low-voltage motor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread application of nonlinear power electronic devices in residential loads has resulted in significant harmonic distortions. Harmonic source modeling is of great importance since it is a prerequisite to estimate the harmonic pollution. In this paper, a dynamic harmonic coupled matrix model (HCMM) is proposed for the nonlinear home appliances. This model is adaptive to the load supply voltage conditions; therefore, the dynamic harmonic generating characteristics of nonlinear home appliances can be demonstrated by the proposed HCMM. Moreover, the HCMM derivation process is based on measurement, independent of the load equivalent circuit, which makes the proposed method most suitable for nonlinear home appliances with unknown circuit topologies. The widely linear complex partial least squares method, which has a fast speed and high robustness, is used to estimate the HCMM. A procedure to establish the HCMM for multistate home appliances is also proposed in this paper. Lab experiments were performed to verify the accuracy and validity of the proposed methodology. The aggregate harmonics caused by multiple nonlinear residential loads have been analyzed based on the proposed HCMM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DC shipboard power systems have been considered as a promising solution for stricter environmental regulations on ships due to their main benefits in fuel savings with variable speed engines and easy integration of energy storage systems. In order to employ the dc solution in the shipboard power systems, the dc power systems have to be protected from a system fault with protection selectivity to minimize impacts of the fault or to avoid other undesirable situations in the system. For low-voltage dc shipboard power systems, a three-level protection has been proposed: 1) fast action (first)—bus separation by solid-state dc bus-tie switch; 2) medium action (second)—feeder protection by high-speed fuse; and 3) slow action (third)—generator–rectifier fault controls. This paper proposes a new method by means of additional bus capacitance added in main dc buses to help reliable operation of the three-level protection. The principle of the proposed method is introduced and the sizing of the additional bus capacitance is addressed in this paper. With the modeling of the dc shipboard power systems, the analyses of voltage drops for the bus separation failure and fault clearing time for the feeder protection are carried out to verify the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method not only mitigates the voltage drop for the bus separation failure, but also achieves the selectivity and the sensitivity for the feeder protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Due to different solar radiation, temperature, and other reasons of modules in the three-phase cascaded H-bridge (CHB) photovoltaic (PV) inverter, the output power among PV modules will be unequal and lead to unbalanced grid currents, which cannot meet the requirements of grid codes. On the other hand, the second-order voltage ripple is aroused in the dc-link capacitor since each phase-leg of the CHB inverter is made up of a single-phase inverter. Concerning these two issues, this paper proposes an optimized third harmonic injection method based on fundamental frequency zero sequence injection (FFZSI), which is a conventional method to handle the slight power imbalance problem. In this paper, the FFZSI is adopted to redistribute the power among three phases, and then the third harmonic is injected into the three-phase combined reference waveforms according to the two requirements: all modules are free from overmodulation and the dc-link voltage fluctuation is mostly reduced. Therefore, the proposed method can reduce the dc-link voltage fluctuation and extend the power balance range of FFZSI at the same time. The validity and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified by simulation and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel single-phase transformerless dual-mode interleaved multilevel inverter (DMIMI) is proposed in this paper, which can inject a highly sinusoidal ac current to the grid even with the input dc voltage less than the peak grid voltage. Furthermore, dead-beat controllers are developed to directly calculate the optimal duty cycles in a digital control platform. As compared to the traditional dual-mode multilevel approaches, the DMIMI offers high efficiency, less number of components conducting simultaneously in each operation mode, and the capability of reactive power exchange. This paper presents the theoretical analysis and the experimental results obtained from a 1-kW prototype. The experimental results reveal that the proposed DMIMI can achieve high conversion efficiency and low leakage current as well as high quality grid current. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper briefly reviews the common-mode voltage (CMV) and neutral point (NP) voltage for neutral point clamped three-level inverter (NPC TLI). Then, the space vector pulsewidth modulation (SVPWM) and traditional virtual SVPWM (VSVPWM) are discussed in terms of these two issues, revealing the drawbacks in reducing CMV or eliminating NP voltage oscillation. A novel virtual space vector modulation, named as RCMV_VSVPWM, is proposed in this paper to reduce CMV and eliminate NP voltage oscillation for NPC TLI. By selecting vectors with lower CMVs, a set of novel virtual voltage vectors are generated. The highlight of the method is zero average NP current in one control cycle and lower CMV. Furthermore, the active NP voltage control suitable for RCMV_VSVPWM is presented and evaluated. The corresponding experimental results are given, which are well-consistent with theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper improves the position sensorless drive by sensing actual machine phase voltages. A high-bandwidth phase voltage measurement is developed for pulsewidth modulation (PWM) voltage inverters. On the basis, the actual phase voltage is obtained based on the digital integration of PWM voltage using the capture modulator in existing drive microcontrollers (MCU's). Comparing to existing phase voltage measurement, no separated A/D converter and communication hardware are required because PWM pulses are directly measured using MCUs. However, for standard machines without neutral points, only line-to-line ac PWM voltages can be measured for the phase voltage reconstruction. Since the capture based on transistor-transistor logic (TTL) logics receives only digital signals, a preprocess circuit to convert ac PWM line voltages to equivalent digital signals is proposed. This paper clearly explains the voltage sensing hardware using MCU capture modulator. According to experimental results, a 150-MHz sampling rate for phase voltage measurement is achieved based on the proposed capture-based voltage measurement. Although the physical limitation of back electromotive force estimation still appears, the proposed phase voltage measurement substantially enhances the sensorless drive performance at low speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metallic joints are created in multivariable gas metal arc welding process by maintaining a balance between the quantum of heat generated and the feeding rate of electrode metal to the weld gap. The wire feeding control is often independently handled. The wire feeder unit should be simple, low cost, and capable of producing accurate speed. Arc welding controllers are often kept in clumsy conditions and the wire feeder unit is located close to the welder, could be much away from the controller. To reduce interconnections, separate sensing element for speed feedback should be avoided. Due to their negligible electrical and mechanical time constant, the pancake-type permanent magnet dc motor is suitable for wire feeding, where sensing of back electromotive force (EMF) for feedback is easy. When high frequency pulsewidth modulation (PWM) controller is used, the sensing of back EMF gets complicated. This paper explores the constraints on the choice of PWM frequency along with its maximum pulsewidth for different types of dc motors. It further elaborates comparatively on the choice of suitable control function for generating accurate speed control of wire feeding using back EMF as feedback. Finally, this paper also details the experimental results using the proposed control function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, many impedance-source inverters with coupled inductors have been investigated to obtain a high step-up boost ratio. However, the leakage inductors in these topologies induce great voltage spikes at the dc link, which will increase the voltage stress of switches. Thus, the power level of inverters is limited. Furthermore, the efficiency of the inverters can be degraded by the losses associated with leakage inductors. To address abovementioned issues, this paper proposes a family of low-spike high-efficiency Y-source inverters. The proposed inverters have the ability of eliminating voltage spikes at the dc link and recycling the leakage energy via the additional diode and capacitor. In order to show the excellent characteristics of the proposed topologies, this paper compares the performances of the proposed inverters and the improved-Y-source inverter in many aspects. Simulation and experimental results have verified the abilities of the proposed inverters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A space vector modulation (SVM) technique of a dual-inverter system for an open-end winding motor drive is described in this paper, where one inverter has a battery power source and the other has an only capacitor across the dc bus. The SVM must be achieved to operate the motor with field-oriented control and simultaneously to control the capacitor voltage at a constant value by using redundant switching states of the dual-inverter system. The control of the capacitor voltage is carried out by selecting a charging or a discharging mode in each redundant switching state, taking the instantaneous motor power factor into account. In addition, it is also required to reduce the error voltage pulses, which are generated in output multilevel voltage waveforms during the dead time. The compensation method of the existing dead-time scheme and the improved SVM sequence to reduce the error voltage vectors are proposed in this paper. The proposed methods are examined through several experimental tests and are confirmed to generate superior output voltage waveforms from the viewpoint of the measured total harmonic distortion and dv/dt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new family of impedance source inverters is presented. It employs high-frequency electrical isolation between the inverter bridge switches and the load along with voltage clamping across the dc-link voltage. Conventional Z-source inverters (ZSIs) employs an impedance network that consists of inductors and capacitors. It has unique features that realize both step-up/step-down functions and eliminates the need of dead/overlap times. This paper extends this novel concept by using electrical isolation in impedance source inverters. High-frequency isolation has many advantages in terms of immunity and reliability; when applied with impedance source inverters this makes ZSIs a preferable choice for industrial applications. In photo-voltaic systems, the addition of the high-frequency transformer provides safety by avoiding the injection of dc circulating current into the grid, without the need of an external bulky line frequency transformer. The gain of the proposed inverter design can be accurately selected by choosing the turns ratio of the high frequency transformer (HFT) or by adjusting the shoot-through duty cycle (STDC) to the inverter. This allows for greater freedom especially when utilizing a higher modulation index, with the STDC allowing dynamic gain adjusts to be done speedily during operation of the inverter. Additionally, a dc-rail voltage clamping technique for the proposed class of isolated ZSIs is also discussed. This technique provides benefits not only in improving the output voltage quality, but also in reducing voltage stress of the active and passive components by minimizing the voltage spikes across the switching devices. In this paper, several high-frequency isolated ZSIs are presented, and an example isolated improved ΓZSI design is shown and discussed in detail. Simulations are provided for the proposed class of isolated inverters to verify their working. Further experimental investigation has been done for which results for the isolated improved ΓZSI are reported. These empirical results have largely confirmed the expected benefits that were determined through simulation and accurate model-based testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The voltage source converter based high voltage direct current transmission system with the true bipolar wiring mode features higher flexibility and reliability, yet it cannot be without a proper and effective coordinated control strategy, which is the key to the safe and reliable operation of the system as well as the effective and full utilization of renewable energy on a large scale. A step further from the conventional droop control strategy, the coordinated control strategy based on operating point optimization is proposed in this paper. This paper first illustrates and examines the coordinated control method at the system level in view of special wiring and control modes; it then looks into the method of operating point optimization seeking to achieve both safe and cost-effective operation; and the paper finally demonstrates the effectiveness of the coordinated control strategy verified by MATLAB and PSCAD simulations from the perspective of system operating point deviation, security, and cost-effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a single-inductor dual-output (SIDO) dc–dc converter is proposed. The significant feature of the proposed converter is feeding a constant power load in low-voltage side (LVS) port, where even feeding a variable load at LVS does not have any cross regulation to high-voltage side port with the desired approximation. Magnificently, both merits are obtained in open-loop manner, which is an outstanding characteristic in comparison with that of the existed converters. In this paper, soft commutation and soft switching of switches and diodes are investigated along with the aforementioned main novelty. Moreover, detailed theoretical analyses of the proposed SIDO dc–dc converter in continuous conduction mode are presented besides the comparisons with some other structures. Finally, theoretical analyses are verified through a 1500 W experimental prototype results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a series-capacitor-based interleaving buck power factor correction (PFC) converter is proposed, the intermediate energy storage capacitance of which is operated at discontinuous capacitor voltage mode (DCVM), and automatic power factor (PF) correction for this converter is obtained. Moreover, the voltage across the series capacitor of the proposed PFC converter is clamped at the input voltage, and thus peak voltage stress existed in the traditional DCVM buck PFC could be relieved. By effectively regulating the charge/discharge time for the series capacitor, ultrahigh step-down conversion ratio of the proposed converter is achieved, the conversion ratio of which is independent of the duty cycle and only related to the switching frequency and circuit parameters. Therefore, high PF can be obtained due to very narrow deadtime of the input current. Meanwhile, the proposed PFC converter can realize the soft turn-on of part power switch and soft turn-off of part power diodes. In addition, comparing with the traditional discontinuous inductor current mode PFC, the input current of the proposed PFC converter is continuous so that the peak value and root-mean-square value of input current can be reduced. The operational principle, performance analysis, and parameter design principle are given in this paper. The analysis results show that the PF and total harmonic distortion are also independent of the duty cycle. Finally, a 220-Vac input, 60 W/15 V output experimental prototype is built to verify the validity of the theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel method to estimate the number of shorted turns in a permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) following the detection of interturn short-circuit (ITSC) fault and its location. In this proposed method, PMSM is excited through a low sinusoidal voltage at standstill condition to obtain the winding resistance and synchronous inductance by current response. It is shown that the ITSC fault introduces variation in the current response, which can be used to calculate the number of shorted turns under zero fault resistance assumption. Using this practical procedure, the fault severity can be estimated directly in a straight-forward manner. In other words, the severity estimation for a given machine can be done without complex machine modeling or experiments on ITSC prototype with multiple taps. The findings in this paper are essential for a comprehensive solution including fault mitigation algorithms and postfault operations. In order to verify the findings, a three-phase equivalent circuit model supported by finite element analysis results is used to take saturation and space harmonics into account. In addition, experimental results are presented to demonstrate the validity and practicability of the severity estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One promising solution for future large wind turbine power conversion is to use medium-voltage power conversion systems for high efficiency and high power-density, e.g., by using a cascaded structure presented in this paper. However, a medium-frequency (MF) oscillation issue was observed while testing the experimental prototype of the above system. Given the complex multivariable coupling models of the multiwinding transformer and multiple inverters, conventional single-variable theories are not suitable. Therefore, this paper presents a new decoupling analysis method. Using a proposed linear transformation matrix, the output currents of multiple inverters can be transformed to a summation (grid) current and difference currents, where the former is the summation of inverter currents and the latter are the differences between currents of any two inverters. This transformation has enabled the use of single-variable theories, e.g., Bode diagram to analyze the summation current and difference current separately. It was found that the MF oscillation issue is caused by the equivalent impedance of the summation current being much larger than that of the difference current. Specifically, using small controller parameters cannot ensure the grid current quality and using large parameters may cause oscillation in the difference current. The proposed method can provide guidelines to design the parameters of current regulators and filters in multiple-inverter systems. Experimental results of a downscaled wind energy conversion system are presented to verify the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an “isolated soft switching current fed LCC-T resonant dc–dc converter for PV/fuel cell applications.” This converter is able to achieve zero voltage switching for front-end inverter switches and zero-current switching for voltage doubler diodes. The majority of dc–dc converters have compact capacitive (C) filter in output, but high harmonic currents through transformer makes them bulky. The proposed converter attempts to improve harmonic content through a transformer under wide load and input variations as well as it can significantly reduce required turns ratio of transformer to achieve required output voltage. For the above reasons, the proposed converter can offer better footprints and therefore it can be a potential candidate for PV/fuel cell applications. This paper presents basic operating principal, detailed analysis, control, and design of the proposed converter with the help of an example. This converter operates in two modes, i.e., constant duty cycle mode and constant frequency mode, depending on load demand, and is explained through operating curves. Finally, experimental results are included for justifying the proposed theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a bipolar pulsed power supply for strategic mineral exploration. Depending on the operating conditions, the bipolar pulsed power supply is capable of delivering the required high voltage and low current or low voltage and high current when operated, respectively, in either the grounded dipole mode or the loop mode. Based on a 500-V 12.5-A unit module, series and parallel connections of four modules are configured to satisfy both the grounded dipole mode (2000 V) and the loop mode (50 A), respectively. A unit module comprising an LCC resonant converter and a full-bridge-based bipolar pulse-switching unit is designed. In order to achieve high power density, the leakage inductance of the transformer is used as a resonant inductor in place of an external inductor. Accordingly, the resonant tank parameters are designed to give the resonant current a trapezoidal shape to reduce conduction loss and provide high efficiency. In addition, a simple gate-driving algorithm that uses the repetitive short pulse to cover the frequency range from dc to 8 kHz is proposed to allow the compact design of a minimized gate transformer. In this paper, the detailed design of the resonant circuit and the transformer of a unit module is described, and the operation is verified through simulation and experimental results. Finally, the developed LCC resonant converter achieves the maximum efficiency of 95%, the maximum power factor of 0.96, and a high power density of 806.5 W/L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The offset voltage variation of current sensors is mainly due to the thermal drift, and it causes torque ripples in current vector-controlled surface permanent magnet synchronous motor (SPMSM) drives. This paper proposes a current offset error compensator for the current vector-controlled SPMSM drives used in robotic applications, wherein dynamic movements frequently occur. The current offset error compensator for this kind of applications should provide a stable performance in estimating current offset errors during dynamic movements. Especially, the current offset error compensator should be able to suppress interferences from outer-loop controllers. In this paper, analysis on a synchronous frame current regulator is performed to see the relation between current commands and measured currents under the current offset error existing condition. The analysis shows that pure current offset error components can be obtained by subtracting low-pass filtered current commands from measured currents in a synchronous reference frame. It means that the interference from current commands in correcting current offset errors can be easily decoupled by the simple subtraction process, and the dynamic control capability of a current offset error compensator could be significantly improved. The dynamic performance of the proposed current offset error compensator is proved through simulations and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DC microgrid has attracted more and more attention due to its unique characteristics, but the development of a dc microgrid is also facing some challenges, such as interruption and isolation of short-circuit fault currents. Therefore, the dc circuit breaker plays an important role in ensuring the normal work of a dc microgrid. In this paper, a novel bidirectional dc solid-state circuit breaker is proposed to realize the bidirectional flow of energy, which ensures the higher operating efficiency of the dc microgrid. Compared with other solid-state circuit breakers, the proposed novel topology has simpler structure, common ground, and fewer components. First, this paper makes a detailed analysis of the different working stages of the circuit when the fault occurs in combination with simulation results of the circuit topology. Then, the standard of selecting the components through the calculation and analysis of the circuit is given in this paper. Finally, the performance of the novel bidirectional solid-state circuit breaker is verified by experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a capacitor voltage regulation method for the dual converter with a floating bridge for aerospace applications. This topology has previously been reported, but with a constrained voltage utilization factor due to the need for capacitor voltage regulations. In this paper, the effect of switching states on the voltage variation of capacitor is quantitatively modeled and an enhanced space vector modulation scheme with current feedback is proposed to achieve an active control of the floating capacitor voltages. This proposed method also allows further exploitation and utilization of converter voltage. The relationship between the allowed modulation index of dual converter and load power factor is obtained and expressed using a fitted polynomial equation. The advantages of the proposed method include boosted voltage utilization and superior performance in term of capacitor voltage balance. These advantages have been proven through simulation and experimental results on RL loads as well as with an open-end winding induction motor. The proposed modulation scheme can boost the converter voltage utilization by at least 10% while achieving full four-level operation. More importantly, the higher available voltage allows extending the constant torque region of the motor, the further beginning of field weakening operation could be postponed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides the concept of design, implementation, and system integration of energy efficient power management solution for a fault-tolerant more electric engine/aircraft (MEE/MEA). The power management solution consists of three components, i.e., the power management system (PMS), the stability analysis module, and the condition-based control (CBC) module. The PMS is to optimize the electrical power system (EPS) level efficiency based on constraints with consideration of power limits of the dc system in the MEE/MEA architecture, which are calculated by the stability analysis module, and system reconfiguration, which is provided by the CBC module. This paper focuses on the design and implementation of PMS algorithm for EPS of a fault-tolerant MEE/MEA architecture. A PMS solution to optimize EPS level efficiency optimization is proposed, which is based on multiple objective optimization problem (MOOP). The proposed MOOP is solved with a modified nondominated genetic algorithm with local search mechanisms. The proposed power management solution are implemented in the MEE/MEA simulation model as well as hardware-in-loop virtual testbed and results show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an integrated method of three-phase ac excitation and high-frequency voltage signal injection (HFVSI) for sensorless controlled starting of brushless synchronous machines (BSM) used as starter/generator in variable frequency ac power systems of civil aircraft. Fixed 400 Hz of the three-phase ac power is adopted both for the ac excitation and HFVSI in the initial starting process to eliminate the bulky rotor position sensor for BSM. The resulting 6th sequence harmonic voltage determined by the rotating rectifier is utilized as the HFVSI into the field-winding of main generator without any extra high-frequency signal injection. The rotor position is estimated by the high-frequency response signals extracted from the armature windings of main generator. Due to the nonlinear rotating rectifier linked in the HFSI chain, a novel frequency-insensitive asynchronous demodulation strategy is proposed in this paper for rotor position estimation. Furthermore, the initial rotor position detection is calibrated by polarity decision of the induced currents of the armature windings within the establishment procedure of field current of the main generator at standstill. The effectiveness of the ac excitation and feasibility of rotor position estimation for sensorless starting control of BSM are validated by the simulation and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a visible light communication (VLC) system consisting of a single-stage buck–boost power factor correction converter operating in the discontinuous conduction mode with dimming capability. Additionally, this paper proposes the on–off M-frequency shift keying modulation for the VLC system. This modulation allows for the transmission of more than a single bit for each switching period without affecting the dimming characteristics of the light-emitting diode luminaire. The design of the whole system is discussed in detail, including both transmitter and receiver modules. A 20-W laboratory prototype was built in order to verify the proposed modulation scheme. The experimental evaluation showed a good performance of the transmitter, which was able to perform simultaneously the desired functions, namely power factor correction, dimming, and data transmission. The receiver also achieved the desired performance with a low bit error rate (BER). The results showed that the proposed system was able to transfer data between emitter and receiver with a bit rate of 1.11 Mb/s at a frequency of up to 375 kHz over a distance of 10 m, and with a BER lower than $10^{-3}$ under the influence of external lighting sources with illuminance levels up to 500 lx. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extra-LC auxiliary-resonant-snubber-based converter (ELCARSC), as a soft-switching converter, has the advantages of low switching loss, low electromagnetic interference noise, and low-output distortion caused by the dead-time effect. However, the dead-time effect is still the main problem in a high-precision application. Besides, the traditional control and compensation methods rely on the accuracy of the circuit parameters, especially the junction capacitance, thus resulting in compensation error. Therefore, this paper proposed a novel high-precision control method through modulating the initial resonant current to eliminate the dead-time effect of ELCARSC. The method does not need complicated online calculation and reduces the dependence on the accuracy of the circuit parameters, especially the influence of the junction capacitances of the switches. In this paper, the dead-time effect of the ELCARSC is analyzed. The output voltage error with the conventional variable-timing control method is analyzed. Subsequently, the proposed modulated initial resonant current control is introduced. Finally, a prototype was developed that verified the effectiveness of the control method. The quality of the output current and voltage is improved by utilizing the proposed control method. However, the peak current of the auxiliary switch is increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A trinary multilevel converter uses a few heterogeneous H-bridge submodules (SMs) to synthesize an output voltage with multiple levels. Two major limitations of this converter are that it needs multiple dc sources and it cannot operate under pulsewidth modulation (PWM). This paper addresses these limitations by adding a low-voltage H-bridge SM to this converter and proposing a new switching algorithm. The resulting PWM-based asymmetric cascaded H-bridge converter uses only one dc source and synthesizes a high-quality output voltage. This improved converter can be a potential choice for real and reactive power support in power system applications. This paper also proposes methods for stability analysis and design of this converter. Experimental case studies evaluate the performance of the proposed converter for both standalone and grid-connected modes of operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an improved postfault strategy is introduced for modular multilevel converters, which utilizes the remaining healthy capacity of the converter more efficiently and increases the line voltage amplitude under these circumstances. Previous works proposed to use the neutral point shift in ac side and dc side of the converter simultaneously. This paper adds a comprehensive and coherent formulation, deep analyzation, and experimental validation. The main improvement of the proposed method is maximizing the line voltage amplitude using the optimum dc component and the best neutral point position. Indeed, fewer restrictions in fault numbers, fewer restrictions in load power factor, and fewer nonsolution conditions are among other improvements of a combined dc and neutral-shift method. Comparative simulation and experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circulating current of modular multilevel converter (MMC) has a great impact on the power losses, the submodule (SM) capacitor voltage ripples, and the rating of power devices. Existing analysis of circulating current has considered the capacitor voltage and the modulation signal. In this paper, the effect of semiconductor devices on the circulating current is further presented. In order to realize the different circulating current injection targets under different conditions, a unified online calculation scheme by using the instantaneous information of MMC is proposed in this paper to generate the circulating current injection references. It avoids detecting the amplitude and phase of the output current or using an extensive lookup table. Besides, a mathematical analysis model is built and it reveals the impact on the capacitor voltage ripple and the rms value of arm current with different injection references, thus guide the determination of the injection ratio. Experimental results based on a three-phase MMC prototype with six SMs per arm are presented to demonstrate the analysis of circulating current and the proposed circulating current injection references generating method is verified by different circulating current control targets with different loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new topology based on a modified class-E resonant inverter used as an LED series current regulator. The proposed topology behaves as a controllable nondissipative impedance that adjusts the current flowing through the lamp. In this circuit, the LED is placed at the dc side of the class-E inverter, in series with the input filter inductance. The power handled by the ac side is sent back to the input by means of two diodes. Despite the addition of these two diodes, the converter maintains all the advantages of the class-E inverter: low component count, simple control, and extremely low switching losses. The LED current can be controlled with a small variation of the operating frequency. This way, the low-frequency current ripple of the lamp can be strongly reduced even when there is a considerably high input voltage excursion, such as the one expected in electrolyticless high-power-factor LED ballast. This paper proposes a simplified methodology based on the fundamental approach aiming to design and build a laboratory prototype. The prototype is designed in order to minimize the effect of LED voltage in the output current. This way, the input voltage ripple can be canceled using a simple feedforward control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Islanded grids operate isolated from the main grid and they allow the use of ac with a different frequency from the main grid. In this paper, it is proposed to use more than one frequency at the same time in such autonomous systems. The grid voltage amplitude at the fundamental frequency can be increased while the voltage peak is constant by adding odd harmonics to the voltage waveform. The grid currents and the power converter currents are decreased for the same power level, which leads to reduced losses in the system. The currents can be minimized if waveform shaping is additionally applied to the current waveforms. The approach also offers the possibility of mitigating the influence of low power factor in single-phase systems. This paper presents the impact of multifrequency power transfer on single-phase converters and grid components such as power cables and protection, and verifies the results with analysis, simulations, and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essential imbalance and fluctuation of the mobile train load draw some problems, e.g., three-phase unbalance, reactive power, voltage and load fluctuation, harmonics, etc. in both public and train supply networks (TSNs). Railway power flow controller (RPFC)'s good performance on dealing with those problems has been convinced in practice these years. However, as the primary task in commercialization, how to qualitatively determine RPFC's design capacity with high cost efficiency and how to comprehensively assess its performance in the design stage have perplexed engineers for many years. To solve those problems in both planning and real-time executing processes, this paper focuses on an RPFC design capacity optimization strategy for grid-connection compatibility and operating performance improvement in terms of both the utility and the TSN. The strategy not only makes a railway substation satisfy the grid-connection standards with high calculating efficiency, but also renders the RPFC to have the minimum design capacity, the excellent feeder voltage control ability, the good fixed capacitor installing prospect, and the high operating efficiency on the targets of reducing the investment and enhancing the transportation ability. The generic models, the industry-oriented design and the quantitative analysis, discussed in this paper give an insight for those concerned based on a balance transformer. Future RPFC projects on serviced railway power systems will benefit from the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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]

This paper presents a uniform control strategy for the bidirectional ac/dc interlinking converter (BIC) in hierarchical controlled hybrid microgrid. The uniform control strategy unifies different control structures for multifunctional BIC in terms of power management, ac and dc voltage support. With the unified control structure, various triggering mechanisms for BIC mode-switch are not compulsory in response to the relevant scenario changes in the power network. Therefore, the negative consequences, such as unsmooth transition and system collapse due to the inaccurate or slower mode switch, can be avoided. Moreover, the uniform control strategy is also applicable for the hierarchical controlled hybrid microgrid, whose control architecture is typically comprised of the centralized and decentralized levels. This enables the communication fault ride-through capability and the impact from the communication failures can thus be mitigated. To sum up the above two features, the proposed control strategy is able to provide a smooth operation for the BIC without control mode switch in the event of unintentional scenario changes in power or communication network. To verify the validity of the proposed uniform control strategy, the controller hardware-in-the-loop experimental results have been provided in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes the integration of the auxiliary power module (APM) and nondissipative balancing hardware of a high-voltage battery. The proposed battery-balancing APM is projected to reduce the costs of nondissipative battery balancing by providing two functionalities: balancing of the high-voltage battery cells and charging of the low-voltage battery. This paper proposes two model predictive control strategies that address simultaneous balancing and charging. Both approaches make unbalanced charge available that increases the effective capacity of the high-voltage battery. The monolithic controller solves the balancing and charging problem as a single optimization problem. In contrast, the decoupled controller defines a separate control law for charging to achieve a higher bandwidth, e.g., for systems without dedicated low-voltage battery. The battery-balancing APM concept is validated on a software-in-the-loop and experimental test bench. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To reduce stored capacitor energy in modular multilevel converters (MMCs), previous papers propose injection of harmonics in the arm circulating currents and zero-sequence voltages. While this approach is effective, previously utilized combinations of injected harmonics significantly increase converter current ratings. In contrast, the optimization approach developed in this article identifies harmonics that simultaneously achieve capacitor energy optimization and reduced overrating of converter currents. In addition, the proposed approach eliminates the possibility of convergence to local minima, which is a significant improvement on previously proposed nonconvex optimization approaches. Experimental verification of the proposed approach is performed on a low-voltage three-phase modular multilevel converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tap changers are commonly used to maintain the limits in medium-voltage lines. Initially based on electromechanical switches, efforts have been made since the 1990's to reduce maintenance expenses with thyristor-based versions. Among the methods to limit the short-circuiting current in commutating taps, the multiwinding coil has demonstrated, during decades of use in the low-voltage field, to be reliable and cheap. Two previous papers showed that multiwinding changers can be applied to medium-voltage lines up to 34.5 kV, 15 MVA with no parallel or series thyristor association. This paper proposes a new topology, based on a double array of tap switches per phase, allowing for step-up the power from 15 to 36 MVA and insertion in any point of the line with no connection to the head transformer. A comparative cost analysis gives technical and economical results for a typical 10 MVA, 34.5 kV stabilizer demonstrating the advantages of the proposed circuit over the electronic single array topology and the classic mechanical solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, two structures are proposed for the switched-inductor quasi-Z-source inverter. In the proposed structures to extend the voltage gain of inverter, two new switched-inductor structures are used. In the proposed structures, voltage across the capacitors in the Z-source network and in the switched-inductor is symmetric and small. The other advantage of proposed inverters is known as achieving higher voltage gain per smaller duty cycle ratio (of shoot-through). Compared with a conventional continuous input current switched-inductor quasi-Z-source inverter at the same gain voltage, there is less of a ripple of input current in the proposed inverters. In this paper, at first the both the conventional and the proposed switched-inductor Z-source inventers are thoroughly investigated to find out their governing relations. Then, the proposed Z-source inverters are compared with the conventional ones by simulating them to assess their performance efficiency. Next, applying the simple boost pulse width modulation the simulation is carried out with PSCAD/EMTDC software. After that, to evaluate the obtained results, the prototypes of the proposed inverters with 48 Vdc input voltage are used. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a novel fuzzified mechanical sensorless speed estimation technique for permanent magnet direct current (PMDC) brushed motor operated with pulse width modulation (PWM) based terminal voltage. For replacement of conventional mechanical speed sensors, few mechanical sensorless speed estimation techniques have been reported recently in the field of PMDC brushed motor. In this paper, a novel technique is applied over a recently reported semianalytical dynamic time-domain PMDC brushed motor model incorporating space-domain effects, namely slotting effect and commutation phenomenon to simulate the proposed estimation process. Ripple and back electromotive force based standalone estimation approaches are hybridized in order to eliminate uncertainties in all regions of estimation. In this paper, a discrete fuzzified hybrid speed estimation model has been proposed with adequate dynamic simulation responses. Further the proposed discrete speed estimation model has been applied experimentally over a PWM-driven 24-V, 12-teeth, 100-W PMDC brushed motor and various dynamic real-time responses have been compared with conventionally captured speed samples to validate the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Microinverters require high voltage gain capability for interfacing the low dc voltage output of photovoltaic (PV) module to single-phase ac grid. A two-stage nonisolated inverter is proposed in this paper, with a first boost stage and a second traditional pulse width modulated grid-tied inverter stage. The proposed boost stage consists of a coupled inductor added with a voltage multiplier to achieve the required high voltage gain at high efficiency and to operate over a wide input voltage range. Among the coupled inductor topologies, adding a clamp circuit is a common solution to limit the voltage spike caused by leakage inductance. In the proposed converter, the resonance between the coupled inductor and voltage multiplier is used to address the issue of voltage spike, thereby reducing both component count and device voltage stress. Detailed analysis and design procedure of the proposed converter is presented in this paper. Experimental results of a 250-W microinverter are presented to validate the proposed converter. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, the lifetime prediction of power device modules based on the linear damage accumulation is studied in conjunction with simple mission profiles of converters. Superimposed power cycling conditions, which are called simple mission profiles in this paper, are made based on a lifetime model in respect to junction temperature swing duration. This model has been built based on 39 power cycling test results of 600-V 30-A three-phase-molded IGBT modules. Six tests are performed under three superimposed power cycling conditions using an advanced power cycling test setup. The experimental results validate the lifetime prediction of the IGBT modules based on the linear damage accumulation by comparing the test results with the predicted lifetime from the lifetime model. Furthermore, the test results show the importance of the junction temperature swing duration effect for the lifetime prediction of IGBT modules under power converter applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, new half-bridge and full-bridge topologies for a switched-boost inverter are proposed. These topologies have a high boost factor in comparison with conventional types. In addition, the proposed topologies have continuous input current and can generate zero-voltage level in output. In this paper, the operation of the proposed inverters in different operating modes is analyzed. Then, the values of inductors and capacitors are designed. Moreover, the used switching pattern and its logical diagram are introduced. A comprehensive comparison between the proposed and conventional topologies in terms of the boost factor, the number of elements, and the efficiency shows the good features of the proposed inverters. Finally, to verify correct operation of the proposed topologies and derived equations, simulation and experimental results are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nine-switch converter is a multiport converter having two three-phase terminals and a dc-link, just like a 12-switch back-to-back (BTB) converter, but with 25% reduction of active switch count. However, the reduction from 12-switch to 9-switch may not always be an efficient choice considering losses in the switches. Only the load–source combination for the ac–ac common frequency mode and the source–source combination for the ac–dc different frequency (ac–dc DF) mode have been reported, so far, to yield relatively lower loss for the nine-switch converter. This paper shows that the nine-switch converter can have relatively lower loss even with a load–source combination, instead of only source–source combination in its ac–dc DF mode—when the upper terminal is connected to a dc load and the lower terminal is connected to an ac source. Mathematical proof is presented with derivation of the particular operating parameters for which the nine-switch converter will have comparatively lower losses. The analysis is validated with simulation and experimental results of a 1-kW system. Finally, the benchmark of the application criteria of the nine-switch converter for having lower conduction loss than the BTB converter is updated in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to study the dynamics of a permanent magnet direct current (PMDC) brushed motor while two crucial space-domain effects, namely, slotting effect and commutation phenomenon are taken into account. Semi-analytical dynamic time-domain PMDC brushed motor model inclusive of these space-domain effects is used to analyze and investigate the dynamics. Pulse width modulation operated discontinuous current PMDC brushed motor drive with steady duty cycle is employed to acquire the bifurcation patterns. The chaotic nature due to slotting effect and commutation is identified from the bifurcation patterns and reported. It also has to be admired that such nonlinear dynamical behavior with the same set of parameters at similar operating condition has not been observed when a conventional PMDC brushed motor dynamic model is considered. These space-domain effects, namely, slotting effect and commutation also have a prominent impact to make some time-domain states of a PMDC brushed motor drive chaotic. The role of slotting effect and commutation phenomenon to analyze the chaos over time-domain state variables of the PMDC brushed motor drive is investigated and validated experimentally in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

For power converters with inductive loads, a freewheeling path is needed for the current due to reactive power. The MOSFET synchronous rectification (SR) is widely used to reduce the conduction loss during the freewheeling period. Due to the wide band gap of silicon carbide (SiC), the intrinsic body diode of SiC MOSFET exhibits a high voltage drop. Hence, an antiparallel SiC Schottky diode is normally implemented to eliminate its conduction. However, the external SiC Schottky diode is not fully utilized as it only works during the dead time. In this paper, the hard-switching SR is investigated in an SiC three-phase inverter and compared with a conventional inverter using freewheeling diode (FWD). An improved power loss model for the two inverters has been developed. It is found that the inverter using SR has higher efficiency due to the smaller switching loss. A 7-kW prototype of SiC three-phase inverter is built, which achieves a peak efficiency of 98.8% ($\pm$ 0.15%) and 98.5% ($\pm$ 0.15%) at 40 kHz using SR and FWD, respectively. This paper confirms that the SiC MOSFET is an ideal candidate for the SR. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper shows a synchronization technique of power converters based on a limit cycle oscillator (LCO) and a frequency-locked loop (FLL), which makes the system frequency adaptive. The proposed technique LCO-FLL offers a high degree of immunity and robustness against swells, sags, harmonics, and phase-frequency shift. Furthermore, the LCO-FLL has the advantage of performing the synchrony with the grid from any initial condition set for LCO, ensuring an acceptable transient onto the synchronization process. Other advantages of the proposed scheme are that it does not require a phase-locked loop or trigonometric functions and it gives useful information to estimate the positive- and negative-sequence components in a three-phase system with a highly polluted grid scenario. In this paper, a local stability analysis of the LCO-FLL is presented. The behavior and performance of the proposed technique are compared with synchronization techniques by means of experimental results. Furthermore, a three-phase application of the synchronization technique is evaluated experimentally. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a wide-range zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) active-clamped current-fed push–pull converter for fuel cell application. The presented converter achieves ZVS for all of the primary switches and ZCS for secondary diodes from rated load to 10% full load over the wide input voltage variation, improving the overall efficiency. The ZVS of switches is realized by the energy stored in the transformer leakage inductance aided by the secondary parallel inductor. An additional active clamping circuit suppresses the voltage spike as well as assists in realizing ZVS of switches. Low-voltage-rated switches with low on-state resistance can be used. Moreover, the voltage-doubler rectifier is adopted to release the reverse-recovery problem of rectifier diodes and reduce turns ratio of the high-frequency transformer. Detailed steady-state operation, analysis, design, control, comparative study, and experimental results are discussed in depth in this paper. Finally, a 200-W prototype has been built in the laboratory to verify the effectiveness of the proposed converter. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

SiC mosfet based converters are capable of high switching frequency operation. In this paper, the converter is operated with 50-kHz switching frequency for an active front-end rectifier application. Due to high switching frequency, the grid-side filter size is reduced, and the possibility of a high bandwidth current control loop is utilized in this paper. A current control loop with bandwidth of 5 kHz is designed using a proportional–integral controller in synchronously rotating dq-reference frame. In addition, the performance of the controller is tested under unbalanced input supply conditions. During this condition, new feed-forward signals, which are added to the controller output, are proposed. The gain of the feed-forward signal can be modified to achieve balanced sinusoidal grid currents, constant dc-link voltage, or a controlled negative-sequence input current, which are typical application-depending requirements. A closed-form formula to calculate the gain of the feed-forward signal to achieve the above-mentioned requirements is also proposed in this paper. To verify the proposed method, the simulation and experimental results are presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Silicon carbide (SiC) power devices have been investigated extensively in the past two decades, and there are many devices commercially available now. Owing to the intrinsic material advantages of SiC over silicon (Si), SiC power devices can operate at higher voltage, higher switching frequency, and higher temperature. This paper reviews the technology progress of SiC power devices and their emerging applications. The design challenges and future trends are summarized at the end of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, two topologies are presented for the enhanced-boost quasi-Z-source inverters (qZSI), namely continuous input current configuration and discontinuous input current configuration of enhanced-boost qZSI with two-switched impedance networks. Similar to enhanced-boost impedance-source inverters (ZSIs), these proposed inverter topologies possess very high boost voltage inversion at low shoot-through duty ratio and high modulation index to provide an improved quality output voltage. Compared to enhanced-boost ZSIs with two-switched Z-source impedance networks, these proposed inverter topologies share common ground with source and bridge inverter, overcome the starting inrush problem, and draw continuous input current and the lower voltage across the capacitors. Moreover, the input ripple current is negligible. This paper presents the operating principles and analysis of continuous input current configuration enhanced-boost qZSI with two-switched impedance networks and compares with ZSI, switched inductor ZSI, DA/CA-qZSI, and enhanced-boost ZSIs. The theoretical analysis is done and is validated through simulation and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]