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This paper presents a new feed-forward strategy for suppressing low-order harmonic circulating currents in pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) based modular multilevel converters (MMCs). The approach is based on the new average model approach established in this paper, which identifies cross-coupling interactions between the system-level and submodule elements using decomposed dependent sources. As well as improving the damping of the system, the major advantage of this approach is that it maintains the natural DC bus balance property of a PWM modulated MMC by considering the upper and lower arms together (unlike existing feed-forward schemes which treat each MMC arm independently). Moreover, unlike existing direct control resonant strategies, which require careful gain tuning and are highly dependent on the ac system frequency, the proposed approach achieves wideband circulating current ripple suppression without requiring knowledge of the circulating current harmonic frequencies and needs only a simple proportional–integral (PI) controller to regulate the circulating current dc component for power balance. This makes it particularly suitable for use in multifrequency or variable-frequency ac systems. Extensive simulation and matching experimental results, including steady-state and transient responses compared against existing circulating current suppression approaches, validate the effectiveness and benefits of this new feed-forward compensation technique. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Many publications have been presented on the modulation and control of the modular multilevel converter, some of which are based on phase-shifted carrier modulation. This paper presents an analysis of how the switching frequency affects the capacitor voltages, circulating currents, and alternating voltages using phase-shifted carrier modulation. It is found that switching frequencies that are integer multiples of the fundamental frequency should be avoided as they can cause the capacitor voltages to diverge. Suitable switching frequencies are derived for which the arm and line quantities will be periodic with symmetric operating conditions in the upper and lower arms. Thus, the practical outcome of this paper is a detailed description of how the switching frequency should be chosen in order to achieve advantageous operating conditions. The theoretical results from the analysis are validated by both simulations and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new zero-sequence circulating current (ZSCC) reduction method for multimodule voltage source inverters (MVSIs) consisting of P three-phase inverters that are connected in parallel is proposed in this paper. Four-switch inverter modules are used instead of the conventional six-switch modules to reduce the cost. In this paper, the effectiveness of the proposed ZSCC reduction method is studied using selective harmonic elimination pulse width modulation. The proposed ZSCC reduction method can remove about P times the number of harmonics using the same switching frequency as compared to more conventional methods, as explained later in this paper. The concepts discussed in the paper are confirmed with results obtained from an MVSI experimental prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributed energy resources (DERs) are expected to provide ancillary functions including reactive power generation and harmonics compensation. Meanwhile, multilevel inverters and two-level converters with optimal pulsewidth modulation (OPWM) will be commonly used for DERs at high power levels. The challenge is to realize harmonic compensation with limited switching angles. This paper presents an online solution to realize the selective harmonics compensation (SHC), and power generation with DERs. For harmonics compensation, the selective harmonic components in the load current are detected. Then, the harmonic voltages are provided with DERs to cancel out these detected components. Since the power converter is requested to realize both harmonics filtering and power generation, limitations on harmonics compensation at the given power are discussed. Power hardware-in-the-loop-based online verifications are shown at the end of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of switching harmonics on the instantaneous power distribution in the cells of a cascaded H-bridge-based STATCOM when using phase-shifted pulse width modulation. The case of high- and low-switching frequency for the converter cells is investigated and the interaction between voltage and current harmonics is analyzed. It is shown that in both cases, this interaction results in an uneven power distribution among the cells in the same phase leg, leading to drifting of the dc-capacitor voltages and thereby the need for proper stabilization control loops. It is also shown that the selected frequency modulation ratio affects the active power distribution among the cells. In particular, the selection of a noninteger frequency modulation ratio helps in providing a more uniform power distribution among cells of the same phase leg, thus contributing to the capacitors balancing. A methodology for optimal selection of the frequency modulation ratio is given. Theoretical conclusions are validated through simulation and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides theoretical and experimental discussions on an optimal carrier frequency for a phase-shifted pulsewidth modulation modular multilevel cascade converter for grid connections. The theoretical discussion concludes that a ratio of the optimal carrier frequency with respect to the supply (ac) frequency is 5/2. A three-phase downscaled front-to-front system is designed, constructed, and tested to confirm validity of the theoretical discussion. It consists of a pair of three-phase modular multilevel cascade converters rated at 400 Vdc and 10 kW, where the carrier frequency is set to 450 Hz and the ac frequency to 180 Hz, that is, their ratio is equal to 5/2. Moreover, simulated waveforms are compared to experimental ones under the same operating conditions. Both experimental and simulated waveforms agree well with each other not only in steady states but also in transient states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new modulated carrier control method for an interleaved continuous conduction mode (CCM) power factor correction (PFC) boost converter. The proposed method allows precise sinusoidal line current shaping for a PFC boost converter operating in CCM. This is accomplished by simply comparing modulated carrier signal with switch current, such that inner current loop compensation design and rectified line voltage sensing are not required. The proposed control method greatly simplifies current sensing and control circuitry of multiphase converters since average current control is available by just sensing the switch current for each module. This also enables simple current balancing between parallel converters by employing modulated carrier signals with same amplitude. The principle of the control method is presented. The performance of the proposed control method is experimentally verified on a 600-W PFC converter. The measured power factor remains above 94.9% down to 20% of a full load for 110-Vrms and 220-Vrms line voltages. The line current harmonics also meet the IEC61000-3-2 Class D standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a generalized switching technique for cascaded H -bridge (CHB) converters is proposed. To take advantage of both low- and high-frequency modulation techniques, a hybrid modulation method is utilized. The proposed technique employs the low-frequency switching for voltage balancing of the dc-link capacitors, and the high-frequency sinusoidal pulse-width modulation switching for shaping the input ac current. Using the proposed technique, the stable operating region of CHB converters is extended. The proposed technique is capable of maintaining the dc voltages balanced even under critical operating conditions in which the load of one H-bridge cell is removed. The validity and effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by several simulation and experimental tests on a seven-level CHB rectifier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]