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With the power of high-orbit satellites now reaching dozens of kilowatts, solar energy sources play an important role in nonterrestrial applications. However, most of the existing high-power solar array simulators (SASs) are designed for simulating energy sources in terrestrial applications, and may not have suitable dynamic performance for nonterrestrial applications. This paper proposes a design for a high-power high-dynamic-performance space solar array simulator (SSAS) system, which combines a linear power stage unit and a multilevel bus tracking converter unit, in order to achieve a fast step-switching capability and high-power-handling capacity. In this paper, we consider the SSAS power system as two separate parts: the I–V power curve simulator that uses a linear power stage with 20 linear voltage-controlled current paths in parallel; and the multilevel bus tracking converter unit that provides the variable voltage levels tracking the SSAS output voltage, in order to decrease the power dissipation in the linear power stage. This paper establishes a mathematical model for the multilevel converter under this particular system architecture, and presents the application qualification conditions and system design principles. The proposed 2.4-kW SSAS can react quickly to a load step between the short-circuit and open-circuit states, which are the most challenging working conditions, at a stepping frequency of 3 kHz; this is a superior dynamic performance compared to other similar devices. The experimental results of testing the spacecraft power supply with a shunt regulator architecture demonstrating better performance, when compared to the results from four SAS modular products in parallel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a dc-link voltage control method of a single-phase back-to-back cascaded H-bridge inverter (SBCI) for a medium-voltage motor drive system. The main advantage of the SBCI topology over the conventional regenerative cascaded H-bridge topology with a three-phase active front-end (AFE) is a simple system structure, which is composed of an input transformer, a power cell, a current sensor, etc. However, the challenging points of the SBCI are larger voltage ripple in the dc-link capacitor and imbalance of dc-link voltages of each phase. The asymmetric dc-link voltage of each power cells could cause unstable operation such as over-modulation due to the lack of the dc-link voltage of a particular phase and result in over-voltage or under-voltage faults. In this paper, the control strategy of the dc-link voltage for the SBCI that uses the negative-sequence voltage of the converter is described. The proposed control method is verified with a computer simulation whose target is a 6.6-kV–1.25-MW medium-voltage drive system. Also, through the experimental setup with the prototype SBCI whose power rating is 16.2 kVA, the dc-link voltage of each AFE has been controlled within a 0.5% error of its reference value at the full load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the modular multilevel cascade converter based on double-star chopper-cells, which is intended for grid connection to medium-voltage power systems without using line-frequency transformers. The converter is characterized by a modular arm structure consisting of cascade connection of multiple bidirectional pulsewidth modulation chopper-cells with floating dc capacitors. This arm structure requires voltage-balancing control of all the dc capacitors. However, the voltage control combining an averaging control with an individual-balancing control imposes certain limitations on operating conditions. This paper proposes an arm-balancing control to achieve voltage balancing under all the operating conditions. The validity of the arm-balancing control as well as the theory developed in this paper is confirmed by computer simulation and experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-frequency oscillation (LFO), harmonic resonance, and harmonic instability phenomena in high-speed railways (HSRs) result from the interactions between multiple electric trains and the traction network. A train–network interaction system and a unified impedance-based model are therefore presented to reveal the mechanism of these three phenomena in Part I of the two-part paper. Part II of the paper presents and compares the detailed simulation and experiment results to investigate the available possible influential factors, verifications, and discussions of the three phenomena. The influential factors include the following: 1) four-quadrant converter (4QC) parameters involving the control parameters of the current controller (CC), the voltage controller (VC), and the phase-locked loop (PLL); 2) network parameters involving the utility power system, traction transformer, primary/secondary supply lines, catenary lines, and autotransformers (ATs); and 3) different numbers and positions of trains and railway lines will also be considered and discussed. In order to validate the theoretical results, the time-domain simulation and experiment system have been conducted. Finally, the differences and the relations among the three phenomena are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel droop approach for autonomous power management in low voltage DC (LVDC) microgrids based on a master–slave concept is presented. Conventional voltage-based droop approaches suffer from poor power sharing due to line resistance effects on a virtual resistance, which is solved by introducing a communication system to increase the current sharing accuracy. In this paper, a virtual frequency is superimposed by the master units, and slave units determine their output power according to the corresponding frequency-based droop characteristics. Unlike the voltage-droop methods, the proposed virtual frequency-droop approach can be applied for proportional power management among the energy units and loads in the microgrid without utilizing any extra communication system. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is evaluated by simulations and further validated by experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a decentralized current-sharing control strategy to endow fast transient response to paralleled dc–dc converters systems, such as dc microgrids or distributed power systems. The proposed controller consist of two main control loops: an external voltage droop control for current-sharing proposes and an internal current loop. The external droop control loop is designed as a voltage loop with embedded virtual impedance, which avoids the use of a slow voltage loop and a separate extra virtual impedance loop that may limit the system bandwidth. The internal current loop, thanks to the external control loop simplification, plays a major role in the system bandwidth, so that an adaptive proportional-integral (PI) controller is proposed for this matter. In the paper, two different droop control methods have been modeling, designed, simulated, and tested: The conventional virtual-impedance-loop based V–I droop and the proposed embedded-virtual-impedance based I–V droop. In order to compare the dynamic response performances between two droop controllers, their state-space models have been developed and analyzed in this paper. The results show that the dynamic response of the I–V droop control is faster than that of the conventional V–I droop control. Furthermore, by analyzing the effects from I–V droop control parameters, the errors can be reduced faster by enlarging the proportional terms, but with no fluctuations, and then completely eliminated by restoring back to small proportional values. Meanwhile, there exists a tradeoff phenomenon between the fast dynamic response and good steady-state performance; thus, an adaptive PI controller is proposed to both improve dynamic response and guarantee good steady-state performance simultaneously. Experimental results are shown to verify the accuracy of the models and the effectiveness of the proposed control framework. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a new concept of moduleintegrated converters called PVbalancers for photovoltaic applications. The proposed concept enables independent maximum power point tracking for each module, and dramatically decreases the requirements in terms of electrical rating, size, and manufacturing cost for power converters. The power rating of a PV balancer is less than 20% of its counterparts, and the manufacturing cost is thus significantly reduced. In this paper, two architectures of PV balancers are proposed, analyzed, realized, and verified through simulation and experimental results. It is anticipated that the proposed approach will be a low-cost solution for future photovoltaic power systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The degradation in power quality causes adverse economical impact on the utilities and customers. Harmonics in current and voltage are one of the most commonly known power quality issues and are solved by the use of a hybrid series active power filter (HSAPF). In this paper, a new controller design using sliding-mode controller-2 is proposed to make the HSAPF more robust and stable. An accurate averaged model of a three-phase HSAPF is also derived in this paper. The design concept of the robust HSAPF has been verified through simulation and experimental studies, and the results obtained are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with a 50-MW self-commutated back-to-back (BTB) system intended for power-flow control between two ac transmission networks. It focuses on the dynamic behavior of the BTB system during single-line-to-ground and double-line-to-ground faults. Attention is particularly paid to the dc magnetic flux deviation in the grid and converter transformers, and the circulating current inside the grid transformers, which would produce undesirable effects on the system. Theoretical equations related to the amount of circulating current and the dc magnetic flux deviation are derived. The theoretical results developed in this paper are confirmed by computer simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the voltage notches in ac/dc converters and the problems that they create. Voltage notch disturbs the voltage's waveform and excites the natural frequencies of the system. In some systems, these excisions create considerable high- frequency oscillations in the voltages of the converter and the adjacent buses; this can damage capacitor banks, create parallel resonance, and generate radio disturbances. This paper analyzes the effect of snubber circuits on the voltage oscillations that arise from commutation. It also presents the theoretical foundation and analytical derivation that are used to calculate notch depth and the frequency of oscillations. To achieve accurate and applicable results, various loads of the converter, the dc current ripple, and the characteristic impedance of the system are considered. Several experimental results are shown in order to illustrate the effects of changes in the system and converter parameters on the voltage waveform of the converter. Computer simulations and experimental results indicate the accuracy of the theoretical relations. The proposed equations make it possible to effectively study the harmonic and power quality in networks that include high-power converters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this correspondence, it is shown that there are some problems when an inductive load is considered in Figs. 2–5 of the original paper [1]. The objective of this correspondence is to point out these problems using analysis and detailed computer simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents dynamic control and performance of a unified power flow controller (UPFC) intended for installation on a transmission system consisting of two sets of three-phase transmission lines in parallel. When no UPFC is installed, interruption of either three-phase line due to a fault reduces an active power flow to half, because the line impedance becomes double before the interruption. Installing the UPFC makes it possible to control an amount of active power flowing through the transmission system. The validity of the theoretical analysis developed in this paper is verified by experiments using a 10-kVA laboratory setup, as well as a computer simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel spectral analysis technique for multilevel modulation. Conventionally, such analyses use a double Fourier series technique, but this approach can become intractable when complex reference waveforms (e.g., multilevel space vector offsets) and regular sampling processes are considered. In contrast, the strategy proposed in this paper separates the multilevel pulse width modulation (PWM) waveform into a spectral image of the reference, and sideband basis functions which are then expanded using a one-dimensional Fourier series. The coefficients of this Fourier series are defined by a one-dimensional Fourier integral that is simpler in form compared to the corresponding double integral associated with the double Fourier series. This analysis technique naturally incorporates regular sampling, and a discrete formulation is developed that enables complex PWM reference waveforms, including centered space vector offsets, to be solved. Results of this analysis are validated against previously published multilevel inverter double Fourier series results and matching switched simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new soft-stalling control strategy for grid-connected small wind turbines operating in the high and very high wind speed conditions. The proposed method is driven by the rated current/torque limits of the electrical machine and/or the power converter, instead of the rated power of the connected load, which is the limiting factor in other methods. The developed strategy additionally deals with the problem of system startup preventing the generator from accelerating to an uncontrollable operating point under a high wind speed situation. This is accomplished using only voltage and current sensors, not being required direct measurements of the wind speed nor the generator speed. The proposed method is applied to a small wind turbine system consisting of a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) and a simple power converter topology. Simulation and experimental results are included to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method. The paper also shows the limitations of using the stator back electromotive force to estimate the rotor speed in PMSG connected to a rectifier, due to significant $d$-axis current at high load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleaved multiphase synchronous buck converters are often used to power computer CPU, GPU, and memory to meet the demands for increasing load current and fast current slew rate of the processors. This paper reports and explains undesired coupling between discrete inductors in typical commercial multiphase applications where space is limited. In this paper, equations of coupling coefficient are derived for single-turn and multiturn Ferrite core inductors commonly used in multiphase converters and are verified by Maxwell static simulation. The influence of the coupling effect on inductor current waveforms is demonstrated by Maxwell transient simulation and confirmed by experiments. The analysis provides a useful tool for mitigating the coupling effect in multiphase converters to avoid early inductor saturation and interference between phases. Design guidelines and recommendations are provided to minimize the unwanted coupling effect in multiphase converters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an immune algorithm (IA)-based dead-time elimination PWM control strategy is proposed. For existing dead-time elimination applications, one of the major problems is the dead-time control around the zero-current-crossing points. To deal with this problem, this paper proposes a different PWM control method which first restricts the control sequence to a specified level around the zero-crossing zone. Also, the proposed method can improve the current waveform quality by using the IA approach and three-level control strategy. Compared with conventional dead-time elimination methods, this technique has the features of simple hardware requirement and adaptive control. Moreover, this control strategy effectively eliminates the effect of dead-time, while at the same time significantly reducing the total harmonic distortion of output current and improving the amplitude of output RMS value in different modulation indexes and loads conditions. To verify the analysis, an experimental platform based on DSP and field-programmable gate array is built. The simulation and experimental results are given to demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of this new method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a simple controller integrating a new reactive current reference algorithm for enhancing the transient performance of static synchronous compensator (STATCOM). A multilevel cascaded inverter with separated dc capacitors which is driven by carrier-based pulse width modulation is used to implement the STATCOM. The voltage across each dc-link capacitor is regulated by the rotated switching swapping scheme. In this paper, the STATCOM is controlled to provide both reactive power (VAR) compensation and grid power factor correction at the point of common coupling with a dynamically varying reactive load system. The proposed algorithm enhances the transient performance of the closed-loop system with only proportional controller and minimizes the STATCOM reactive current ripples. STATCOM based on a five-level cascaded inverter is presented in this paper and the performance of the proposed controller is investigated through various simulation studies using MATLAB/Simulink software for both steady state and transient conditions. A laboratory prototype is also developed to verify the simulation results where a good match between simulation and experimental results is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the dual inverter driven open-end permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) system and proposes control method which can generate maximum output power in overall speed range for integrated starter/alternator. Dual inverter driven open-end machine system consists of two inverters which are connected to the both ends of the machine winding. By disconnecting one inverter from the power source, the dc-link voltage of flying capacitor can be boosted through the machine. Because one inverter is connected to the only power source, output power of the machine is regulated by the source connected inverter. In this paper, modulation method for maximizing output power of inverter and motor with reduced harmonic and loss is proposed. It is a hybrid modulation combining six-step and pulse width modulations. With proposed method, efficiency and operation area are improved and cost of entire driving system is also decreased due to the removing of dc-dc converter. Analyses, strategies, control method, and simulation results are descripted. The experiments with PMSM are accomplished to verify the feasibility of proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stability studies are a crucial part of the design of power electronic systems, especially for safety critical applications. Standard methods can guarantee stability under nominal conditions but do not take into account the multiple uncertainties that are inherent in the physical system or in the system model. These uncertainties, if unaccounted for, may lead to highly optimistic or even erroneous stability margins. The structured singular value-based $\mu$ method justifiably takes into account all possible uncertainties in the system. However, the application of the $\mu$ method to power electronic systems with multiple uncertainties is not widely discussed in the literature. This paper presents practical approaches to applying the $\mu$ method in the robust stability analysis of such uncertain systems. Further, it reveals the significant impact of various types of parametric uncertainties on the reliability of stability assessments of power electronic systems. This is achieved by examining the robust stability margin of the dc/dc buck converter system, when it is subject to variations in system load, line resistance, operating temperature, and uncertainties in the system model. The $\mu$ predictions are supported by time-domain simulation and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a single-phase shared leg converter is proposed along with two generalizations. The basic configuration has three two-level insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) legs and is cascaded on the main power system by means of two injection transformers, such that one of these legs is shared between the transformers. The generalizations are expanded cases in which the converter has N\text{leg} legs. The first generalization is the cascaded shared leg (CSL), where the converter is cascaded by N\text{leg}-1 transformers, and one of the N\text{leg} legs is shared between all transformers. The second is the modular CSL, where Nmod modules, each one similar to the basic configuration, are cascaded by 2Nmod transformers. The conventional configurations considered for general comparisons are the cascaded h-bridge (CHB) and the cascaded half-bridge (CHfB). In this paper, we show that proposed configurations provide multilevel ac voltages with greater levels-per-switch ratio compared to the CHB. We also show that proposed CSL generalization has practically the same levels-per-switch than conventional CHfB and saves one transformer. Simulations and experimental results are shown to demonstrate proposed configurations performance and feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a comprehensive control scheme for a delta-connected cascaded H-bridge (CHB) converter-based static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) is presented, especially focusing on improving dynamic performance by novel feedforward control method. The method can conspicuously improve the dynamics of zero-sequence circulating current regulation of delta-connected CHB STATCOM especially under grid fault condition as well as load unbalance without excessive dc cell capacitor voltage fluctuation. The validity of the proposed method is demonstrated by mathematical proof. Finally, the full-scaled simulation results and the down-scaled experimental results verify that stable operation is guaranteed for both emulated grid and load unbalance conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Battery energy storage systems are often adopted to buffer the difference between the intermittent solar power and the load demand in power grids. The costs of such photovoltaic (PV) battery systems increase as the required energy storage increases. In this paper, a new configuration comprising the PV panels, a series dc electric spring (series ES) and a noncritical load is proposed to reduce the battery storage capacity of dc microgrids that have substantial PV installations. This arrangement forms a PV-embedded series dc ES (PVES). An optimization method considering the minimization of electricity bills of the dc microgrids is included to size the storage capacity and to determine the rating of the PV that are connected to the series ES. Experiments on a 48-V isolated dc grid and simulations on a 400-kVA grid-connected dc microgrid have been conducted to verify the storage reduction feature of the PVES. Both sets of results show that the PVES can tackle the intermittency of the solar power with a smaller storage capacity than that typically required in dc grids with PV installations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grid synchronization has always been an important challenge for grid-connected converters under extremely distorted grid conditions. Moreover, how to quickly and accurately extract multiple required harmonics is also essential for control systems. In this paper, two types of generalized delayed signal superposition (GDSS) operators capable of extracting any arbitrary harmonic component out of an input signal are derived. In order to show the benefits of GDSS operators, a new grid information estimation concept based on multiple GDSS operators (referred to as MGDSS-PLL) is proposed to track the fundamental and multiple targeted harmonics under single-phase and three-phase adverse grid conditions. MGDSS-PLL can be flexibly tuned to extract any harmonic components according to specific requirements within one fundamental period, and it also exhibits great robustness to grid disturbances. Simulations and experimental results are presented for verifying the performance of the MGDSS-PLL. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Switching harmonic attenuation has always been challenging for inverters used in high-power conversion applications, where ratio of switching to fundamental frequency is low. Addition of multiple LC-trap filters is no doubt a feasible cost-effective method, which has increasingly been used, but generally susceptible to filter parameter variations and harmonic resonances. This paper hence presents an alternative active trap filter (ATF), based on a series-LC-filtered inverter, for attenuating switching harmonics in a flexible, while yet not cost burdensome, approach. A direct impedance synthesis method has also been proposed for the ATF to better enforce its active switching harmonic bypassing ability. Compared with conventional schemes for controlling active power filters, the proposed method is more readily implemented, since it requires neither current reference generation nor high-bandwidth current control loop. Moreover, the use of a series LC filter at its ac side helps the ATF to reduce its inverter voltage and power ratings. Compensated frequency range of the ATF can hence be enlarged by using a comparably higher switching frequency and a proper step-by-step design procedure to be presented in this paper. Simulation and experimental results have confirmed the design procedures, and hence expected performance of the ATF. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a model-based design method of voltage phase controller for IPMSM. The voltage phase controller controls the torque with the output voltage phase only in high-speed region where the inverter output voltage amplitude is saturated. However, voltage phase control cannot achieve quick torque response because it is designed in defiance of transient characteristic. Due to the nonlinear characteristic between torque and voltage phase, a model-based design has not yet been carried out. In this paper, a model-based design is proposed by linearizing the relationship between torque and voltage phase. The analysis of the proposed model describes that the plant is a nonminimum phase system. Simulation results and experimental results show the effectiveness of the model-based design method which uses the proposed model. Furthermore, the stable analysis shows that the conventional design method has low bandwidth due to an unstable zero of the plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a hybrid modulation technique consisting of singe-reference six-pulse-modulation (SRSPM) for front-end dc/dc converter and 33% modulation for three-phase inverter. Employing proposed novel SRSPM to control front-end dc/dc converter, high frequency (HF) pulsating dc voltage waveform is produced, which is equivalent to six-pulse output at 6× line frequency (rectified 6-pulse output of balanced three-phase ac waveforms) once averaged. It reduces the control complexity owing to single-reference three-phase modulation as compared to conventional three-reference three-phase SPWM. In addition, it relives the need of dc-link capacitor reducing the cost and volume. Eliminating dc link capacitor helps in retaining the modulated information at the input of the three-phase inverter. It needs only 33% (one third) modulation of the inverter devices to generate balanced three-phase voltage waveforms resulting in significant saving in (at least 66%) switching losses of inverter semiconductor devices. At any instant of line cycle, only two switches are required to switch at HF and remaining switches retain their unique state of either ON or OFF. Besides, inverter devices are not commutated when the current through them is at its peak value. Drop in switching loss accounts to be around 86.6% in comparison with a standard voltage source inverter (VSI) employing standard three-phase sine pulse width modulation. This paper explains operation and analysis of the HF two-stage inverter modulated by the proposed novel modulation scheme. Analysis has been verified by simulation results using PSIM9.0.4. Experimental results demonstrate effectiveness of the proposed modulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power electronics interfaces play an increasingly important role in the future clean vehicle technologies. This paper proposes a novel integrated power electronics interface (IPEI) for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in order to optimize the performance of the powertrain. The proposed IPEI is responsible for the power-flow management for each operating mode. In this paper, an IPEI is proposed and designed to realize the integration of the dc/dc converter, on-board battery charger, and dc/ac inverter together in the BEV powertrain with high performance. The proposed concept can improve the system efficiency and reliability, can reduce the current and voltage ripples, and can reduce the size of the passive and active components in the BEV drivetrains compared to other topologies. In addition, low electromagnetic interference and low stress in the power switching devices are expected. The proposed topology and its control strategy are designed and analyzed by using MATLAB/Simulink. The simulation results related to this research are presented and discussed. Finally, the proposed topology is experimentally validated with results obtained from the prototypes that have been built and integrated in our laboratory based on TMS320F2808 DSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Typical algorithms of multidimensional space-vector pulsewidth modulation (SVPWM) divide (n –1) dimensional space into (n–1)/2 subplanes with decoupling matrix or symmetrical component approach. However, the determination of effective sectors and appropriate space voltage vectors takes a heavy computing burden. Taking the five-phase inverter as example, the relationship between the operation time of branch switches and the dwell times of active space vectors in the SVPWM method is analyzed in this paper. Then, the branch space voltage vector (BSVV) corresponding to the individual active branch voltage is defined and the synthesis of other active space voltage vectors using BSVVs is given. Furthermore, only the BSVVs are chosen as the base vectors to synthesize the reference voltage vector, and a novel SVPWM algorithm is present. The operation time of branch switch is deduced, and the equivalence of the normalized load-phase voltages and operation times of branch switches is emphasized and used to analyze the simulation results. The zero-sequence voltage vector is also included in the algorithm as a parameter and its effects on the dwell time of the BSVVs, the modulation index and the common-mode voltage are explicated. Finally, the extension to an n-phase system is discussed. The algorithm eliminates the selection of sectors and proper active space vectors, and can effectively control the dwell time of switches of multiphase inverter. Experimental results proved the feasibility and effectiveness of the algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of leakage current that can occur in photovoltaic (PV) system depends strongly on the value of parasitic capacitance between PV panel and the ground. However, traditional method to acquire that value is by experience estimation. This paper presents a novel 2-D parasitic edge capacitance model and a straightforward approach to accurately calculate the involved panel parasitic capacitance. The parasitic capacitances are divided into cell-to-frame capacitance $C_{{\rm cf}}$, cell-to-rack capacitance $C_{{\rm cr}}$, and cell-to-ground capacitance $C_{{\rm cg}}$. Based upon that, a pi-shape circuit model is derived to predict the leakage current in the PV array. Theoretical calculation, MATLAB simulations, and experimental measurements finally verify the accuracy of the proposed methods. The approaches are very useful for the evaluation of leakage current in the PV system. It is demonstrated that the proposed approach combines the ease of applications and satisfying accurateness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new method for controlling the exchange of power between a single-phase distributed generation system and the grid. Rather than controlling the active and reactive powers separately and through the media of current signal as is done by the conventional techniques, the proposed controller acts directly on the instantaneous power. This eliminates the conventional need for calculating the active and reactive powers; a calculation that involves filtering/phase-shifting and slows down the system responses and adds to computational complexity. This paper first formulates a nonlinear structure from a purely mathematical approach based on minimizing a cost function. The minimization procedure generates a reference for the current signal which is subsequently used in the current control loop. This paper then derives an equivalent linear counterpart for the nonlinear structure. Moreover, it is also shown that the idea of controlling the instantaneous power does not require a separate loop for the current. Having replaced the nonlinear part with its linear equivalent, a control loop that comprises linear time-varying elements is obtained. This paper further develops a linear time-invariant model of the loop for stability and design purposes. The proposed control system is successfully applied to a photovoltaic system and performance evaluation results (using computer simulations and a laboratory experimental setup) are presented. Desired performance and robustness of the proposed method is verified by testing it within different operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an improved space vector modulation (SVM) using amplitude coefficient on a capacitor-clamped multilevel matrix converter (MMC). The MMC utilizes a multilevel structure on a conventional matrix converter, which allows direct ac-ac power conversion without large energy store elements. This structure features, in high-voltage application, staircase out- put voltage with less voltage step, better harmonic issue, and compact design. In this paper, the MMC structure and the relative SVM is first introduced. Furthermore, the improved modulation strategy based on amplitude coefficient is employed to improve the MMC performance in terms of modulation precision. The theoretical analysis of the amplitude coefficient is discussed in detail. A comparison between the traditional SVM and the improved SVM is given to demonstrate the theoretical findings. Results from SABER simulation and experimental prototype are presented to validate the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing penetration of wind turbines in the utility grid, new regulation codes have been issued that require them to have low-voltage ride-through capability. In this paper, a passive resistive network consisting of shunt and series elements that are applied at the stator side of a doubly fed induction generation wind turbine is presented. The network is inactive during steady-state operation and enabled for short intervals of time during the initiation of voltage sag and recovery events. Computer simulation and experimental results confirming the validity of this operation during balanced and unbalanced voltage sags are shown in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the modeling and analysis of small-signal input impedance for line-commutated rectifiers. The recently developed impedance mapping method, which has been applied to single-phase rectifiers with sinusoidal line inputs, is generalized to single-phase rectifiers with distorted lines as well as three-phase rectifiers. The modeling method assumes known impedance of the circuit on the dc side of the rectifier bridge (including its output filter and the load), and determines the corresponding ac input impedance by using a current and voltage mapping function that describes the operation of the rectifier bridge in the frequency domain. In this approach, closed-form analytical expressions are derived for the ac input impedance as functions of the dc circuit impedance. The resulting models are intended for stability analysis and design of large ac power systems involving significant number of rectification loads, such as more-electric aircraft power systems and microgrids. Detailed derivation of the models is presented in this paper. Numerical simulation and experimental measurement results are also presented to validate the developed models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with a 50-MW self-commutated Back-To-Back (BTB) system intended for power-flow control between transmission networks. It focuses on the dynamic behavior of the BTB system during single-line-to-ground (SLG) faults that often result in voltage sags. A non-negligible amount of dc magnetic flux deviation appears in the converter-transformers of the BTB system just after the occurrence and restoration of an SLG fault. The dc deviation may bring magnetic flux saturation and an excessive magnetizing current to the transformers. This paper derives theoretical equations related to the dc deviation with reasonable approximation. The theoretical results are confirmed by computer simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SPICE simulation program is widely used as a brute force simulator for analyzing and designing switching power converters. Results from SPICE are mostly useful, but their integrity is sometimes questionable as erroneous results could be obtained which may not reflect the true behavior of the circuits being simulated. Various parameters in SPICE are crucial in controlling the convergence and accuracy of the simulated results, e.g., relative error tolerance and maximum integration step size. In this paper, we study the system consisting of the SPICE simulation algorithm and the circuit being simulated. Specifically, we describe the generation of flawed solutions in terms of bifurcation of the system under parameter variations. Erroneous results have been collected for different relative error tolerances, maximum integration step sizes, and parasitic inductance and capacitance. These flawed solutions can be analyzed in terms of the manifestation of period-doubling bifurcation and chaotic behavior under variation of selected simulation parameters. This paper provides a systematic approach to rationalizing the behavior of the SPICE simulator, its practical significance being in the identification of the ranges of simulation parameters for which flawed solutions can be produced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the theoretical and practical details involved with the small-signal analysis of switching power converters under a strong influence of input filter interaction. A boost dc-to-dc converter controlled by voltage-mode control and the same boost converter controlled by current-mode control are used as illustrative examples. The theoretical predictions of this paper are supported by experimental results and computer simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new parallel-connected single phase power factor correction (PFC) topology using two flyback converters is proposed to improve the output voltage regulation with simultaneous input power factor correction and control. This approach offers lower cost and higher efficiency by parallel processing of the total power. Flyback converter-I primarily regulates output voltage with fast dynamic response and processes 55% of the power. Flyback converter-II with ac/dc PFC stage regulates input current shaping and PFC, and processes the remaining 45% of the power. This paper presents a design example and circuit analysis for 200 W power supply. A parallel-connected interleaved structure offers smaller passive components, less losses even in continuous conduction inductor current mode, and reduced volt-ampere rating of dc/dc stage converter. TI-DSP, TM8320LF2407, is used for implementation. Simulation and experimental results show the performance improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modular multilevel converter (MMC) is considered to be one of the most promising multilevel topologies from the medium- to high-voltage power applications. However, by reason of energy exchange between the dc side and ac side, the fluctuation of sub-module (SM) capacitor voltage for the MMC system is inevitable. Moreover, this fluctuation would deteriorate the total harmonic distortion (THD) of the output voltage. The influence of the fluctuation of the SM capacitor voltage on the output voltage is analyzed mathematically in detail. In this paper, an improved phase-shifted carrier (PSC) pulse width modulation (PWM) for the MMC is presented to suppress the influence of the fluctuation of SM capacitor voltage. This improved modulation can be regarded as a nonlinear compensation applied in the traditional PSC-PWM method. The THD of the output voltage is improved with this modulation method noticeably. Simulation and experiment results verify the effectiveness of the proposed modulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an improved voltage regulation method in a multisource-based dc electrical power system in the more electric aircraft. The proposed approach, which can be used in terrestrial dc microgrids as well, effectively improves the load sharing accuracy under high droop gain circumstance with consideration of cable impedance. Since no extra communication line and controllers are required, it is easily implemented and also increases the system modularity and reliability. By using the proposed approach, the dc transmission losses can be reduced and the system stability is not deteriorated for normal and fault scenarios. In this paper, optimal droop gain settings are investigated and the selection of individual droop gains as well as the proportional power sharing ratio has been described. Simulation and experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiphase constant on-time current-mode control based on pulse distribution structure is widely used in voltage regulator application for microprocessor. To minimize ripple cancellation effect, external ramp compensation is used in commercial products. However, external ramp will introduce dynamic to the system and stability margin will be suffered without considering its effect. This paper first studies the effect of external ramp by deriving small-signal transfer function based on describing function method. It is found that external ramp brings additional dynamic, with time constant related with switching period. Then, a simple equivalent circuit model based on three-terminal switch concept is proposed, which considers the effect of external ramp by adding an additional R–L branch. The equivalent circuit model can be reduced to previous unified three-terminal switch model when external ramp is zero and can be reduced to model of constant on-time voltage mode control when external ramp is much larger than inductor current ramp. The proposed three-terminal switch model is a complete model, which can be used to examine all transfer functions and is accurate up to half of switching frequency. The analytical transfer functions are provided for easy reference. The model is verified by SIMPLIS simulation and experimental measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a three-step PWM method for the average-current-controlled three-phase six-switch boost PFC rectifier is proposed. It is shown that the three-step PWM compared to the conventional six-step PWM exhibits a lower total harmonic distortion of the input currents and higher power factor. However, the three-step PWM, unlike the six-step PWM, is adversely affected by the duty-cycle limitations and has unbalanced conduction losses of the upper and lower switches of the three-phase rectifier bridge. The average-current control of the three-step and six-step PWM is illustrated with MATLAB/Simulink simulation waveforms and experimentally verified on a 3 kW prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents concepts and results of an investigation of power electronic thyristor-based switched-capacitor voltage multipliers (SCVMs). A concept of the SCVM power converters assumes the utilization of resonant circuits for the zero-current switching operation. The topology makes it possible to apply thyristors as active switches that create the possibility of composing the resonant switch-mode converters for high-voltage gain, high power, and low cost, and opens a huge area of applications. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of the SCVM configured as the resonant high-power thyristor-based converter. The operation with regard to the specific switching conditions of thyristors, as well as efficiency of the converter is analyzed providing the unique relationship important for the converter design, optimization, and efficiency improvement. An experimental validation confirms the feasibility and the operation concept of the SCVM and demonstrates the efficiency range. The SCVM converter can be optimized to the topology with a decreased number of switches. This paper also presents a novel topology of the resonant converter with a reduced number of switches, resonant switched capacitor voltage multiplier (RSCVM), dedicated for thyristor implementation. The RSCVM requires the specific component selection and control. The analysis of the configuration, operation, efficiency, and component selection of the RSCVM converter, as well as simulation and experimental results are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of reducing total CO $_2$ emissions as well as reducing the total copper cable length and weight on cars, automotive manufacturers propose to derive all the supply voltages from a single $\text{48 V}$ bus through high step-down ratio dc–dc converters. The series capacitor tapped inductor (SCTI) converter is a promising topology for efficient single-stage step-down conversion from the $\text{48 V}$ bus. In the synchronous version of the SCTI, however, turn-off of the synchronous rectifier at positive drain-to-source current leads to a voltage spike and to a potential catastrophic failure of the converter. In this paper, a simple control technique is proposed, which prevents the foregoing condition to occur. The approach enables a reliable operation of the synchronous SCTI topology without disrupting its main features and advantages, and eliminating the need for additional snubbers, voltage clamps or auxiliary windings. The approach is validated via computer simulations and experimental tests on a $\text{48}$ -to- $\text{1.5}\;\text{V}$ , $\text{4 A}$ SCTI converter prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase-locked loop (PLL) technique is widely used for synchronization applications. A variety of moving average filter (MAF)-based PLLs have been presented in recently published literatures. MAF-based PLL can completely eliminate the effect of unbalanced voltage, characteristic harmonics, and dc offset. Unfortunately, the open-loop bandwidth is drastically reduced after incorporating MAF into the PLL structure. The problem is analyzed in detail in this paper, and it is proved to be caused by the large MAF window width which is determined by the lowest order harmonic. Then, an improved method named differential MAF-PLL (DMAF-PLL) is proposed. This method can rapidly eliminate the lowest order harmonic to narrow the MAF window width. DMAF-PLL is realized by incorporating a special proportional component into the MAF-based PLL. The special proportional component can online change its value according to the frequency of input signal, and it will not introduce phase lag, so as not to deteriorate the stability of PLL. DMAF-PLL increases the open-loop bandwidth and greatly improves the dynamic performance of MAF-based PLL, and it is easy to be implemented with low computational burden. DMAF-PLL can be used in both three-phase and single-phase voltage systems. Simulation and experimental results are included to validate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a SEPIC-derived converter suited for alternative energy generation applications. The proposed converter utilizes tapped inductor and charge pump techniques to achieve high step-up gain and a passive regenerative snubber to attain high efficiency. Compared with earlier counterparts, the proposed converter has the advantage of continuous input current, which can be helpful in attaining accurate tracking of maximum power point of solar panels. The paper presents principle of operation, theoretical analysis, and design guidelines. Theoretical expectations were confirmed by simulation and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a loss-free resistor based on a semi-bridgeless rectifier is proposed for power factor correction applications. This particular bridgeless rectifier type is composed of two different boost cells which operate complementarily during each half-line cycle. In case of two unbalanced inductors, many control techniques can produce different inductor current ripples during each half-line cycle that can result in the addition of a dc component to the line current. This paper demonstrates that the application of sliding-mode control by means of hysteretic controllers results in a first-order stable system that can mitigate these harmful consequences due to its capability to ensure the symmetry of the line input current waveform for both positive and negative half-line cycles. Thus, the system does not absorb any dc component from the grid and it is also capable of reducing dramatically the amplitude of the third harmonic. The theoretical predictions have been validated by means of PSIM simulations and experimentally on a prototype of 1 kW which has been controlled using only one sliding control surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the $v^1$ concept that explains how by only measuring the output voltage, designers have information about almost every signal of the power stage. Following the $v^1$ concept, it is explained how to design a traditional type-III voltage-mode control to behave like a current-mode control with near time-optimal response under load transients. This study is validated in simulations and experimentally on a 300-kHz buck converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric springs have been used previously in stabilizing mains voltage fluctuation in power grid fed by intermittent renewable energy sources. This paper describes a new three-phase electric spring circuit and its new operation in reducing power imbalance in the three-phase power system of a building. Based on government energy use data for tall buildings, the electric loads are classified as critical and noncritical loads so that building energy model can be developed. The proposed electric spring is connected in series with the noncritical loads to form a new generation of smart loads. A control scheme for such smart loads to reduce power imbalance within the building's electric power system has been evaluated initially with an experimental prototype and then in a system simulation study. The results have confirmed the effectiveness of the new three-phase electric springs in reducing power imbalance and voltage fluctuation, making the building loads adaptive to internal load changes and external mains voltage changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional single-vector-based model-predictive torque control (MPTC) has been widely studied owing to its intuitive concept and quick response. To improve the steady-state performance, recently, the concept of duty cycle control was introduced in MPTC by inserting a null vector along with an active vector during one control period. However, this still fails to reduce the torque error to a minimal value due to the imposed restriction on vector combination and the cascaded processing of vector selection and vector duration. This paper proposes a generalized two-vectors-based MPTC (GTV-MPTC) by relaxing the vector combination to two arbitrary voltage vectors. By evaluating the vector combination and their durations simultaneously in the predefined cost function, global minimization of torque error can be obtained in theory. However, the computational burden is also significantly increased. By choosing a proper method to determine the vector durations, the redundant vector combinations can be eliminated, which makes the proposed GTV-MPTC suitable for real-time implementation. Both simulation and experimental results were carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The presented results show that, compared to prior MPTC with or without duty cycle control, the proposed GTV-MPTC achieves much better performance with lower sampling frequency over a wide speed range. Furthermore, the average switching frequency is even lower than that of conventional MPTC in the medium speed range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to provide reliable electric power, the interfacing voltage source inverters in distributed generation often rely on autonomous droop control method integrated with virtual impedance and inner voltage and current control loops. In general, the droop-controlled inverters can be modeled as a controllable voltage source in series with output impedance. However, stability, dynamic performance, and load adaptability in islanding mode are sensitive to the inverter output impedance. In this paper, the detailed impacts of the inverter output impedance are investigated in different operation modes. Furthermore, an inverter current feedforward control scheme is proposed to mitigate the effects. With the implementation of the proposed control scheme, system reliability and load adaptability in islanding mode are enhanced without additional control complexity and extra sensors. Moreover, a voltage magnitude control loop is added to improve the control accuracy of reactive power flow in grid-connected mode. Finally, the proposed strategy is validated with simulation and experiments based on a 15-kVA prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]