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Compared with full-SiC mosfet s converters, the hybrid utilization of Si/SiC converters is an alternative approach to achieve the tradeoff between performance and cost. A systematic method is proposed to generate 2-SiC and 4-SiC hybrid three-level active neutral-point-clamped (3L-ANPC) inverter topologies from two types of switching cells based on the arrangement of freewheeling paths. The 2-SiC hybrid 3L-APNC inverter and the 4-SiC hybrid 3L-ANPC inverter are analyzed in detail with switching states and modulation strategies given. The power losses are quantitatively compared between the 2-SiC hybrid 3L-ANPC inverter and the 4-SiC hybrid 3L-ANPC inverter. The junction operating temperatures of active switches in different hybrid 3L-ANPC inverters are also estimated. With the same specifications and switching device parameters, the maximum output power of the 4-SiC hybrid 3L-ANPC inverter with modulation strategy I is almost 1.47 times than that of the 2-SiC hybrid 3L-ANPC inverter. A universal prototype for the full-SiC scheme, the full-IGBT scheme, and different Si/SiC hybrid schemes is built to evaluate these topologies at conversion efficiency and thermal characteristics. Experimental results and analysis show that the full-SiC 3L-ANPC inverter has the highest efficiency, whereas the 2-SiC hybrid 3L-ANPC inverter has the best cost performance. Further, the 4-SiC hybrid 3L-ANPC inverter with modulation strategy I has better thermal balance characteristic than that of the 2-SiC hybrid 3L-ANPC inverter, which shows significant superiority in high power density applications.

Previous research on the series-connected pulsewidth modulation current-source-converter-based offshore wind energy conversion system is conducted without considering the effects of the independent control of offshore converters and the cables connected between offshore converters and between offshore and onshore converters. In the present work, a further study on the system is conducted taking these factors into consideration. First, the equivalent circuit of the system is derived, based on which two items are selected to evaluate the performance of the system: the dc-link current and the dc-link voltage. Second, both the dc-link current and the dc-link voltage are derived and analyzed, and the worst case is quantitatively and qualitatively defined. Third, the performance of the system with dc filters is investigated. Finally, both simulation and laboratory-scale experiments are provided.

In this paper, a new pulse width modulation (PWM) scheme and commutation method is presented for one phase loss operation of three-phase isolated buck matrix-type rectifier. With the proposed PWM scheme, the maximum allowable voltage gain for one phase loss operation can be achieved, which permits the continuous operation of the converter to deliver two-third of the rated power and regulate the output voltage with maximum output voltage drop less than 5% of nominal output voltage. In addition, with the proposed commutation method, a safe transition from one phase loss operation to normal operation and vice versa can occur with minimum commutation steps (two-step) under zero-voltage switching condition. The performance of the proposed PWM scheme and commutation schemes with one phase loss operation is evaluated and verified by simulations and experiments on a 5 kW prototype.

Three-level converters typically feature low switching loss and small filter size. In order to realize a high-power-density design for three-level converters, SiC MOSFETs may be selected instead of using Si insulated-gate bipolar transistors. However, all-SiC-MOSFET-based converters suffer from extremely high total cost. In this paper, a SiC MOSFET and Si device hybrid active neutral-point-clamped (ANPC) converter is proposed. It consists of four Si active switches and only two SiC MOSFETs. Thus, it has lower total cost compared to the all-SiC-MOSFET-based ANPC converter. Furthermore, a dedicated modulation scheme is proposed to completely move all the switching events from Si devices to SiC MOSFETs by using redundant switching states. As a result, the switching losses are significantly reduced and extremely high efficiency is achieved. The proposed converter has fully utilized the low-switching-loss advantage of SiC MOSFETs and the low-cost advantage of Si devices, which shows significant superiority in high-end grid-connected inverter and rectifier applications.

A model predictive power factor control (MPPFC) scheme is proposed for high-power medium-voltage (MV) current source rectifiers (CSRs). Facing two major issues on input power factor (PF) and LC resonance, the proposed MPPFC uses a novel line reactive power reference estimator to achieve unitary input PF or maximum achievable input PF for a CSR at various operating states, and involves active damping function into itself to mitigate LC resonance at line side. An online capacitance estimation method is associated with the proposed line reactive power reference estimator to guarantee more accurate input PF control, and a novel damping current calculation method, which avoids the use of band-stop filter, is also designed for active damping purpose. In comparison with traditional linear control, the proposed MPPFC not only realizes input PF regulation, but also achieves better steady-state performance on meeting the grid code requirements. In contrast to traditional model predictive control (MPC) for a CSR, the proposed MPPFC achieve more accurate reactive power control. Moreover, it overcomes the challenge on the realization of active damping based on MPC, which extends the application of MPC into high-power MV CSR. Simulation on a high-power CSR (1 MVA/4160 V/139 A) and experiments on a low-power prototype (5 kVA/208 V/13.9 A) are both conducted to verify the effectiveness of MPPFC.

Four-level nested neutral-point clamped (NNPC) inverters experience severe voltage balancing problems under low output-frequency conditions when the conventional four-level space vector modulation (4L-SVM) technique is applied, which limits their wider application. In order to get a complete control of the flying-capacitor voltages, and to alleviate the calculation burden of conventional 4L-SVM, a simplified but effective 4L-SVM technique along with the voltage balance control (VBC) function is proposed in this paper. For low modulation indexes, zero and small vectors are selectively utilized and distributed to force the average charging and discharging time of flying capacitors to be equal to each other during every switching period, so that voltage ripples are greatly reduced to be within an acceptable level under low output-frequency conditions. For high modulation indexes, the simplification of conventional 4L-SVM for NNPC inverters into two-level SVM is proposed to reduce the computation complexity. Principles of the proposed 4L-SVM and VBC are elaborated in detail. The steady-state, transient-state, and VBC performances are investigated and compared with the case where the conventional 4L-SVM is applied. Simulation results of a 5 MVA inverter system and experimental results of a scaled-down 5 kVA inverter system are presented to validate the proposed method.

A series-connected current source converter (CSC) based configuration has recently been proposed for offshore wind energy conversion systems. A big challenge exists for such a system that its maximum insulation level is the full transmission voltage due to its monopolar operation. This introduces significant burden to the system in terms of cost, reliability, and flexibility. To solve this issue, a bipolar operation giving a half insulation requirement is proposed and investigated in this paper. However, a unique challenge exists for the CSC-based system when operating under bipolar mode, that is, the dc-link current control. There are two equivalent paths for the dc-link current, which introduces a concern for proper operation of the bipolar system. Accordingly, an optimized dc-link current control is developed in this study. In summary, the bipolar system with the help of the optimized dc-link current control features lower insulation requirement, higher reliability, higher efficiency, and higher flexibility. Finally, both simulation and experimental results are provided.

Recently, a series-connected current source converter (CSC) based configuration is proposed for offshore wind conversion systems. However, two problems exist in conventional strategy of such a system. One is increased cost on onshore CSCs, and the other is decreased operation efficiency of onshore CSCs. To solve these issues, this paper proposes an optimized strategy. First, the nominal number of onshore CSCs is optimized that a lower cost and a higher efficiency are achieved. Second, an optimal control scheme is proposed for onshore CSCs with lower operation loss. In addition, it is implemented without any extra components or auxiliary circuits. In summary, the proposed scheme gives a reduced cost and an improved efficiency of the offshore system with all the control objective being ensured simultaneously. Simulation and experiments are finally provided.

Current-source converters (CSCs) used in high-power (megawatt level) medium-voltage (MV) (2.3–6.6 kV) drives require three-phase capacitors to assist the commutation of switching devices and to filter out harmonics of the converter output PWM current. Different types of modulation schemes with different harmonic performance lead to different capacitor selections. Conventional space vector modulation (SVM) featuring high dynamic performance cannot be used in practice even with the help of active damping, which can effectively damp the possible LC resonance introduced by conventional SVM. Recently, a natural-sampling SVM (NS-SVM) is proposed for MV CSC drives. It features superior low-order harmonics and has been highly considered for MV CSCs in practice. This study, therefore, focuses on two issues. One is why conventional SVM cannot be used in practice even with the help of active damping. On this basis, the second is capacitor minimization based on NS-SVM. Finally, experimental verification is provided.

This paper first starts with reviewing several commonly practiced PWM schemes for the three-phase isolated buck matrix-type rectifier. Then, an optimal six-segment PWM scheme (“Type A”) is proposed. The analysis shows “Type A” PWM scheme has lower duty-cycle loss, maximum output inductor current ripple, and minimum switching loss comparing with other PWM schemes when the mosfet devices are employed. In addition, a low input current total harmonic distortion (THD) can be achieved with duty-cycle compensation. Finally, the steady-state analysis of duty-cycle loss, inductor current ripple, and THD are all compared and verified by the experimental results for “Type A” PWM and eight-segment PWM (“Type E”).

Conventional space vector modulation (SVM)-based common-mode voltage (CMV) reduction in medium-voltage (MV) current source rectifier (CSR) cannot be used in practice. Conventional SVM contains high-magnitude low-order harmonics, particularly the fifth and seventh harmonics, that are lying closely to the resonance frequency (4.5–5.5 p.u.) of the LC filter of the converter, thus, introducing resonance as the grid-side damping is small. Recently, a natural sampling SVM (NS-SVM) with superior low-order harmonics performance has been proposed for MV CSR. On this basis, a NS-SVM-based CMV reduction method is proposed for MV CSR in this paper. The proposed scheme achieves both good CMV reduction and superior low-order harmonics performance simultaneously. Additionally, effort to lower computational burden on calculating dwell times is made. Experiments are finally provided.

In this paper, a single-phase single-stage isolated zero current switched (ZCS) current-fed full-bridge ac/dc converter is proposed for IGBT-based high-power power factor correction (PFC) applications. By adding an additional commutation path and few resonant components, ZCS operation is realized for all IGBTs. The conduction loss is also lowered by the additional path. Furthermore, the control strategy for the proposed converter is compatible with that developed for traditional PFC converter. In this paper, the topology derivation and circuit operational analysis are given. The control strategy is introduced. A 3-kw prototype is developed and tested to verify the circuit functionality. Finally, the efficiency performance is investigated and comparison is made to show the advantages of the topology.

© 2017 IEEE. This paper presents a model predictive switching pattern control (MPSPC) for a current-source converter (CSC), which achieves superb low-order harmonics elimination performance in steady state and improved transient responses. Based on a proposed space-vector-based selective harmonic elimination (SHE) method and prediction of load current at the next sampling instant, MPSPC prefers to following a precalculated SHE-pulse width modulation (PWM) pattern in steady state, and governing the CSC through a model predictive control (MPC) approach during transients. In comparison with existing schemes, the advantages of MPSPC are threefold: First, quantization error, introduced by a constant sampling frequency in MPC and degrading steady-state low-order harmonic elimination, is mitigated in the proposed scheme. Second, there is no weighting factor in the cost function, as used in existing schemes. Finally, MPSPC is totally realized based on one-step prediction, which simplifies the structure of the scheme. Both simulation and experimental results verify the steady state and dynamic performance of MPSPC with different SHE-PWM patterns.

© 2016 IEEE. Common-mode voltages (CMVs) in a motor drive system could damage the motor insulation and induce destructive bearing current, especially at medium-voltage (MV) level. Various reduced CMV space vector modulation (RCMV SVM) methods have been proposed for current-source converter (CSC)-fed motor drives. However, no matter what kind of RCMV SVM methods, the CMV peak value can only be reduced to no larger than summation of half peak values of capacitor phase voltages at both rectifier and inverter sides, since only zero-state vectors with higher CMV values are eliminated. In this paper, a CMV reduced model-predictive control (RCMV-MPC) is proposed to further mitigate the CMV peak value through selecting optimal space vectors for both current-source rectifier and current-source inverter simultaneously. A novel unified cost function is developed to realize both rectifier- and inverter-side reference tracks and CMV peak value further reduction at the same time. With RCMV-MPC, the CMV peak value in a CSC-fed induction motor drive can be further reduced inside a calculated CMV peak value limitation. In fact, the CMV peak value of RCMV-MPC can be reduced to nearly 60% of that in existing zero-state vector selection-based RCMV SVM methods. Besides, satisfactory performance on reference tracks, especially during transients, is also guaranteed based on the unified cost function. Simulation results in a high-power MV CSC-fed IM drive (1 MW, 4160 V), and experiments in a low-power prototype (5 kW, 208 V) verify the effectiveness of RCMV-MPC.

The recently-developed nested neutral-point clamped (NNPC) converter is a four-level converter for medium-voltage high-power applications. It has some merits such as operating over wide voltage ranges (2.4-7.2 kV) without switching devices in series and less diodes or capacitors when compared with classical four-level topologies. But it has severe voltage balancing problems under low output frequency conditions when conventional space vector modulation (SVM) or sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM) is applied, which limits its wide applications. In order to solve this issue, a space virtual-vector modulation (SVVM) along with a voltage balance control (VBC) algorithm is proposed in this paper. It helps reduce the voltage ripples greatly and maintain them within an acceptable region under low output frequency conditions. Therefore, it guarantees even voltage stresses among switching devices and extends the NNPC converter's applications. Principles of the proposed SVVM and VBC algorithms are elaborated in detail, and the voltage balancing performance is investigated and compared with the cases where conventional SVM and SPWM with the same VBC are applied. The relationship curves between voltage ripples and flying capacitance, output power, and output frequency have been explored and compared for both conventional SVM and proposed SVVM. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

The device switching frequency of current-source converters (CSCs) in high-power medium-voltage (MV) drive applications is normally around 500 Hz. Conventional space vector modulation (SVM) features fast dynamic response but its output contains low-order harmonics with high magnitudes. Recently, a natural-sampling-based SVM (NS-SVM) with superior low-order harmonics performance has been proposed for MV CSCs. This study further investigates the low-order harmonics performance of different space vector sequences for MV CSCs based on NS-SVM. Dwell times equations based on NS-SVM for each space vector sequence with minimized switching frequency are analyzed and derived; comparisons of different vector sequences in terms of low-order harmonics and load/grid-side total demand distortion performance are thoroughly conducted. Among all the investigated sequences, sequence 2 (SQ2) is the best one; its linear two-step dwell times equations are provided for online implementation. Simulations and experiments are provided to verify its performance.

Input-series output-series (ISOS) modular dc–dc converters are suitable for applications involving high input and output voltages. Input voltage sharing (IVS) and output voltage sharing (OVS) of the constituent modules must be guaranteed for an ISOS system. A duty cycle-based model predictive control (DC-MPC) scheme is proposed in this paper to achieve IVS and OVS for an ISOS system. The employed switching frequency in the DC-MPC scheme is fixed; duty cycles are optimized and then determined by minimizing a cost function, which is derived from an ISOS system aimed at achieving IVS and OVS. IVS and OVS can, therefore, be obtained by employing the optimized duty cycle within each sampling period. In addition, challenges and disadvantages of directly using traditional MPC to achieve IVS and OVS is briefly discussed, while the proposed DC-MPC can effectively avoid them. Compared with the existing proportional integral-based schemes in the literature, the proposed DC-MPC is better for IVS and OVS because it is a very simple and intuitive approach with lower cost and higher overall dynamic performance. Simulation and experiments are conducted to verify that the proposed DC-MPC scheme works well during both steady and transient states.

Offshore wind farms with series-interconnected structures are promising configurations because bulky and costly offshore substations can be eliminated. In this paper, a medium-frequency transformer (MFT)-based wind energy conversion system is proposed for such wind farms based on current source converters. The presented configuration consists of a medium-voltage permanent magnet synchronous generator that is connected to a low-cost passive rectifier, an MFT-based cascaded converter, and an onshore current source inverter. Apart from fulfilling traditional control objectives (maximum power point tracking, dc-link current control, and reactive power regulation), this study endeavors to ensure evenly distributed power and voltage sharing among the constituent modules given the cascaded structure of the MFT-based converter. In addition, this paper thoroughly discusses the characteristic of decoupling between the voltage/power balancing of the modular converter and the other control objectives. Finally, both simulation and experimental results are provided to reflect the performance of the proposed system.

The device switching frequency of current source converters (CSCs) in high-power medium-voltage (MV) drive applications is normally around 500 Hz. Conventional space vector modulation (SVM) features fast dynamic response but its output contains low-order harmonics with high magnitudes. In this paper, a natural-sampling-based SVM (NS-SVM) scheme is proposed to substantially suppress the low-order harmonics in practical CSC-based drives. This study proposes an equivalent discretization of NS-SVM wherein natural sampling pulse width modulation performance can be achieved with regular sampling frequency (same as a conventional SVM) instead of a high or even infinite sampling frequency. Equations for natural-sampling-based dwell time calculations for each selected vector are developed. The corresponding simplified but precise enough equations are derived on the basis of the Newton–Raphson algorithm to achieve fast online digital implementation. The proposed NS-SVM features superior low-order harmonic performance and inherits the high dynamic response and low sampling frequency of conventional SVM. Simulations and experiments are provided to verify the proposed NS-SVM scheme.

A simple and cost-effective precharge method for modular multilevel converter (MMC) by using a low-voltage direct current (dc) source is proposed in this paper. The submodule (SM) capacitors in MMC are required to be precharged to their nominal voltage values at start-up to ensure MMC work normally. Conventional methods perform the precharging either through grid side or dc side by using costly high-voltage bypass breakers, charging resistors or a high-voltage dc source. Voltage of the high-voltage dc source must be equal to SM capacitor voltage and could be as high as thousands of volts. By contrast, the proposed method employs a very low voltage dc source on dc bus through a series-connected blocking diode, and requires no charging resistor and bypass breakers. It takes advantages of the existing power devices, arm inductors, and SM capacitors in MMC, and configures them into boost circuit for the precharging. The proposed method is simple and cost-effective. Moreover, the characteristics of the boost circuit render the proposed method flexible. For instance, the voltage selection of the dc source is flexible and not restricted to a fixed value. The SM capacitors can be charged in different groups. In addition, the method is applicable to different MMC SMs, including SM with different capacitor voltages. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified through simulation and experiment.

A capacitor voltage-balancing method for a nested neutral point clamped (NNPC) inverter is proposed in this paper. The NNPC inverter is a newly developed four-level voltage-source inverter for medium-voltage applications with properties such as operating over a wide range of voltages (2.4–7.2 kV) without the need for connecting power semiconductor in series and high-quality output voltage. The NNPC topology has two flying capacitors in each leg. In order to ensure that the inverter can operate normally and all switching devices share identical voltage stress, the voltage across each capacitor should be controlled and maintained at one-third of dc bus voltage. The proposed capacitor voltage-balancing method takes advantage of redundancy in phase switching states to control and balance flying capacitor voltages. Simple and effective logic tables are developed for the balancing control. The proposed method is easy to implement and needs very few computations. Moreover, the method is suitable for and easy to integrate with different pulse width modulation schemes. The effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method is verified by simulation and experiment.

For medium-voltage high-power drives fed by current-source converters (CSCs), a transformerless configuration has benefits in both cost and volume. Removing the isolation transformer necessitates a common-mode choke to undertake the major portion of the drive's common-mode voltage (CMV) stress, which would otherwise cause premature failure of the motor insulation system. On the other hand, as device switching frequency in high-power CSCs is normally limited to a few hundred hertz, improving harmonic performance via modulation has always been a challenge. Selective harmonic elimination (SHE) is a preferred modulation scheme in such a system owing to its ability to eliminate several unwanted low-order harmonic currents. Alternatively, conventional space vector modulation (SVM) provides continuous modulation index adjustment capability, but its output current contains low-order harmonics with high magnitudes that may arouse harmful resonances in the system. Aiming at reducing CMV and improving harmonic performance at the same time, this paper proposes a new SVM-based modulation strategy for high-power CSCs using synthesized reference trajectory on the hexagon in the αβ plane. Along with the proposed strategy, two methods of reference trajectory optimization (RTO) are investigated. By introducing a coefficient to the duty-cycle function for RTO, the first method can remove an extra low-order harmonic component, or minimize the weighted total harmonic distortion. The second method, with a different approach of RTO, eliminates the unwanted low-order harmonics by combining the proposed SVM with the SHE. The proposed concepts are verified by both simulation and experimental results.

Higher power applications require a multilevel converter to meet high power ratings. A multimodule current-source converter (CSC) can provide a multilevel current waveforms and at the same time eliminate the bulky transformer at the ac side. However, it is required for the multimodule CSC to use multiple dc-link inductors for the purpose of power balance among different modules. Thus, one key issue in the design of the multimodule CSC is to balance the current through different dc-link inductors. This paper focuses on studying the control strategy of the multimodule CSC and a generalized current balancing method is presented. As presented, zero vectors are distributed based on the deviation of the dc-link inductor currents and the comparison of the capacitor voltages. Therefore, the current imbalance problems, not only those among the upper inductors but also those among the lower inductors are solved. Moreover, since the current balancing algorithm is not dependent on module numbers, the presented control strategy is very suitable for modularization. Especially, with the feedback of the capacitor voltages, the resonance arising from the inductor-capacitor (LC) filter is damped. In addition, a design method of the dc-link inductors is also derived. Finally, simulation and experimental results show the validity of the propositions.

Common-mode voltages (CMVs) can lead to premature failure of the motor insulation system in medium-voltage current-source-fed drives. By analyzing the CMV values at all switching states under different operating conditions of a current-source-inverter (CSI)-based motor drive, this paper first indicates that the CMV peaks are produced by the zero states in most of the cases. The nonzero-state (NZS) modulation techniques employed in voltage-source converters are adapted for use in a space-vector-modulated current-source converter (CSC) to reduce the CMV magnitude. For NZS modulation in CSCs, the nearest three-state (NTS) modulation sequences are designed with good low-order harmonic performances in their linear modulation region of ma ≥ 0.67 and with no increase in the device switching frequency. A combined active-zero-state (AZS) modulation technique is also proposed as compensation, for a lower modulation index in the range of 0.4-0.67, when a compromise is made between the dc-link current minimization and high input power factor control. The simulation and experimental results are provided to validate the CMV reduction effects and harmonic performances of the NTS and combined AZS modulation methods in CSI-fed drives.

This paper presents an integrated ac choke that incorporates the common-mode (CM) suppression function into a three-phase differential-mode (DM) inductor. The proposed choke, together with other filter components, provides a transformerless solution to issues caused by the switching CM voltage in neutral-connected power converter systems. The required high CM-to-DM inductance ratio is generated by different magnetic paths in the novel structure. An approach based on magnetic circuit calculation can be applied to the weight-minimized design in which a reasonably small core loss confirms the choke's heat dissipation capability. The existence and uniqueness of the optimization are proven by a design example and analysis. Comparison to separate DM and CM inductors demonstrates the benefits of integration: the iron and copper material savings, the volume and weight reduction, and overall system efficiency improvement. The finite element method is used to tune the design parameters with which a prototype is implemented. The simulation and experimental results of the prototype in a voltage source converter verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the integrated choke.

An improved direct voltage control (DVC) strategy is proposed for the control of terminal voltage and frequency of a stand-alone wind-driven self-excited induction generator with variable loads. The DVC strategy, including a proportional-integral (PI) regulator, lead-lag corrector, and a feed-forward compensator, is designed based on the system transfer function matrix. The PI regulator can eliminate the steady-state tracking errors of the terminal voltage. The lead-lag corrector is employed to enlarge the phase stability margin of the dominant loops while the feed-forward compensator is adopted to mitigate the voltage harmonics resulting from the cross-coupling dynamics. The procedures for capacity design of the excitation capacitors, the voltage source inverter, and the consumer load are also presented. The simulation and experimental results verify that the proposed strategy has a fast dynamic response and can effectively control the generated voltage with low harmonic distortions under different linear or nonlinear loads.

In this paper, a hybrid pulsewidth modulation (PWM) scheme is proposed to suppress the LC resonance for the high-power current-source inverter (CSI) fed drives with low switching frequency. In CSI drive systems, the selective harmonic elimination (SHE) is selected due to the better performance of harmonics, but the LC resonance cannot be effectively damped due to the lack of control flexibility of SHE. In this paper, SHE is only used for the steady-state operation. The modulation scheme is then switched to space vector modulation with dynamic capacitor voltage control when the transient event occurs. The smoothed transitions between different modulation schemes are proposed. The proposed hybrid method effectively solves the resonant issues in CSI drives, while maintaining the power quality. Both simulation and experiments verify the performance of the proposed hybrid PWM scheme.

The increased penetration of wind power into utility grid brings challenges to power converter design in wind energy conversion systems (WECSs). Among all, low-voltage ride-through has been enforced in the field, which is one of the major challenges for WECS. It is necessary to design an integrated controller to protect the converter from overvoltage/overcurrent and to support the grid voltage during faults and recoveries. In this paper, a unified dc-link current control scheme for current-source-converter-based WECS is proposed. The controllers for generator- and grid-side converters are coordinated to provide fault ride-through capability. In normal operations, the proposed control scheme can also smooth the real power flow while keeping the fast dynamic performance of the dc-link current control. Simulation and experimental results are provided to verify the proposed control scheme.

The device switching frequency of current source converters (CSCs) in high-power medium-voltage applications is usually several hundred Hz. Selective harmonic elimination (SHE) has been the dominant modulation scheme because of its capability to eliminate unwanted low-order harmonics at low switching frequencies. Conventional space vector modulation (SVM), as another CSC modulation scheme, provides variable modulation index control but its output contains low-order harmonics with high magnitudes. In this paper, a multisampling SVM (MS-SVM) is proposed to substantially suppress the low-order harmonics in practical CSC-based drives. Investigation of the switching frequency of the proposed modulation method is carried out and methods to reduce additional switchings are developed. The proposed MS-SVM method exhibits a superior low-order harmonic performance comparable to that of SHE and provides the same fast and flexible control capability as the conventional SVM. Simulation and experimental results are provided to verify the proposed methods.

This paper proposes a novel three-phase nine-switch ac/ac converter topology. This converter features sinusoidal inputs and outputs, unity input power factor, and more importantly, low manufacturing cost due to its reduced number of active switches. The operating principle of the converter is elaborated; its modulation schemes are discussed. Simulated semiconductor loss analysis and comparison with the back-to-back two-level voltage source converter are presented. Finally, experimental results from a 5-kVA prototype system are provided to verify the validity of the proposed topology.

The development of the brushless doubly-fed induction generator (BDFIG) system and flexible power flow controller for the wind energy conversion is proposed in this paper. The system employs two cascaded induction machines to eliminate the brushes and copper rings in the traditional DFIG. The dynamic model of BDFIG with two machines' rotor electromechanically interconnected is presented and the control strategy for flexible power flow control is developed. The independent control of the active and reactive power flows is achieved by means of a four quadrant power converter under the closed-loop stator flux oriented control scheme. The experimental results obtained verify the proposed controller scheme, which allows wide operational range and reactive power control.