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Summary: In many practical applications such as motor drives, the inverter is required to produce a variable output voltage within a wide range (e.g., 0.1 to 1 pu). In such cases, when the inverter operates in low modulation index (low output voltage), the harmonic distortion of the output voltage increases due to considerable reduction in the magnitude of the fundamental component. Also, the ratio of the switching losses to the output power will be high in the low modulation index. In this paper, a simple solution is proposed to overcome the problems. The principle of the proposed solution is to adjust the DC‐link voltage so that the modulation index of the inverter remains within a specific high range. Different practical ways of obtaining controlled DC‐link voltage are presented. Also, for operation of the DC‐DC converter used for DC‐link voltage control, three strategies are proposed. The proposed solution is simple, and it is very effective and feasible to implement. To the best of the authors' knowledge, the idea has not been presented in this form previously. In order to verify the proposed solution, the simulation and experimental results are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Nowadays, Z‐source inverter (ZSI) has received several attentions compared to other power converters owing to their simplicity and reliability. In this paper, a refine control methodology of capacitor voltage control is presented based on third‐order small signal analysis. The proposed control is applied to the improved switched inductor ZSI (ISL‐ZSI). Proportional, integral, and derivative controller (PID) is adopted due to their capability to operate with large operation levels, reliable operation, and cheaper implementation. In addition, the function of this control can be achieved even with incomplete system data or parameters variations. ISL‐ZSI has been presented because of its advantages such as the high gain of direct current voltage, low voltage stress for both the Z‐network and the inverter bridge switches, and ensuring good soft starting. In addition, the inrush current has been removed based on its configuration. The proposed control is validated by both experimental and simulation results under input voltage change, load change, and steady‐state operations using DSP F28335 and MATLAB SIMULINK Real‐Time Workspace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multistage inverters containing DC-DC converters are more common in grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) systems, because of the low DC voltage value provided by the PV generator, which requires a two-stage topology. The challenge in the latter case is to control the DC-link voltage with an accurate estimation of the current injected into the grid by PV system. In this paper, a two-stage grid-tied PV design based on a high-gain DC-DC converter and a 7 level packed U cells (7L-PUC) inverter, controlled by Finite-Control-Set Model Predictive Control (FCS-MPC) is presented, with the proposal of a novel model for controlling the DC-link voltage by considering system losses. The simulation and experimental results demonstrate the high effectiveness of the proposed control strategy in terms of power quality as well as response time and accuracy under changes in weather conditions and demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The conventional two-level inverter suffers from harmonics, higher direct current (DC) link voltage requirement, higher dv/dt and heating of the rotor. This study aims to overcome by using a multilevel inverter for brushless DC (BLDC) drive. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents a comparative analysis of the conventional two-level and three-level multilevel inverter for electric vehicle (EV) application using BLDC drive. Findings: A three-level Active Neutral Point Clamped Multilevel inverter (ANPCMLI) is proposed in this paper which provides DC link voltage control. Simulation studies of the multilevel inverter and BLDC motor is carried out in MATLAB. Originality/value: The ANPCMLI fed BLDC simulation results shows that there is the significant reduction in the BLDC motor torque ripple, switching stress and harmonic distortion in the BLDC motor fed ANPCMLI compared to the conventional two-level inverter. A prototype of ANPCMLI fed BLDC drive along with field programmable gate array (FPGA) control is built and MATLAB simulation results are verified experimentally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the traditional voltage and current double closed-loop control mode, the inverter management strategy for photovoltaic grid connection has insufficient anti-interference ability and slow response. This paper proposes a control strategy that applies adaptive-linear active disturbance rejection control (A–LADRC) to the outer loop control to achieve the purpose of anti-interference. The control strategy uses the linear extended state observer (LESO) to evaluate external interference caused by the change of external conditions and the internal disturbance caused by parameter uncertainty. PD controller compensates the disturbances and adds adaptive control to simplify parameter adjustment. Finally, this paper takes advantage of Lyapunov theory to conduct stability analysis. Compared with the traditional linear active disturbance rejection control (LADRC), the superiority of this control strategy is verified. The experimental results show that the system has better control performance and anti-interference ability in the face of various disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In general, severe load imbalances in small AC micro-grid systems can degrade their operational performance and their maintenance. This is because the unbalanced load in the micro-grid affects the energy flow and the voltage regulation functions of each phase. In order to solve the voltage imbalance problem, several algorithms for the 3-phase 4-leg CVCF inverter have been proposed, but the control algorithms are not enough to operate the 4-leg CVCF inverter in a stable manner. Therefore, this paper proposes a single-phase voltage and power control algorithm for the 3-phase 4-leg CVCF inverter based on a dq control in order to improve the voltage imbalance problem caused by a severely unbalanced load, where the single phase voltage control algorithm is composed of an αβ-dq and a dq-αβ transformer, a voltage and a current controller, and an off-set controller and a PWM, and the single-phase power control algorithm is also composed of an αβ-dq and a dq-αβ transformer, an active/reactive power and a current controller, and an off-set controller and a PWM. Additionally, this paper performs modeling of the single-phase voltage and the power controller for a 4-leg CVCF inverter using the Matlab/Simulink S/W. From the simulation results, it is confirmed that the transient stability of the proposed single voltage control algorithm can be improved compared to the conventional control algorithm, and voltage control can also be maintained in a stable manner under extremely unbalanced conditions. Further, it is confirmed that 3-phase currents of the proposed single-phase power control algorithm are controlled in a stable manner under extremely unbalanced conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The voltage rise problem due to the reverse power flow is one of the main obstacles to expanding the photovoltaic systems (PVSs) in distribution networks. In this paper, a decentralized control method for coordinated control of on-load tap changer (OLTC) transformers and PV inverters, is proposed for the voltage regulation of radial distribution networks. In this method, the allowable voltage range is divided into several zones, and appropriate corrective actions are adaptively taken according to each zone. To reduce the tension on the OLTC, first, the reactive power capability of the PV inverters is employed for the voltage regulation, and if it is insufficient, OLTC is used as the last solution. In this regard, the unused capacity of PV inverters is utilized for the reactive power compensation, considering the grid codes reactive power requirements. Furthermore, decentralized control based on a signaling method is used for coordination between OLTC and PVSs, which eliminates the need for communication links. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is validated by the simulation results for the IEEE 33-bus distribution network, and the impact of different reactive power control methods on the number of OLTC operation is investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The direct-drive Permanent Magnet Linear Generator (PMLG)-based Ocean Wave Energy Converter (OWEC) generates variable AC voltage, which cannot be directly utilized by the load. This paper presents a two-stage methodology to convert variable AC voltage to a constant amplitude AC voltage. First, a standard rectifier is used to convert variable AC voltage into variable DC voltage. After that, a cascaded buck-boost inverter is employed to achieve the constant frequency AC voltage. Systematic design and circuit analysis, along with working principle and voltage control strategy, are presented. A small scale laboratory prototype of PMLG associated with buck-boost inverter is developed to validate the proposed concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern photovoltaic inverter has an active power-reactive power (Watt-VAr) control curve that is part of its management modes. The Watt-VAr curve, whose settings can be remotely modified, regulates the inverter reactive power output in function of its active power. This paper proposes the optimization of inverter segregated linear decision rules (LDRs), starting from the legacy Volt-VAr optimization in distribution networks. As opposed to classical LDRs that are interfaced with Volt-VAr optimization, the segregated LDRs are piecewise linear continuous curves that directly satisfy the reactive power capability of inverters, and their multiple segments can capture the correlation in solar power variability. The paper presents linear programming formulations for optimizing the segregated linear decision rules using stochastic optimization, robust optimization, and distributionally robust optimization. The optimization schemes are demonstrated on both meshed and radial networks, and their performance is validated via Monte-Carlo simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper investigates the hybrid HVDC with cascaded multi‐infeed MMCs' basic control characteristic and designs the coordinates control strategy considering the DC voltage control and commutation failures of the LCC inverters. The complete basic UI curves of the hybrid HVDC are obtained, and the interaction mechanism of each converter is also clarified, which is in master‐slave control mode. Through the obtained basic characteristic, to reduce the commutation failures of the LCC inverter, the coordinated DC voltage control strategy with dynamic limiter is designed to enhance the AC voltage stability. And the coordinated DC voltage control method coped with the dynamic limiters is also designed. Based on the proposed method, the DC voltage can be stable and unbalanced active power can also be distributed reasonably by the DC voltage control strategy, while much more reactive power can simultaneously be released from VSC to support the stable operation of the LCC inverter. Such that the DC side operation and AC side voltage stability of the hybrid HVDC can both be improved. Finally, the simulations verify the theoretical analysis done in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary. The linear active disturbance rejection control (LADRC) is mainly applied for tracking a step signal, and it is inadequate to realize satisfactory performance in the control of a single-phase inverter whose reference signal is sinusoidal. In this paper, an improved voltage control strategy based on compound synchronous reference frame proportional-integral (SRFPI) control and LADRC is proposed. The SRFPI and LADRC remain relatively independent without complicating the control parameter design. Detailed theoretical analyses on the compound strategy and its performance are presented, indicating that it inherits the advantages of the two controllers. Moreover, contrast experiments are carried out to verify the feasibility and superiority of the proposed control strategy. The results show that the system achieves a small steady-state error, voltage tracking error, fast transient response, and low total harmonic distortion (THD) when feeding a highly nonlinear load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a feedback linearization controller for a grid-following inverter (GFLI) that uses a conventional Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) as the synchronization unit. The proposed controller enhances the GFLI synchronization by expanding the PLL domain of attraction to the whole plane that is limited to a small region around the equilibrium point in a conventional PLL, provided that the grid impedance and voltage are known. Linearizing the overall closed-loop system, the proposed controller provides linear system attributes for the PLL, leading to an infinite domain of attraction and only one equilibrium point. Additionally, a state-feedback controller is integrated within the feedback linearization controller so that it enables the system to have an adjustable dynamic response. Finally, it is shown that the system is robust against parametric uncertainties. The performance of the proposed control design is validated in Matlab/Simulink and experiment. It is verified that the proposed controller expands the domain of attraction and enhances the system dynamic response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the voltage feedforward control based on the point of common coupling (PCC) has been widely studied in the grid‐connected inverters to suppress the harmonics in the grid current, harmonic instability still occurs when the PCC voltage contains a series of background harmonics under weak grid condition. To this end, this paper applies the grid voltage sensed by phasor measurement units instead of the PCC voltage for feedforward. Meanwhile, considering that coupling between the phase‐locked loop (PLL) and the grid impedance would cause instability under weak grid condition, a novel compensation term is introduced to eliminate the negative influence of PLL. In addition, a method to improve the transient response of the system is also proposed so that the cut‐off frequency does not change with the impedance of the grid. By analysing the output impedance of the system, it can be proved that the strategy proposed can effectively improve the stability of the system. The experimental results indicate that the harmonics in the grid current are obviously reduced and the dynamic performance of the system is improved, which verifies the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The min-projection strategy (MPS) is a switching rule with better convergence speed, which can improve the dynamic characteristics of three-phase grid-connected inverters. However, the grid-connected current harmonics of the system are large when the MPS is used directly in the digital control framework due to the limitations of the sampling frequency. To solve this problem, an improved min-projection strategy is proposed in this paper by introducing a zero voltage vector to the control. First, the non-zero voltage vector is selected through the switching law function of the MPS. Then the time occupied by the non-zero voltage vector and the zero voltage vector can be obtained through an error function, which is established by the principle of minimum current error. Finally, the switching signal can be obtained for control, based on the method of duty cycle modulation. This method can realize fast current tracking and current decoupling control, reduce the grid-connected current harmonics, and improve the steady state performance of the system without increasing costs. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by simulations and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a transformerless distribution static synchronous compensator (DSTATCOM) based on the cross-switched (CS) multilevel inverter (CSMLI) is introduced. In comparison with the well-known cascaded h-bridge (CHB) topology, CS inverter produces higher number of voltage levels using fewer number of power components. Since CS inverter produces ac side voltage with high quality and has the ability to work at high voltage and power levels, the proposed CS-DSTATCOM is directly connected to the distribution grid without the need for a transformer. In the proposed CS-DSTATCOM, all the dc sources are replaced with dc capacitors. In this paper, an effective voltage balancing control scheme is proposed to keep the capacitors voltages balanced in the CS structure. The control scheme balances the capacitors voltages in two levels, i.e., inter-cell and within-cell level. On the other hand, the over-voltage and under-voltage phenomena are of the most common power quality (PQ) issues in distribution grids. The proposed DSTATCOM is able to cope with these issues by exchanging reactive power with the grid. Applying the CSMLI in the DSTATCOM structure as well as the capacitors voltage balancing methods are the main novelties of the paper. Also, the capacitors values are considered to be different (which is unavoidable in practice) while their voltages are balanced using the proposed voltage balancing methods. In this paper, a CS-DSTATCOM has been designed for 11 kV distribution grid and several simulation results are provided in the MATLAB/Simulink environment which validate the feasibility and performance of the proposed CS-DSTATCOM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the inverter-based generation replaces the conventional synchronous generators, it may also need to fill in the missing ancillary service support. One of these ancillary services is dynamic reactive power provision and voltage control. This paper analyzes optimal strategy of reactive and active fault-current support of the inverter-based generation leading to fast voltage recovery of the system. For the purpose of the analysis, new ramping active current controller able to emulate different behavior of active current injection is proposed. By optimizing its parameters for different case studies of the system, the conclusions about optimal behavior of the inverter based generation with respect to system parameters and operating conditions are drawn. It is observed that the optimal combination of active and reactive fault-current is the most sensitive to the dynamic load component penetration levels in the system. With the increasing penetration levels, the significance of active fault-current injection increases. The results show that with higher penetration levels of dynamic load component in the heavy load areas, the ramping down of the inverter-based generation active fault-current results in slower voltage recovery of the system. Following this conclusion, a recommendation on update of current European grid codes is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Connecting renewable energy-based distributed generations (DGs) through a DC-Link can create autonomous power supply units (APSUs). Three phase four-leg inverter is a beneficial solution to supply unbalanced loads which is inevitable in a typical APSU. The four-leg inverter can provide sinusoidal-shaped voltages but a high performance control method should be used. Sliding mode control (SMC) is a well-known non-linear control method with high robustness, high stability in a wide range of operation and fast dynamic response. However, it mainly suffers from high chattering problem, variable switching frequency and steady-state error which deteriorate all the previous advantages. In this paper, first, detailed model of the four-leg inverter in the abc reference frame considering the inductor series resistance is derived. Second, a high performance SMC method with zero steady-state error, fixed switching frequency and considerably reduced chattering voltage is proposed to control the output voltage of the four-leg inverter. The proposed method guarantees fast dynamic response and high robustness against model parameter mismatches and load variations. Finally, an improved SMC is also proposed to attenuate the chattering problem more effectively. Several experimental results on a 3-kW test bench are presented to verify the superior performance of the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new control scheme to eliminate the 3rd harmonic in the output currents of grid-following inverters under unbalanced grid conditions. Unbalanced grids adversely affect the performance of grid-following inverters due to the oscillations appearing on the DC-link voltage with a frequency twice the line frequency. The paper is based on instantaneous active reactive control (IARC) technique due to its advantages over other existing methods. However, the presence of severe asymmetrical 3rd harmonic distortions in the inverter output currents is the main challenge with IARC method, which impairs the power quality requirements. This paper enhances the IARC scheme by proposing a 3rd harmonic elimination approach by adopting a current reference generation method using the symmetric sequence components concept. Furthermore, the proposed scheme complies with the grid code requirements by injecting the requested reactive current. Finally, the proposed approach is evaluated by theoretical and simulation analysis and validated experimentally using a hardware setup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In islanded microgrids, voltage source inverters working in parallel are expected to provide regulation of the local frequency while granting active power sharing. This paper presents a local control approach at each inverter based on an event-driven operation of a parameter-varying filter. It ensures perfect active power sharing and controllable accuracy for frequency restoration without requiring the exchange of control data between inverters over the communication network. This paper includes stability analysis and design guidelines for the control parameters using a modeling approach that considers the interaction between inverters. Selected experimental results on a three-inverter laboratory microgrid corroborate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme, and outlines its advantages with respect to previous similar schemes and the performance cost that implies not using communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power quality of virtual synchronous generator (VSG) inevitably deteriorates in the presence of local nonlinear loads and distorted grid. In this paper, the conflict involved in the simultaneous elimination of distortion for both the inverter local load voltage and the grid exchanged current is first described. A unified control structure is presented that enables a tunable tradeoff between the two constrained harmonic sources. Then, a hybrid harmonic suppression scheme is proposed to enable the further improvement of the adaptability of VSG, which mainly consists of a local voltage harmonic control loop and an adaptive grid current-controlled loop. The local voltage harmonic control loop aims to scale down the inverter output impedance via a negative feedback loop, while the grid current-controlled compensator is intended to counteract the adverse effects from a weak grid via an additional voltage, which leads to substantially lower total harmonic distortion for both the local load voltage and the grid current at the same time. Small-signal modelling is performed to investigate the system stability and its robustness to parameter perturbations. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is verified using hardware-in-the-loop simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper five different flexibility options are analysed from a techno-economic perspective as alternatives to traditional grid expansion for a specific distribution grid in Germany. The options are: two reactive power control strategies with photovoltaic inverters (as a function of the power feed-in, or of the voltage at the connection point), one residential and two large scale battery storage applications (primary control reserve with autonomous reactive power control or self consumption maximisation strategy with autonomous reactive power control). For the pilot grid located in Southern Germany a photovoltaic expansion pathway is determined. The main goal of this work is to quantify the grid expansion actions that can be avoided by applying these five flexibility options for the assumed expansion pathway, focusing on large scale battery storages. It is shown that the five flexibility options increase the hosting capacity for PV systems, compared to a scenario without, by up to 45%. Furthermore, the results of the economic assessment indicate that the analysed flexibility options might be a viable alternative to traditional grid expansion as all of them show a cost reduction potential for the pilot region. These results could encourage DSOs to consider the integration of additional PV and battery storage systems not as a problem which triggers grid expansion, but as part of the solution reducing future grid expansion costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel hierarchical framework for real-time, network-admissible coordination of responsive grid resources aggregated into virtual batteries (VBs). In this context, a VB represents a local aggregation of directly controlled loads, such as smart inverters, electric water heaters, and air-conditioners. The coordination is achieved by solving an optimization problem to disaggregate a feeder's desired reference trajectory into constraint-aware set-points for the VBs. Specifically, a novel, provably-tight, convex relaxation of the AC optimal power flow (OPF) problem is presented to optimally dispatch the VBs to track the feeder's desired power trajectory. In additionto the optimal VB dispatch scheme, a real-time, corrective control scheme is designed, whichis based on optimal proportional-integral (PI) control with anti-windup, to reject intra-feeder and inter-feeder disturbances that arise during operation of the power system. Simulation results conducted on a modified IEEE test system demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed multi-layer VB coordination framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

The instantaneous output power of the two-stage single-phase grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) inverter pulsates at twice the line frequency ($2f_{{\text{o}}}$), generating second harmonic current (SHC) in the front-end dc–dc converter and PV panel, which will affect the maximum power point tracking operation and deteriorate the overall conversion efficiency. The generating mechanism of the SHC is analyzed in this paper and it is pointed that in order to eliminate the SHC in the front-end dc–dc converter and PV panel, the voltage loop gain of the front-end dc–dc converter should be high enough at $2f_{{\text{o}}}$. Since there is a −180° phase abrupt at the resonant frequency of the input side filter capacitor and the inductor, the system may be unstable. To cope with this problem, the inductor current feedback active-damping scheme (ADS) is adopted. For further improving the loop gain at $2f_{{\text{o}}}$ , proportional–integral–resonant regulator with ADS (PIR + ADS) is proposed in this paper. Besides, a step-by-step closed-loop parameters design method is presented. Finally, a 3-kW two-stage single-phase grid-connected PV inverter has been fabricated and tested, and the experimental results verify the feasibility of the proposed control schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a generalized droop control (GDC) is proposed for a grid-supporting inverter based on a comparison between traditional droop control and virtual synchronous generator (VSG) control. Both the traditional droop control and VSG control have their own advantages, but neither traditional droop control nor VSG control can meet the demand for different dynamic characteristics in grid-connected (GC) and stand-alone (SA) modes at the same time. Rather than using a proportional controller with a low-pass filter, as in a traditional droop control, or fully mimicking the conventional synchronous generator parameters in a VSG control, the active power control loop of the GDC can be designed flexibly to adapt to different requirements. With a well-designed controller, the GDC can achieve satisfactory control performance; unlike a traditional droop control, it can provide virtual inertia and damping properties in SA mode; unlike a VSG control, the output active power of an inverter with GDC can follow changing references quickly and accurately, without large overshoot or oscillation in the GC mode. Moreover, given specific controller parameters, the GDC can function as both a traditional droop control and a VSG control. The GDC's controller parameter design is more intuitive and flexible, and this paper provides a distinct design process. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed control method is validated by the simulation and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a sensorless vector control method, at low speeds and self-commissioning for AC motors, it is necessary to model dead time, rise/fall time, parasitic capacitors, and semiconductors’ voltage drop accurately. In this paper, voltage drop in each phase due to the nonlinear behavior of the inverter from the control system's viewpoint is precisely modeled by using two lookup tables. These lookup tables make the proposed model robust against the dc-link voltage and carrier frequency variations in the entire current range. In conventional methods at standstill, the measured voltage in the dc current test contains the nonlinearity of two phases. Therefore, to obtain the nonlinear voltage of each inverter phase, it is assumed that the values of inverter nonlinearity voltage at both high current and low current are equal. This simplification leads to distortion in measured voltage in the low currents. However, in this paper, the voltage drop equation of each phase is solved by numerical method that is realizable in conventional processors. The results obtained in actual voltage measurement show the superiority of the proposed method over traditional methods in the low currents. The proposed method is verified by using a voltage source inverter feeding a 2.2-kW three-phase induction motor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the digital implementation of a boundary controller with unipolar switching characteristic for single-phase voltage source full-bridge inverters. This paper expands the application of a second-order switching surface-based control method to unipolar switching of single-phase voltage source inverters (VSIs) using a finite-state machine. The finite-state machine has been formulated considering four different states of the inverter; positive,zero1, negative, andzero2. The second-order boundary control governs the current state of the system and provides proper switching action to keep the system within the desired reference. The control law is implemented digitally in F28m35x digital control card. A full-bridge inverter topology is used to achieve the three-level voltage switching. Various simulations and experiments were performed in a 550 VA, 120 V, 60 Hz VSI with a digitally implemented controller to verify the theoretical predictions. A high-quality voltage output was obtained for various loading conditions. The transient performance of the controller was investigated using a reference and load changes. A comparison of the implementation was made with the existing classical controllers to verify the fast-dynamic response of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a split-capacitor four-wire current source inverter, which is the dual of the split-capacitor four-wire voltage source inverter. Since the midpoint of the dc link is tied to the neutral point of ac filter capacitors, the common-mode voltage (CMV) is reduced significantly. Consequently, the leakage current issue is effectively addressed. The proposed circuit is cost-effective as no extra switch is added. This paper, first, establishes the equivalent common-mode circuit of the proposed inverter. The impact of the neutral line inductance on CMV is also analyzed. Then, a specific modulation is introduced to balance the dc-link voltages/currents. To achieve good input/output performance, a nonlinear control method is developed based on time-domain models. Finally, all the proposed methods and related theoretical analysis are verified by simulations and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multifunctional grid-connected inverter (MFGCI) has been a promising solution to mitigate power quality problems in distributed generation system and microgrid applications. However, the capability of a conventional MFGCI is limited when compensating a voltage-based power quality problem. In this paper, a new configuration of MFGCI is proposed to improve both voltage-based and current-based power quality issues and is named shunt-series-switched MFGCI (SSS-MFGCI). The SSS-MFGCI can be connected in series or parallel to the grid by implementing bidirectional switches to provide different modes of operation depending on various grid disturbances. The required compensating current and voltage are analytically derived considering the grid and load conditions for voltage regulation. This paper also presents the compensation strategies, control scheme, and transition scheme between different modes of the proposed SSS-MFGCI. Simulation results to prove the concept are also included for unbalanced sag and swell cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grid-tied inverters and associated control techniques have gained importance in the domain of distributed generation. Different methods of control have been compared in the literature depending upon the ability to meet total harmonic distortion limits, damping offered to resonant oscillations, and stable operation. Multiple-loop methods compared to their single-loop counterparts have proved to be highly effective for meeting the grid regulations. In the literature, while single-loop and two-loop control systems for LCL filter have been assessed, not much study on three-loop control (TLC) has been done, possibly due to the hardware complexity and cost imparted by the increase in the number of sensors. In this paper, a TLC structure for grid connected inverters is analyzed for stability and parametric variations. Robustness of TLC is compared with single-loop grid current feedback control and a two-loop control structure. An approach to estimate the state variables is proposed in this paper, which cuts down the number of sensors and cost of implementation. The performance of the system is analyzed through simulations and results are validated in a hardware setup, under dynamic and steady-state conditions, thereby showing that this is a promising approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) converter for grid connection through a high-leg delta transformer. The converter is composed of a symmetrically connected boost converter and three half-bridge inverters. One of the three half-bridge inverters is connected to the boost converter, and the others are directly connected to the PV terminals. As a result, this circuit configuration enables to reduce the power losses in both boost converter and inverters. This paper also proposes a new cooperative control method between the symmetrically connected boost converter and inverter. The control method can reduce the average switching frequency to 75% of that in a conventional one, resulting in a great reduction in the switching power loss. Experimental results confirm that the proposed circuit configuration makes it possible to improve its European efficiency from 91.6% to 94.5%. Moreover, system performance is evaluated on the assumption of maximum power point tracking operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents theoretical and experimental discussions on low-voltage-ride-through operation of a modular multilevel single-delta bridge-cell (SDBC) inverter intended for utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems. Modern grid codes require grid-tied inverters to provide dynamic grid support during grid-fault events by injecting reactive current. This paper discusses decoupled positive- and negative-sequence reactive-current control, focusing on asymmetric voltage sags with imbalanced magnitude and phase relationships. The main objective is to present a feedforward control method based on calculation of the zero-sequence current required for achieving power balance during normal and grid-fault conditions. Moreover, this paper demonstrates a practical method that minimizes overcurrent stress in the three inverter clusters by adjusting active power drawn from PV arrays. Experimental results on a three-phase 12.6-kVA system prove that the SDBC inverter is capable of seamlessly operating through asymmetric voltage sags. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pump-back test is widely adopted in the industry for characterizing and qualifying high-power converters. One popular pump-back test configuration is to tie the dc links of two converters together and circulate the current through the inductor connected between the ac terminals. In this configuration, one of the converters operates in the voltage mode to generate the virtual grid and the other converter regulates the circulating current, where hysteresis control could be applied. However, the switching characteristics of hysteresis control are unique due to the pulsewidth modulation type voltage being the virtual grid. This paper contributes to analyzing the switching frequency characteristics of the hysteresis control in this pump-back test configuration. The switching frequency tracking phenomenon is revealed and reported in this paper for the first time. Theoretical analysis, simulation validation, and experimental demonstration are provided to support the major conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A programmable electronic load (PEL) solution is usually needed for comprehensive testing of power supplies. In this paper, a novel PEL based on a hybrid five-level voltage source inverter (VSI) is introduced to emulate a variety of static load behaviors, such as R, L, C loads, high-frequency harmonic loads, and unbalanced loads. Dynamic load behavior, for example, modulation loads, can also be achieved in this paper. A dedicated control structure is proposed for the emulation of different load behaviors and the detailed compensator design is presented to evaluate the system dynamic performance. The proposed PEL system has isolated active dc links to support multilevel converter topology, and it can either dump the energy to a passive load or recycle the energy back to the utility grid through another VSI. Simulation and experimental results are provided to validate the effectiveness of proposed control methods in terms of successfully achieving a variety of load profile functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes generation of a 15-level (14 concentric) dodecagonal voltage space vector structure (DVSVS) for a star connected induction motor drive. The proposed multilevel DVSVS is obtained by cascading two inverters, namely a primary and secondary inverter. The primary inverter is a five-level (5L) structure formed by stacking two three-level flying capacitors with individual reduced dc sources and the secondary inverter is also a 5L structure formed by cascading two capacitor-fed cascaded H-bridges (CHB). The active power is supplied by the primary inverter, while the secondary inverter acts as switched capacitor harmonics filter, and capacitors in the secondary inverter are balanced naturally irrespective of load power factor for entire modulation index. The high-voltage dc supply fed primary inverter is operated in quasi-square wave mode, while the high frequency switching is applied to low voltage CHBs, thus, reducing the overall switching loss. The proposed scheme gives the advantages of both DVSVS and multilevel structure, thus, making it one of the solutions for battery or stacked dc-fed applications. The paper also presents the experimental results as well as comparison study with the existing topologies to support the advantages of proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a generalized power-decoupling control scheme using a multiport isolated bidirectional converter for a multilevel inverter, which has multiple dc links inside. In the proposed method, a single power-decoupling capacitor is needed for all the dc links in the multilevel inverter cell. First, a prototype of the power-decoupling concept of individual H-bridge cells in the multilevel inverter is proposed, using a separate power-decoupling circuit. Then, a more advanced one-step power-decoupling method is proposed. The lifetime and reliability of the multilevel inverter is improved as film capacitors replace the large capacitance electrolyte capacitors. A multi-input ports/single output voltage-fed dual half-bridge converter (MDHB) is used for the power-decoupling circuit. A steady-state analysis for the peak and root mean square of the MDHB current is carried out for the loss breakdown. The currents are functions of the switching frequency, phase shift, leakage inductance, turn ratio, and output voltage, which make the multiport transformer design complex. A design methodology is proposed, which takes into account the design of the copper and core losses as functions of the switching frequency and number of turns. Furthermore, a special winding method for the input port is illustrated to obtain identical leakage inductances for the uniform current distribution in the multiport transformer. The proposed MDHB employs a current-sensorless power-decoupling control that contributes to the spontaneous ripple rejection of all the dc links without individual link current information, as well as to the cost and size reduction. Hence, the ripple-rejection controller is independent of the control configuration of the multilevel inverter, and also available for universal applications of various inverter topologies. Since the primary-input ports of MDHB share a single magnetic core for interfacing the ripple power to the unified secondary ripple capacitor, the controller design becomes difficult in considering the dynamic interaction among the ports, along with the average-voltage control loop design. In this paper, the dynamic analysis and controller design procedure of the circuit is also presented. The power decoupling is achieved even when the ripple frequency is other than the double frequency of the inverter output, since the single-pole transfer function of the small-signal model of the MDHB allows sufficient phase margin, along with high bandwidth. The proposed power-decoupling method for the multilevel inverter is validated with the help of simulation and 1.2-kW hardware prototype experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the design of a new robust model reference adaptive PI (MRAC-PI) current controller is proposed for a two-stage grid connected photovoltaic (PV) inverter. Perturb & observe (P&O) algorithm is implemented in the boost part in order to extract the maximum power from the PV array. Firstly, the current dynamics with considering the system uncertainties are written in dq frame and are simplified by employing a decoupling system. Then, the MRAC-PI controller is designed based on a sliding mode control (SMC) to improve the robustness of the controller under system uncertainties. The parameters of PI controller are tuned based on SMC laws to track the desired reference model and provides fast and desirable dynamic response. The stability of the robust MRAC-PI is proven by using Lyapunov's theory and Barbalet's lemma. Finally, the performance of the proposed current controller and the conventional PI based voltage oriented control (VOC) during variations in filter inductance and solar irradiance are compared through simulation results. These results show the effectiveness of the proposed controller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To support the development of high-frequency ac microgrids in terms of compact design, high-voltage gain and low total harmonic distortion (THD), a buck–boost dual-leg-integrated step-up inverter is proposed in this paper. The inverter is formed by integrating a buck–boost converter into a conventional single-phase full-bridge inverter by sharing the upper switch and the body diode of the lower switch in both bridge-legs. Consequently, the component count is significantly reduced over the step-up inverter counterparts. In addition, to address the drawbacks of hybrid modulation methods adopted by existing dual-leg-integrated inverters, such as double-variable control, and high THD of output voltage/current at high input voltage and heavy load conditions, unipolar frequency doubling sinusoidal pulse width modulation scheme is adopted in this inverter. As a result, the modulation ratio M becomes the only control variable to regulate the output voltage/current and the control is simplified. The THD of the proposed inverter output can remain low throughout the entire input voltage range and load power range. This paper presents the topology derivation procedure, operation principle, and steady-state characteristics of the proposed inverter. To validate the effectiveness of theory, experimental results of a 400 W hardware prototype, where the output voltage frequency is at 500 Hz, are reported. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper analyzes the combination in a cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter (CHBI) based on transformers with the different turn ratios for increasing the voltage level and proposes the switching method for achieving the output voltage distribution among H-bridge cells (HBCs). The transformers used in this paper are connected to the output of the respective HBCs, and the secondary sides of all the transformers are connected in series for generating the final output voltage. Only one of the transformers, in particular, has a different turn ratio for increasing the output voltage level. In this paper, the possible turn ratio of the special transformer with a different turn ratio is discussed in detail, and a switching method based on the level-shifted switching method for the topology used in this paper is proposed. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, a three-phase 21-level CHBI is experimentally tested. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Diversification of control schemes adopted by inverter-interfaced distributed generators (IIDGs) leads to difficulties in fault current estimation in a microgrid, which might make preexisting protection systems invalid and threaten the safety of power electronic devices. It is therefore important to study fault characteristics of IIDGs. This paper investigates characteristics of fault current of IIDGs caused by both symmetrical and asymmetrical faults. Two kinds of widely used control modes, current control (constant current control and PQ control) and voltage control (V/F control and droop control), are under investigation to provide an intuitive comparison on fault current. In particular, a novel algorithm is proposed to calculate fault current of droop-controlled IIDGs. It is found that different limiters have great impacts on fault response of IIDGs and detailed research works are carried out to identify the effects in this paper. Simulation results based on PSCAD/EMTDC and calculation results based on MATLAB/Simulink verify the correctness of the proposed fault models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an experimental and theoretical discussion on dynamic braking for a medium-voltage induction motor fed by a modular multilevel double-star chopper-cell (DSCC) inverter. It is intended to apply the motor drive to large-capacity fans and compressors with a large moment of inertia. Each chopper cell consists of a bidirectional chopper and a braking chopper connecting a single small-rated braking resistor in series with a single IGBT. This configuration results in a “distributed” dynamic brake that provides a distinctive welcomed side effect of protecting all the bidirectional-chopper cells against sudden overvoltage. An experimental system rated at 400 V and 15 kW is designed, constructed, and tested to verify operating performance of the distributed dynamic brake. Experimental waveforms, along with simulated waveforms, confirm firmly that the distributed dynamic brake is feasible and effective in an induction motor fed by a medium-voltage high-power DSCC inverter for fans and compressors. Finally, this paper gives a design example of a distributed dynamic-braking resistor for the 11-kV, 12-MW induction motor driving a large-capacity fan equipped with a large moment of inertia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shunt active power filters (SAPFs) have been widely used to improve power quality of the grid by mitigating harmonics injected from nonlinear loads. This paper presents a new method for improving the performance of SAPFs using neutral-point-clamped (NPC) three-level inverters. NPC three-level inverters often suffer excessive voltage fluctuations at the neutral-point of DC-link capacitors, which may damage switching devices and cause additional high harmonic distortion of the output voltage. In order to solve the problem, two compensating schemes are proposed to restrict voltage fluctuation in the inverters. The first is voltage dependent, adopting a voltage compensation method, while the second is current dependent, using a current compensation method. The paper describes the respective circuit architectures and principles of operation. Corresponding models are mathematically formulated and evaluated under typical balanced and unbalanced working load conditions. The results show that both schemes are able to alleviate considerably voltage oscillations and hence harmonic distortions, and the current-compensated NPC inverter outperforms the voltage-compensated NPC inverter. Consequently, it is shown that the proposed approaches are effective and feasible for improving power quality of the grid when connected to nonlinear loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an optimized mathematical model of the voltage-source inverter parallel-operation system (VSIPS) and proposes an improved droop control method based on this model, which can realize accurate power sharing in VSIPS. First, this paper analyzes VSIPS as a multi-input and multioutput system and proposes a precise definition of circulating current. The circulating-current model, the steady-state model, and the small-signal model are proposed subsequently based on the optimum design of wire impedance, which constitute the optimized mathematical model of VSIPS in s-domain. The circulating-current phasor model and the circulating-current power phasor model (CCPPM) are also proposed. Second, the mathematical model of traditional droop control is built and analyzed based on CCPPM, which elaborates the tradeoff of droop control between the steady-state voltage bias and the load-sharing accuracy, and proves that the $V- Q$ droop control cannot realize accurate reactive-power sharing. Third, an improved droop control method ( $\omega - P_{{\text{cir}}}$ and $V- Q_{{\text{cir}}}$ control) is proposed, which can realize the accurate active- and reactive-power sharing and eliminate the steady-state voltage bias simultaneously. Finally, simulation and experimental results are presented, which validate the proposed mathematical model of VSIPS, the analysis of droop control, and the performance of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a current sensorless control strategy for the dual active bridge (DAB) converter with nonlinear disturbance observer (NDO)-based load current feedforward. The proposed method can regulate both the dc-bus voltage and the current of the DAB converter without current sensors. Several performance indexes are established for the parameter design and a detailed design method is presented in this paper. When a single-phase H-bridge inverter is connected, the double-frequency oscillation from the feedback path is suppressed by proper parameter design, while the transient response of dc-bus voltage can be further improved by the NDO-based load current feedforward with a notch filter in the feedforward path. The performance of the proposed control method and the effectiveness of the parameter design are verified in a prototype by experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Digital current controllers have the key impact on the performance of grid-side converters and ac drives. The voltage disturbances are commonly suppressed by enhancing the controller with an inner active resistance feedback. In cases where the switching noise and parasitic oscillations introduce sampling errors, conventional sampling is replaced by the oversampling-based error-free feedback acquisition which derives the average of the measured currents over the past switching period. The time delay introduced into the feedback path creates difficulties in designing the current controller with the active resistance. In this paper, we introduce a novel structure of the current controller, which includes the error-free sampling and the active resistance feedback. Devised structure improves the disturbance rejection by extending the range of permissible values of the active resistance. Controller structure is based on the internal model principles, and it maintains the input step response unaffected. This paper comprises analytical design, the gain setting procedure, computer simulation, and experimental results obtained from an experimental setup with a three-phase inverter, digital controller, and a permanent-magnet synchronous motor. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Multiple transmitters powering a single receiver simultaneously is a good alternative to upgrade the power capacity of the wireless power transfer (WPT) system by using multiple modular inverters manufactured in a larger quantities, since the demand for high power applications is on the rise. A multiple overlapped transmitters based WPT system is presented in this paper. In order to alleviate the effects of the cross couplings between the transmitters, additional capacitors are adopted in the transmitters and the configuration of additional capacitors is provided. Virtual active and reactive powers are defined to decompose the transmitter current into active and reactive components. A transmitter current control scheme based on the proposed current decomposition method consisting of one reactive current control loop and one active current control loop is also presented in this paper. Finally, a low-scale experimental setup using two overlapped transmitters WPT system is provided to verify the proposed approach. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method could improve the stability of output voltage control and achieve minimal current difference amongst transmitters. Besides, the overall system efficiency is improved to 90.34% with the proposed control method at 1.45 kW output power, which demonstrates that the proposed method is a potential solution for high power applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, direct torque control (DTC) of five-phase induction motor (FPIM) is implemented using three-level neutral point clamped (TL-NPC) inverter. One of the advantages of three-level inverter over two-level one for DTC operation is the low torque ripple. Also TL-NPC inverter through space vector modulation technique gives low $ dv/dt$ transition with better voltage waveform. By applying conventional lookup table for DTC, the TL-NPC inverter does not ensures lower $dv/dt$ transition. In this paper, a novel switching scheme for DTC of FPIM using TL-NPC inverter is proposed that ensures the low $ dv/dt$ transition and balancing of dc-link capacitor voltages of TL-NPC inverter. To form the lookup table for DTC operation, instead of using voltage vectors directly, virtual vectors (VVs) are utilized. Two switching states are used in one sample time to generate a VV in $\alpha \beta$ plane, which gives zero resultant voltage in $ xy$ plane. The switching strategy ensures low number of transitions to reduce the switching losses. The switching state redundancies are used in a novel way to balance the dc-link capacitor voltages without using any additional hardware. The proposed technique to balance the dc-link capacitor voltage gives lower switching frequency. The MATLAB/Simulink environment is used for the simulation and the results are validated through experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel control strategy for single-phase current-source inverters connected to an ac grid is proposed in this paper. The control strategy aims to inject maximum power to the grid under transient and steady-state conditions by the tracking of sinusoidal references. This paper presents the modeling and the design of the control strategy based on the exact linearization of the inverter model. Results are obtained by computational simulation and validated experimentally. By using error performance indexes in the analysis of the results, it is demonstrated that the proposed controllers achieve correct tracking of the sinusoidal reference while keeping a low switching frequency, which helps to minimize the commutation losses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes and validates model predictive control as an alternative control strategy for H-bridgeneutral-point-clamped (H-NPC) converters for single-phase grid-tied string photovoltaic (PV) systems. The presented control scheme achieves good quality current waveforms with unity power factor, dc-link voltage control, and neutral-point voltage minimization. Furthermore, the predictive controller has been further enhanced by including an average device switching frequency restriction and a $dv/dt$ mitigation. The main contribution of this paper is the avoidance of the potential leakage current due to parasitic capacitance of the PV modules by using a predictive model based control technique instead of modulated schemes and eliminating high-frequency common-mode voltage components. Experimental results during steady state and dynamic operation are presented to illustrate the behavior of the H-NPC converter commanded by the proposed control scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes the grid synchronization method of inverter using a quasi Proportional+Multi Resonant (P+MR) control-based voltage controller a stationary reference frame. The inverter supplies a non-linear load under the islanded mode. In islanded mode, the inverter is defined as a voltage source to supply the full local load demand without a connection to the grid. On the other hand, if the grid is restored from a previous fault or the strategic islanding is unnecessary, the inverter needs to be synchronized with the phase of the grid before the transfer from islanded mode to grid-connected mode. When the system is modeled and controlled based on the stationary reference frame control, the AC reference voltage, which has a constant voltage and frequency in islanded mode, is substituted to the AC grid voltage. Significant error can occur due to the large phase differences between the phase of reference and that of the measured value. This error also can cause severe voltage dynamic problems. In addition, if any nonlinear local load is connected to the output of the inverter, it becomes more serious due to the harmonics generated from the loads. In this paper, the PR control under a stationary reference frame is used for voltage control under islanded mode considering the harmonic effects from the nonlinear load. The seamless grid synchronization method based on this PR control is proposed to solve the aforementioned problems. The validity of the proposed seamless grid synchronization method is verified through PSiM simulations and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]