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This paper presents a reference modification model digitally controlled dc–dc converter. The proposed method is able to obtain superior transient response because it modifies a reference of conventional feedback loop against the change of output voltage. The modifying process operates only in the transient state. During the steady state, the feedforward control cancels a steady-state-error. Since the feedforward control uses the load current value, this paper discusses two current-sensing methods. One is the output current-sensing method using the sensing resistor, and the reactor current-sensing method using the R–C filter is discussed in order to reduce a performance loss by the sensing resistor. As a result, the output current-sensing method is effective in case that high-transient-response performance is required. On the other hand, it is better to use the reactor current-sensing method when efficiency is important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventionally, power flow equations are used for distribution systems (DS) analysis to find the nodal voltages. For the particular form of the DS reconfiguration problem, however, a direct formulation in terms of branch flows allows a substantial increase in solution efficiency from an optimization point of view. In this paper, a set of linear current flow (LCF) equations are derived for DS. This formulation is then used within the network reconfiguration problem for loss minimization. A mixed-integer quadratically constrained programming (MIQCP) formulation, together with a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) formulation, are proposed in this paper and assessed through simulations. In these comparisons, the MILP formulation shows computational advantages over the MIQCP version and the preceding literature. The proposed methods are evaluated on several test systems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A modular multilevel converter control system, based on converter energy storage, is proposed in this paper for two different control modes: active power and dc voltage. The proposed control system decouples the submodule (SM) capacitor voltages from the dc bus voltage. One of the practical applications is the management of active redundant SMs. A practical HVDC system with 401-level MMCs, including 10% redundancy in MMC SMs, is used for validating and demonstrating the advantages of the proposed control system. This paper also presents a novel capacitor voltage balancing control based on \max–\min functions. It is used to drastically reduce the number of switchings for each SM and enhances computational efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the performance of the bidirectional dual active bridge (DAB) converter. One of the advantages of the DAB is the possibility to achieve the zero-voltage switching (ZVS) operation in all the switches of this converter. However, the ZVS operation range can be lost for light loads, especially if high voltage is required in at least one of the DAB ports and the phase-shift control is used to regulate the power processed by the converter. Theoretically simple averaged and small-signal models are presented for the DAB converter. Using the study presented in this paper, the boundaries of the ZVS operation can be easily evaluated. The proposed models and analysis of the ZVS boundaries allow the proposal and evaluation of two different design strategies with different purposes: on the one hand, increasing the ZVS operation range and, on the other, improving efficiency at full load. Moreover, some techniques are presented for increasing the ZVS operation range and improving the efficiency of the DAB at full load (both using phase-shift control) employing the aforementioned analysis to obtain certain design criteria and conclusions. Finally, the proposed models, design strategies, and techniques to improve the performance of the DAB are experimentally tested using a 1-kW prototype with input and output voltages of 48 and 400 V, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon-on-insulator (SoI) technology has been reported as a technique to improve electrical characteristics over those of bulk MOSFETs. However, this approach results in the disadvantage of increased drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL) due to drain electric flux (or field) passing through the buried oxide (BOX) layer. Against such a background, the development of a method to easily estimate the amount of this electric flux is expected to support the prediction of BOX-related DIBL. This paper involved the investigation of a model-derived analytically using conformal mapping techniques to represent the amount of flux in subthreshold regions of ground-plane SoI MOSFETs. To create the model, this paper was divided into two parts. In Part I, as preparation for model development, the relationships between coordinates in MOSFETs and potential/stream function were derived using conformal mapping, and related validity was verified. In Part II, the model’s development was considered based on these relationships, and its validity was also verified. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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

An empirical method has been used in this paper to estimate the sheath edge of plasma ion sources. Based on Kovaleski's hypothesis in 2006 that the sheath edge from an unmagnetized plasma is coincided with a critical electric field magnitude contour, the sheath edges simulated by a trajectory code were used to calculate Ep and to fit Ep as a function of Te and ne0 . A test shows that only half iterations are needed when the initial sheath is set by the empirical method of this paper. This indicates that the using of the empirical method can save much computing time. The deviation of the expression of Ep in Kovaleski's paper and this paper is also discussed. The deviation may be due to the different type of used codes and that the plasma distribution will influence the electric field distribution in sheath edge calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents the interaction between the overhead transmission lines (OHTLs) and their towers. In this paper, the electric field around the tower of the overhead transmission lines is calculated. The charge simulation method, combined with the image method, is used to develop a model that consists of subconductors of the OHTLs and the tower. The charges on the surface of each subconductor of the overhead transmission lines are simulated by a set of infinite line charges, of various charge densities, along the length of the subconductor, and the induced charges on the surface of the tower are simulated by a set of finite line charges. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A computational analysis of the gas flow in a gas circuit breaker is presented in this paper. A structured grid with a high-order conservative overset method is used for an accurate flow analysis. In addition, this paper includes the modeling of the arc, radiation, and ablation of the nozzle. The results of the flow analysis are compared with the experimental data, showing good agreement with the experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a high-frequency ac-link photovoltaic (PV) inverter is proposed. The proposed inverter overcomes most of the problems associated with currently available PV inverters. In this inverter, a single-stage power-conversion unit fulfills all the system requirements, i.e., inverting dc voltage to proper ac, stepping up or down the input voltage, maximum power point tracking, generating low-harmonic ac at the output, and input/output isolation. This inverter is, in fact, a partial resonant ac-link converter in which the link is formed by a parallel inductor/capacitor (LC) pair having alternating current and voltage. Among the significant merits of the proposed inverter are the zero-voltage turn-on and soft turn-off of the switches which result in negligible switching losses and minimum voltage stress on the switches. Hence, the frequency of the link can be as high as permitted by the switches and the processor. The high frequency of operation makes the proposed inverter very compact. The other significant advantage of the proposed inverter is that no bulky electrolytic capacitor exists at the link. Electrolytic capacitors are cited as the most unreliable component in PV inverters, and they are responsible for most of the inverters' failures, particularly at high temperature. Therefore, substituting dc electrolytic capacitors with ac LC pairs will significantly increase the reliability of PV inverters. A 30-kW prototype was fabricated and tested. The principle of operation and detailed design procedure of the proposed inverter along with the simulation and experimental results are included in this paper. To evaluate the long-term performance of the proposed inverter, three of these inverters were installed at three different commercial facilities in Texas, USA, to support the PV systems. These inverters have been working for several months now. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

More and more distributed maximum power point tracking (DMPPT) architectures, based on a dc–dc converter for every single photovoltaic (PV) panel, are being released and launched to the market as an alternative to traditional MPPT configurations. Ideally, they can solve any mismatching problem, but actually, this is not always feasible. This paper analyzes the static performance of this kind of architectures in order to determine the key factors to bear in mind in the design of the system. Above all, this paper points out the inverter-voltage influence on the overall performance of the PV system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a model reference adjustable system observer for the sensorless control of doubly fed induction machines. The formulation is based on the direct calculation of the torque and flux rotor current components in the stator-flux-oriented coordinates by using the stator currents and voltages and the norm of the rotor current space vector. The tuning of the observer is discussed, and a theoretical sensitivity and stability analysis is performed in order to investigate the behavior of the observer under mismatched parameters. The paper is completed by the experimental validation of the observer performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiphase (more than three phases) power electronic converters are required mainly for feeding variable-speed multiphase drive systems. This paper presents one such solution by using a direct ac–ac converter that can be used to supply a nine-phase drive system. The input is a fixed-voltage and fixedfrequency three-phase input, and the output is a variable-voltage and variable-frequency nine-phase output. A simple pulsewidthmodulation technique is developed for the proposed ac–ac converter named as a nonsquare three-to-nine-phase matrixconverter configuration. The developed modulation technique is based on the comparison of a high-frequency carrier signal with the duty ratios. Although the carrier-based scheme is widely employed for the control of back-to-back converters, it has recently been used for controlling a three-to-three-phase matrix converter. This concept is extended in this paper for controlling a threeto-nine-phase matrix converter. With the two techniques that are proposed, one outputs 0.75 of the input magnitude and the other outputs reach 0.762 of the input. This is the maximum value of the output voltage in the linear modulation range that can be achieved in this configuration of the matrix converter. The viability of the proposed control techniques is proved analytically through simulation and an experimental approach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a dynamic model of the active front-end (AFE) converter in the synchronous reference frame under balance input voltage condition. Transfer functions of the closed-loop control based on this dynamic model are verified experimentally in the frequency domain. Bode plots of these transfer functions are given to validate this synchronous frame-based dynamic model. Based on these results, this paper presents the control designs of the AFE converter to enhance the disturbance rejection capability and robustness. The control designs are then verified experimentally in the frequency domain. The frequency response of the AFE converter system is measured by an Agilent 35670A dynamic signal analyzer to validate the performance of the AFE converter system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies microgrids where loads are supplied by parallel-connected inverters controlled by decentralized active power/voltage frequency and reactive power-/voltage-magnitude droop control laws. A paralleled ac system, such as a multiinverter microgrid, is susceptible to circulating currents due to differences in voltage magnitude, frequency, phase angle, or dc offset. Circulating currents due to differences in voltage magnitude and dc offset have been known issues reported in literature. However, an in-depth analysis of the problem is required to ascertain the deviation of the system-operating condition from the desired condition. This paper provides a mathematical model that predicts the effect of voltage-magnitude offsets on reactive power sharing between inverters. Simulation and experimental results verify the accuracy of the analytical results obtained from the mathematical model. We examine the effect of dc-circulating currents and propose a simple capacitor emulation control law implemented in software to eliminate dc-circulating currents. This solution is a possible alternative for hardware implementation to eliminate dc-circulating currents. The effectiveness of the capacitor emulation control law has been verified through experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Applying the selective harmonic elimination (SHE) technique to grid-connected-cascaded modular multilevel inverters has been widely discussed in the literature. However, due to the difficulties of solving high-order nonlinear transcendental equations, the SHE technique cannot be implemented in real time so its applications are limited. This paper presents a technique to convert the nonlinear equations to a specific control system and use a look-up table, integral controllers and a decoupling controller to help the system converge to a zero-error steady state. An inner instantaneous observer is introduced to directly extract the harmonic spectrum of the output voltages without applying FFT algorithm to output step voltage waveforms. It can not only simplify software design but also eliminate the phase delay generated by conventional spectrum extracting algorithm. The proposed technique can achieve an accurate switching angle control and a fast response. Simulation and experimental results verified that the system can achieve zero-error steady state within one line period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition to a deregulated electric power system industry has created a highly competitive electricity market with immense power transfer activity performed between the market participants. A poorly-damped oscillation of small-signal instability is usually imminent during a stress power system condition attributed by the base case power transfer or available transfer capability (ATC) compounded with an outage of critical line. The contingency ranking by means of lowest damping ratio is introduced so that execution of the most critical line outage will incite to a poorly-damped oscillation during the base case ATC. The rescheduling of few critical generators determined by using the normalized participation factor is presented in this paper as a novel, non-intricate and cost-effective solution for estimating a new value of ATC while ensuring a secure power system operating condition. Sturdiness of the proposed method is verified through comparison with the weighted-average sensitivity of stability index required for rescheduling the critical generators performed in a case study of 39-bus New England system. Comparative study on the results of cost minimization in generators rescheduling has also been done based on the critical generators selected by the two methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new control strategy for high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission based on the synchronverter concept: the sending-end rectifier controls emulate a synchronous motor (SM), and the receiving end inverter emulates a synchronous generator (SG). The two converters connected with a DC line provide what is called a synchronverter HVDC (SHVDC). The structure of the SHVDC is firstly analyzed. It is shown that the droop and voltage regulations included in the SHVDC structure are necessary and sufficient to well define the behavior of SHVDC. The standard parameters of the SG cannot be directly used for this structure. A specific tuning method of these parameters is proposed in order to satisfy the usual HVDC control requirements. The new tuning method is compared with the standard vector control in terms of local performances and fault critical clearing time (CCT) in the neighboring zone of the link. The test network is a 4-machine power system with parallel HVDC/AC transmission. The results indicate the contribution of the proposed controller to enhance the stability margin of the neighbor AC zone of the link. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lithium titanate battery, which uses Li 4Ti 5O 12 (LTO) as its anode instead of graphite, is a promising candidate for fast charging and power assist vehicular applications due to its attractive battery performance in rate characteristics and chemical stability. Unfortunately, commonly used battery models, including a large number of enhanced electrical models, become problematic when describing current–voltage characteristics of lithium titanate batteries. In this paper, a novel Butler–Volmer equation-based electric model is employed to outline unique phenomena induced by changing rates for high-power lithium titanate batteries. The robustness of the proposed model for three types of lithium titanate batteries under varying loading conditions, including galvanostatic test and Federal Urban Dynamic Schedule test, is evaluated and compared against experimental data. The experimental results of three types of lithium titanate batteries with common anode materials but differentiated cathode materials show good agreement with the model estimation results with maximum voltage errors below 2%. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Unintentional islanding detection is a primary requirement for the interconnection of synchronous distributed generators (DGs). For this purpose, voltage and frequency-based relays are largely employed due to their low cost and simplicity However, these devices are not totally reliable due to their associated nondetection zone (NDZ). The NDZ is an effective tool to evaluate the performance of these relays against islanding occurrence. In this context, this paper presents a simple and practical analytical method to estimate the NDZ of frequency and voltage-based relays without relying on numerous, time-consuming electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulations. The main contribution is that one can easily estimate the NDZ of these protection systems based on a few analytical expressions. The effectiveness and generality of the analytical method are verified by comparing its results with those obtained by repeated, intensive EMT simulations for different power distribution networks and different relay types. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, selective harmonic mitigation (SHM) and selective harmonic elimination (SHE) modulation techniques have been combined to produce appropriate pulses for a four-leg three-level neutral point clamped (NPC) inverter. In the proposed hybrid method, the SHM technique is applied to phase legs in order to mitigate non-triplen harmonics (fifth, seventh, $\ldots$) , and the fourth leg is controlled by the SHE principle to eliminate important low-order triplen harmonics (third, ninth, $\ldots$) completely. In this context, it is demonstrated that using SHM instead of an SHE modulator for phase legs leads to a reduced vast range of harmonic orders in the NPC output voltage, significantly. Moreover, it is proved that the presented hybrid switching technique has the ability of dc-bus capacitor voltage balancing, inherently. Furthermore, analyses are performed to calculate the dc-bus capacitances accurately to show 5% voltage ripple acceptably. Simulation and experimental results validate a good dynamic performance of the proposed hybrid modulation technique in firing the NPC inverter switches to generate low-harmonic voltage waveforms supplying balanced and unbalanced loads while balancing the dc capacitor voltages in a four-wire network with small dc-link capacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents the model for the modular multilevel converter (MMC) in phasor format, which is convenient for power-flow and parameter studies. The model is derived in rotating the d–q coordinate frame, and the coordinate frame at double the fundamental frequency, in steady state. A substantial analytical basis is presented in order to facilitate direct mathematical manipulations of nonlinear terms in the rotating frame. An eighth-order model is first derived which includes circulating current representation. Later, the circulating current suppression controller (CCSC) is modelled and the magnitude of second harmonic control inputs is studied. The final model for MMC with CCSC is given in a simple and convenient form for power-flow studies. The accuracy of the proposed models is verified against a detailed dynamic MMC benchmark model in PSCAD. Finally, a comparison between the MMC model and two-level voltage-source converter model is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a load torque estimation method for self-sensing brushless dc drives. Torque ripples in brushless dc machines can be reduced using load torque information. This method uses the terminal voltage, the virtual neutral point voltage, and the dc bus current of the machine. The algorithm uses the variation of successive back electromotive force (back EMF) samples to estimate the rotor speed. The rotor position is estimated by defining an intermediate function of estimated speed and back EMF samples. An estimate of acceleration is used to estimate load torque. The load torque information is used for increasing the dynamic stiffness of the drive. The mathematical background is given and discussed, and the simulations and the experimental results prove the performance of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Conservation voltage reduction (CVR) and distributed-generation (DG) integration are popular strategies implemented by utilities to improve energy efficiency. This paper investigates the interactions between CVR and DG placement to minimize load consumption in distribution networks, while keeping the lowest voltage level within the predefined range. The optimal placement of DG units is formulated as a stochastic optimization problem considering the uncertainty of DG outputs and load consumptions. A sample average approximation algorithm-based technique is developed to solve the formulated problem effectively. A multiple replications procedure is developed to test the stability of the solution and calculate the confidence interval of the gap between the candidate solution and optimal solution. The proposed method has been applied to the IEEE 37-bus distribution test system with different scenarios. The numerical results indicate that the implementations of CVR and DG, if combined, can achieve significant energy savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel time-domain fault location algorithm on HVDC transmission lines. The Bergeron line model is adopted to construct a time-domain fault location equation, considering unsynchronized two-end measurement and uncertain line parameters. The zero time reference point is set to the sample point of arrival at each end for the traveling wave-head. Time-tags of all sample points change with the zero time reference. So the time difference of two-end measurements has changed also, and equals the time difference between arrivals at two ends for the traveling wave-head. That makes it possible to mix the traveling wave theory with the Bergeron time-domain fault location method. Besides, the ratio coefficient of wave velocities between different frequencies and digital band-pass filter are presented for better performance of the proposed method. Simulations and tests demonstrate that the proposed method can locate faults accurately on the HVDC lines even in the case of loss of signals from GPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve problems of catenary icing, this paper presents an online antiicing technique using the Joule effect on the catenary of the high-speed electric railway. According to its scheme, a couple of static var generators (SVGs) are, respectively, placed at the traction power substation and sectioning post to automatically generate an adjusted current, varying with the change of temperature, wind speed, and traction load, which will be obtained by online monitoring. The online antiicing current is not only determined by the developed heat balance equation for the contact wire, but also the developed relationship of the distributed current on catenary and the voltage of the traction network. The simulation and experimental results on an autotransformer (AT) traction power-supply system illustrate that the temperature of the contact wire can be maintained above 0 ^\circC with the antiicing current and the voltage of traction network also in the normal range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a novel pulsed-power supply, the air-core pulsed alternator is outstanding in providing repetitive pulse with high energy density, and preferred in a variety of fields including laser and electromagnetic launch, etc. To achieve a superior field excitation power supply, the air-core pulsed alternator usually adopts a self-excitation module, putting some emphasis on the design of the excitation conditions. In previous studies, the commutation voltage drop is neglected in excitation condition analysis. However, the voltage drop may have some significant impacts on the excitation conditions, and the neglect would cause a deviation between analysis and practices. This paper focuses on the analysis of excitation condition, taking the commutation voltage drop into account. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper addresses the numerical investigation of an electrohydrodynamic (EHD) plume induced by a sharp blade electrode in a dielectric liquid. Different injection laws, namely, autonomous and nonautonomous ones, are considered, and the importance of the blade shape is emphasized, especially for nonautonomous injection laws. Different flow regimes arise according to the value of the Reynolds number based on the ionic mobility and the distance $d$ between the blade and the vertical plate. It is found that the critical Reynolds number for which the transition between steady and unsteady regimes occurs depends on the injection law, on the blade shape, on the $M$ parameter, and on the injection strength $C$. For much higher Reynolds number, the flow turns to be chaotic and behaves as a jet flow with the development of a Kelvin–Helmoltz instability. The use of different sharp blades indicates that a higher electric field at the tip of the blade plays a significant effect on the development of the EHD plume. The plumes have been characterized by their charge density distribution which shows, in the early stages of the simulation, that its dynamics is significantly dependent on the blade shape as well as on the nonautonomous injection law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, new expressions are introduced for the determination of the maximum power point (MPP) of photovoltaic (PV) systems as explicit functions of the five parameters of the single-diode model employing the Lambert W function. These equations provide the voltage and current at MPP in a direct and straightforward manner, thus dispensing with any need for iterative solution. They are initially derived for a PV system operating under uniform conditions, and subsequently extended for mismatched conditions at the PV string level. The novelty of these formulae lies in their solid theoretical foundation, which supports their validity in the general case and offers a well-founded symbolic formulation for the MPP evaluation problem. Extended simulations and experimental validation are performed to verify the accuracy and computational efficiency of the proposed equations compared with other methods available in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The universal integrated synchronization and control (UISC) is proposed to operate a single-phase dc/ac converter in both grid-connected (GC) and stand-alone (SA) modes and offer seamless transition between these modes without any reconfiguration of control structure. As a matter of fact, the UISC does not need to use an islanding detection algorithm in the conventional sense. In GC mode, the UISC controls the real and reactive powers independently. In SA mode, it provides voltage and frequency support. The UISC is not based on direct current control or direct output voltage control. It adjusts the internal converter voltage through a nonlinear mechanism that amounts to the control of the current in GC mode and the voltage in SA mode. The UISC does not require a separate synchronization unit such as a phase-locked loop (PLL). In principle, the UISC is analogous to the combined governor and automatic voltage regulator controls in a synchronous machine (SM). In this sense, it may be considered among the converters that mimic the SMs such as the synchronverter. The proposed UISC is arguably the most unified method that can address different modes of operation of a converter within a microgrid environment without control switching actions. This paper presents the derivations, stability analysis, and numerical results to illustrate the performance of the proposed controller in a single phase situation. A mathematical analysis on the analogies and differences between the UISC and some similar methods is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new fault-location algorithm for series-compensated double-circuit transmission lines utilizing two-terminal unsynchronized voltage and current measurements is presented in this paper. The mutual coupling between the parallel lines in the zero-sequence network is fully considered. The distributed parameter line model is adopted to fully take into account the shunt capacitance of the line. By formulating voltages and currents at the fault point in terms of the unknown fault location, boundary conditions under different fault types are used to derive the fault location. Two subroutines assuming the fault occurs on the left or right side of the series compensator are developed and the principle to identify the correct fault-location estimate is described. Matlab SimPowerSystems is employed to generate cases under diverse fault conditions for validating the proposed fault-ocation algorithm. Evaluation studies have shown that the proposed algorithm has achieved quite accurate results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The IEC-60060-1 "High-voltage test technique" was revised in 2010 and an evaluation method using the k-factor function (test voltage function) was introduced for the lightning impulse voltage test, which involved the overshoot waveform being converted into the test voltage waveform. Test standards for UHV-class equipment are also presently being studied. To date, authors have measured k-factor values with the largest possible model, assuming actual UHV-class power equipment and proposed a new k-factor function for large-scale equipment. The present paper reports on the evaluation results of expanded uncertainty when measuring a k-factor value on the basis of the ISO/IEC Guide 98-3. As a result, it was clarified that significant uncertainty in measuring a k-factor value is brought about by the definition of the kfactor itself because small differences in the 50% breakdown voltage between the smooth lightning impulse and overshoot waveforms with respective uncertainties at a certain level were calculated. The expanded uncertainty when measuring the k-factor value in the present study for an overshoot rate of 10%, which is particularly important for practical use, was a large value of ?0.23 to ?0.36, or 0.46 to 0.72 in topto- bottom width compared to k-factor values themselves ranging from 0.2 to 1.0. However, this is actually considered a minimum level of uncertainty, which is inevitable in principle, and the best achievable measurement result rather than something caused by any problem in measurement itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a three-phase ac–dc–ac drive system to cope with applications in which high performance and reliability are required with reduced dc-link and switch blocking voltages. The subsystem at the grid-side can be implemented into two alternatives, i.e., topologies G1 and G2. While G1 presents a sole three-phase transformer connected in series between the three-phase grid and converter $Ag$, whose secondary is connected to the converter $Bg$, G2 has a three-phase transformer with two taps at the secondary. The transformers in G1 and G2 process part and total system power, respectively. The subsystem at the machine-side is composed of the machine and two converters that allow series- and parallel-modes for the three-phase machine. The interesting characteristic of the system is to adapt its machine-side configuration as a function of the speed. The proposed configurations guarantee low harmonic distortion for both high speed (high voltage) and low speed (low voltage) operations with a higher modulation index. In addition, the system allows the machine's operation with high current at low speed, which is interesting for applications with constant mechanical load. A comprehensive model of the proposed systems and modulation strategies are presented. Simulated and experimental results validate the theoretical expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the boundary conditions at the edges of the junctions are discussed, and their consequences on the compact modeling of short-channel effects (SCEs) in MOSFETs are investigated. It is first shown that the previous voltage-doping transform (VDT) potential model does not agree with the simulation results when the impact of lightly doped drain regions or thin spacers are considered. A solution is then proposed to correct the channel potential model using more accurate boundary conditions at the edges of the channel, which consist in calculating an accurate effective built-in potential value Vbi^\rm eff at the source and at the drain. The impact of these improved boundary conditions on compact models of SCEs is investigated. It is shown that the previous VDT models of drain-induced barrier lowering and subthreshold swing for all types of fully depleted devices can be very simply corrected to finely agree with the simulations without fitting parameters. These models finally allow to investigate the impact of the doping concentration of the junctions on the device performance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Variable-speed drives have reduced voltage requirements when operating below the base speed. In a modular-multilevel-converter-based (M2C-based) motor drive, it is then possible to operate with reduced voltage in the submodule capacitors, than at the base speed. In this sense, a greater capacitor-voltage ripple can be accommodated, without exceeding the maximum peak-capacitor voltage. This paper presents an analytical investigation for the optimal selection of the average capacitor voltage for M2Cs, when the motor is operating with rated torque, below the base speed. This method does not require any power exchange between the converter arms, so it keeps the conduction losses at the minimum level. Additionally, the method decreases the switching losses, due to the decreased capacitor-voltage level. The overall ratings of the converter remain the same as in the base-speed operation. It is shown that this method can be applied at a speed range between the base speed and down to approximately one third of it, i.e., an operating range that covers the requirements for typical pump- and fan-type applications. The results obtained from the analytical investigation are experimentally verified on a down-scaled laboratory prototype M2C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the dynamic behavior of electrostatically actuated radio frequency-microelectromechanical system (RF-MEMS) switches is analyzed using energy considerations. An analytical model for bridge-type RF-MEMS switches is proposed and the time evolution of the system total energy is calculated numerically. Switch actuation, release times, and damped release response are derived from energy analysis with focus on the effect of increasing the actuation voltage on the RF-MEMS dynamic behavior. The dynamic and RF characteristics of different RFMEMS ohmic-contact switches have been measured using an experimental set-up based on microwave instrumentation. The measured results show a good agreement with simulations, thus validating the proposed analytical model. It is shown (theoretically and experimentally) that the damped release response increases the effective time to reach the RF/microwave OFF-state switch isolation (up to three natural periods of the mechanical system). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an efficient evaluation method for multiconductor transmission lines with random translation over an infinite and perfectly conducting ground under a plane wave. Based on the assumption of small translation quantity, the equations for the estimation of average induced voltage, induced voltage variation, and the probability distribution of the voltage variation are derived. The average induced voltages and the probability distribution of the voltage variation estimated by the proposed method are in a good agreement with those via the Monte Carlo method but the proposed method is more efficient. The relative sensitivity of the induced voltage to the height approximately equals the inverse of the line height, which can be applied to evaluate the influence induced by the random translation of the line quickly, especially in the low frequency range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to introduce an analytical and numerical method to calculate the diameter and position of booster sheds (BSs) on post station insulators under heavy icing conditions. Numerical simulations using the finite element method (FEM), implemented by the commercial software Comsol Multiphysics, were performed to calculate the influence of BSs on voltage drops along two units of a standard post insulator under heavy icing conditions. The shape of ice accretion and icicles used in the present study were based on laboratory tests carried out at CIGELE. The presented simulations and analytical calculations seem to be efficient options to quantify the effects of the electric field and ice bridging on the dimensioning of the BSs along the post insulator. Based on the obtained results, the electric field strength would be the main factor involved for BSs close to the HV electrode whereas ice-bridging (icicle length) would be the main one for those close to the ground electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper presents a novel fixed switching frequency predictive current control method for switched reluctancemachines (SRM). The proposed deadbeat predictive current controller accurately predicts the required duty ratio for thePWM pulse for a given reference current in each digital time step over the entire speed range of operation. The pulsewidth depends on the operating conditions, machine parameters and the rotor position. The controller utilizes themachine inductance profile as a function of current and rotor position to accurately predict the required voltage. Thecontrol method is studied through computer simulation and followed by experimental validation. The method is suitablefor torque ripple sensitive applications requiring accurate tracking of a given current profile and mitigating theaudible noise due to the switching of the inverter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calculation of the complex torque coefficient for multi-machine system subsynchronous resonance (SSR) assessment had been proven a hard task. In this paper the concept of complex frequency domain port-equivalence conductance matrix (CPCM) is introduced to model the individual system component which represents the relationship between the terminal voltage and current in frequency domain, and the model of the overall power system can be established easily. Thus the complex torque coefficients of the generator unit under investigation can be calculated for SSR assessment. The advantages of this proposed method are that it can take the shaft dynamics and the rotor angle interactions among the generator units into consideration for the multi-machine power system SSR analysis, as well as it can be used to analyze the effectiveness of SSR damping devices. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been verified by both the eigenvalue analysis and the time domain simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, the analytical solution for the submodule voltage ripple equations of a modular multilevel converter (MMC) is derived, based on the knowledge of the external voltage/current magnitudes, and enhancing a concept previously presented in the literature. In order to achieve high accuracy, all passive elements of the converter, common-mode voltage injection as well as intentionally imposed circulating current harmonics are taken into consideration. The natural charge level mechanism of the capacitor voltages is also explained. As application examples, the three- as well as the two-phase grid-connected MMC cases are chosen. The control of line and circulating currents is also discussed and two respective independent feedback loops are formed. The concept of fictive-axis emulation is tailored for the two-phase MMC case, in order to achieve vector control of the line current and therefore straightforward desired injection of active and reactive power. Finally, the development of a reduced-scale laboratory prototype is presented and a full set of experimental results are provided, verifying the aforementioned concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) is a newly introduced switch-mode converter topology with the potential for high-voltage and high-power applications. This paper focuses on the design and control methods for fault-tolerant operation using redundant submodules (SMs), which is one of the most important features in the MMC topology. By comparing three design schemes of redundant SMs, the most economic and reliable scheme is identified. In addition, a mathematical model of the MMC with arms containing different numbers of SMs is developed. Based on the identified scheme and mathematical model, an energy-balancing control strategy is proposed to keep the MMC operating normally under SM fault conditions. Finally, time-domain simulations of a 61-level MMC system are performed, using the PSCAD/EMTDC software, while experiments are carried out on a 41-level MMC prototype. The simulation and experimental results validate the design scheme, mathematical model, and proposed energy-balancing control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-speed airflow, which is generated around trains running at a high speed, causes uneven pollutant distribution on insulator surfaces and changes their insulation properties. In this paper, a method has been proposed to calculate the residual pollutant resistance on polluted insulator. Based on the analysis of flashover model, the influence of pollution distribution along and around insulator was discussed. Analysis result showed that flashover voltage would increase when the pollutant distribution on insulator decreased compared to conditions with uniformly distributed pollutant, and vice versa. It implied that there should be a maximum pollutant accumulation value above and below the insulator shed. In this situation, the flashover voltage will be the lowest. Model analysis showed that the flashover voltage would increase with the length of the insulated plate and vice versa. The theoretical analysis was in good agreement with experimental result, which implied that this method might be able to provide reference for insulator shed design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past and recent investigations show that front time of switching overvoltage waveforms in Ultra High Voltage (UHV) system of long distance transmission are mostly in long wave front time exceeding 1000μs. The long front time of switching impulse voltage has been deviated from the critical front time. This paper is involved with breakdown characteristics and external insulation design under long front switching impulse voltage in UHV system. All the Tests were performed on an outdoor UHV test site at altitude of 2100 m, China Southern Power Grid Co. Ltd. (CSG). Breakdown characteristics of rod-plane and actual size tower-conductor in /spl l.chemo/800 kV UHV DC transmission line are obtained under wide front time switching impulse voltages from 100 to 2350 μs. From the comprehensive studies of such tests, it is proposed that U50 of front time exceeding 1000 μs increases 20% compared with the results of standard switching impulse (250/2500 μs) tests and standard deviations of U50 is 6% in UHV transmission system. Finally, an air gap insulation design procedure in conductor-tower of UHV transmission line at altitude of 0-2000 m is presented. Long front time switching impulse strength of conductor-tower gap is proposed into selection by reference in UHV transmission line insulation design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares different approximation methods and develops a new method for simplification of Carson's equations to model distribution lines for unbalanced power flow and short-circuit analysis. The comparisons are made for real and imaginary parts of self and mutual impedances. The impedances obtained by application of different approximation methods are utilized for lines and cables of a long feeder with a load and the IEEE 123-node system. The effect of varying ground resistivity and frequency on impedances is observed. The unbalanced power-flow results of both systems are compared for voltage, current, active, and reactive power flow. It is observed that different approximation methods for impedance calculation have considerable effects on the results of power flow, especially on node voltages which are critical for power quality and steady-state analysis of distribution systems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, a symmetric four-port microwave varactor based 90^\circ directional coupler with tunable coupling ratios and reconfigurable responses is presented. The proposed coupler is designed based on the modified structure of a crossover, where varactors are loaded. By applying suitable biasing voltages to the varactors, the power-dividing ratios between the two output ports (i.e., port 2 and port 3) of the coupler can be easily controlled. Moreover, it is found that the realizable power ratio using the proposed structure is very flexible (it could be extremely large or small). Therefore, under the special case when the coupling ratio is tuned to be 1, the proposed coupler is reconfigured to be a crossover. Good isolation and return-loss performance have been maintained for different power-dividing ratios. To theoretically analyze the proposed device, closed-form design equations are derived using the even–odd mode method. Based on these analytical equations, an experimental prototype working at 1 GHz is designed, fabricated, and characterized. The measurement results match well with the simulation and theoretical results, validating the proposed design theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A numerical model for the inductively coupled plasma in radio frequency (RF) ion thruster discharge chamber is developed to evaluate the plasma parameters for a 2-D axisymetric domain. The spatial distributions of various plasma parameters are obtained. The ion thruster performance is evaluated by calculating the discharge loss per ion for different deposited RF power values. The geometry of RIT-15LP is applied as the thruster configuration and the results are shown to have the same tendency as presented in the literature. The results of this paper proved that above a certain RF power deposition into the discharge chamber, there is a tradeoff between the thrust obtained from the ion engine and the discharge loss per ion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amount of distributed energy resources (DERs) has increased constantly worldwide. The power ratings of DERs have become considerably high, as required by the new grid code requirement. To follow the grid code and optimize the function of grid-connected inverters based on DERs, a phase-locked loop (PLL) is essential for detecting the grid phase angle accurately when the grid voltage is polluted by harmonics and imbalance. This paper proposes a novel low-pass notch filter PLL (LPN-PLL) control strategy to synchronize with the true phase angle of the grid instead of using a conventional synchronous reference frame PLL (SRF-PLL), which requires a d-q-axis transformation of three-phase voltage and a proportional–integral controller. The proposed LPN-PLL is an upgraded version of the PLL method using the fast Fourier transform concept (FFT-PLL) which is robust to the harmonics and imbalance of the grid voltage. The proposed PLL algorithm was compared with conventional SRF-PLL and FFT-PLL and was implemented digitally using a digital signal processor TMS320F28335. A 10-kW three-phase grid-connected inverter was set, and a verification experiment was performed, showing the high performance and robustness of the proposal under low-voltage ride-through operation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper first proves the existence of a nonlinear, feedback loop due to the effect of an active power filter (APF) on the grid voltage for a multifunctional electric vehicle charging station. A linear, open-loop model is derived based on direct quadrature (DQ)-theory in discrete time (DT). Based on this model, a linear, closed-loop model is further developed with DQ-theory in DT. A triangle-hold equivalent instead of a zero-order-hold equivalent is employed in the model for better representation. The developed linear, closed-loop model is finally generalized to general power systems. Simulations are carried out to verify the developed models under transient conditions. The short-time (1–2 ms), transient stability of the grid with an APF is determined with the developed model. In contrast to existing stability analyses in the phasor domain, using DQ-theory can linearize the loop and simplify the loop model in DT domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]