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In an autonomous ac microgrid system, a peer-to-peer decentralized solution would be a preferred choice for the coordinative control of distributed generation units. However, due to the dispersed sources and loads, and mismatched line impedances, it is hard to achieve satisfactory power sharing performance and power quality without communication links. Therefore, a comprehensive decentralized solution based on dual-frequency-droop is proposed in this article. With only local information, appropriate virtual impedances could be obtained to compensate the mismatched complex line impedances in the required frequency range, and hence active, reactive, unbalanced, and harmonic powers could be shared accurately among parallel inverters under various load conditions. Then, the frequency deviation caused by the droop control is effectively attenuated without affecting power sharing through a dynamic droop-slope regulator. Moreover, the causes of steady-state ripples on virtual impedance waveforms are carefully analyzed, and the design criterions to eliminate these ripples are provided. Finally, case studies are provided in simulations and experiments to validate the effectiveness of this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a key parameter in microgrids, feeder impedance is closely related to power distribution, power quality, and system stability. This letter proposes a novel noninvasive feeder impedance estimation method, which uses the microgrid central controller (MGCC) and inherent harmonic signals introduced by a nonlinear or unbalanced load. First, the sequence impedance model for a droop-controlled inverter is built to demonstrate that the inverter output impedance is negligible at low-order harmonic frequencies. Then, the bus voltage and output current at a specific dominant harmonic frequency are extracted in MGCC, based on which feeder impedance can be obtained. Finally, the estimated feeder impedance is used to generate proper virtual impedance to enhance power sharing and voltage quality as an example, based on a hierarchical control structure. Experimental results are provided to validate the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For grid-connected or interconnected microgrids, the transition to an autonomous and decentralized architecture was hampered by two perplexing issues: how to guarantee voltage-supporting capacity, while fully and controllably utilizing local power generation, and how to switch between islanded and grid-connected modes flexibly and seamlessly. Through a combination of benefits of interlinking converters and switches, the flexible transfer converters (FTCs), positioned at the interfaces between the utility grid and microgrids, are offered as a solution in this article. The basic concepts and classifications of the FTC are first presented, and a general-purpose FTC and a universal control strategy for distributed generations are then proposed as an example, which contribute to appropriate power dispatch and flexible mode transfer in a communication-free design, leading to a fully autonomous microgrid. Simple and economic operation rules, as well as high interoperability with existing assets, makes this solution promising for distributed microgrid applications. Further, generalized small-signal models of the target system are derived for stability analysis and parameter design. Finally, comprehensive case studies in simulations and experiments are provided to validate its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buck converters are widely used in consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and dc microgrids. Small-signal models are necessary tools to design high-quality controllers. However, most of them neglect modulation waveform ripples, which introduces significant errors under high-bandwidth controls. Recently, two models explain the influences of nondifferentiable modulation waveform ripples by their left-side derivatives at crossing points. However, this conclusion is built on the premise that infinite sideband components caused by switching have been considered, which largely complicates these models. The accurate small-signal model with finite sideband components is proposed for nondifferentiable modulation waveform ripples in this article. Based on it, the stable working region and control design of wide-input high-bandwidth Buck converters are talked about. Simulations and experiments validate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proportional-integrator (PI) controller in the synchronous reference frame (dq-frame) and the proportional-resonant (PR) controller in the stationary reference frame (αβ-frame) are two typical linear current control schemes for three-phase voltage source converters. It is generally believed that the plant model is mathematically uncoupled in αβ-frame. Hence, the decoupling control required to attenuate the axis cross-coupling effect in dq-frame is regarded as not necessary in αβ-frame. However, detailed analysis with complex coefficient transfer functions reveals differences in the control performance between the fully decoupled PI control scheme in dq-frame and the PR control scheme in αβ-frame. When regulating sinusoidal currents in αβ-frame, the α-axis and β-axis current references are strongly correlated with each other, which implies a cross-coupling effect equivalent to that of dq-frame. In analogy to the dq-frame decoupling control, cross-coupling terms can be employed together with the conventional PR control scheme. It can bring the benefit of improving the transient response of current tracking and reducing the sensitivity of the resonant controller to frequency variation, especially for low-switching-frequency applications with limited current control bandwidth. Furthermore, the cross-coupling terms based on reference current feed-forward are proposed to improve the performance of both positive- and negative-sequence current control. Experimental results are shown to validate the analysis and the performance of the proposed control scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constant on-time current mode (COTCM) Buck converters are widely used in power management integrated circuit (ICs) for microprocessors. Small-signal models are necessary tools to design high-quality controllers. Existing models neglect output voltage ripples (OVRs) and spectrum extension caused by switching, which makes significant errors under high control bandwidth. This article adopts Fourier series to describe OVRs precisely. Then, influences of OVRs on COTCM are analyzed. Finally, spectrum coupling from current loop and voltage loop is incorporated to obtain a high-frequency model, and four universal analytical expressions in frequency domain are obtained with the aid of matrix calculation. Based on the proposed model and genetic algorithm, an optimal controller design method is developed. Simulation and experiment validate the accuracy of proposed model and the effectiveness of proposed design method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]