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Wireless control of modular multilevel converter (MMC) submodules can benefit from different points of view, such as lower converter cost and shorter installation time. In return for the advantages, the stochastic performance of wireless communication networks necessitates an advanced converter control system immune to the losses and delays of the wirelessly transmitted data. This article proposes an advancement to the distributed control of MMCs to be utilized in wireless submodule control. Using the proposed method, the operation of the MMC continues smoothly and uninterruptedly during wireless communication errors. The previously proposed submodule wireless control concept relies on implementing the modulation and individual submodule-capacitor-voltage control in the submodules using the insertion indices transmitted from a central controller. This article takes the concept as a basis and introduces to synthesize the indices autonomously in the submodules during the communication errors. This new approach allows the MMC continue its operation when one, some, or all submodules suffer from communication errors for a limited time. The proposal is validated experimentally on a laboratory-scale MMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless control of modular multilevel converter (MMC) submodules offers several potential benefits to exploit, such as decreased converter costs and ease in converter installation. However, wireless control comes with several challenging engineering requirements. The control methods used with wired communication networks are not directly applicable to the wireless control due to the latency and reliability differences of wired and wireless networks. This article reviews the existing control architectures of MMCs and proposes a control and communication method for wireless submodule control. Also, a synchronization method for pulsewidth modulation carriers is proposed suitable for wireless control. The imperfections of wireless communication, such as higher latency and packet losses compared to wired communication, are analyzed for the operation of MMCs. The latency is fixed with a proper controller and wireless network design. The converter is rendered immune to the packet losses by decreasing the closed-loop control bandwidth. The functionality of the proposal is verified, for the first time, experimentally on a laboratory-scale MMC using a simple wireless network. It is shown that wireless control of MMC submodules with the proposed approach can perform comparably to the wired control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stacked polyphase bridges (SPB) converter consists of several submodules that all are connected in series to a voltage source. The total dc-link voltage should split in a balanced way among the submodules. This does not always occur inherently. This paper presents an analysis of the capacitor voltage stability for the SPB converter. From the analysis, criteria for stability are derived and three alternatives of a suitable balancing controller are designed. The proposed controller alternatives and their associated stability properties are verified on an experimental setup and by simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The feasibility of future multiterminal dc (MTDC) systems depends largely on the capability to withstand dc-side faults. Simulation models of MTDC systems play a very important role in investigating these faults. For such studies, the test system needs to be accurate and computationally efficient. This paper proposes a detailed equivalent model of the modular multilevel converter (MMC), which is used to develop the MTDC test system. The proposed model is capable of representing the blocked-mode operation of the MMC, and can be used to study the balancing control of the capacitor voltages. In addition, the operation of the MMC when redundant submodules are included in the arms can also be studied. A simplified model of a hybrid high-voltage dc breaker is also developed. Hence, the developed test system is capable of accurately describing the behavior of the MMC-based MTDC system employing hybrid HVDC breakers, during fault conditions. Using time-domain simulations, permanent dc-side faults are studied in the MTDC system. In addition, a scheme to control the fault current through the MMC using thyristors on the ac side of the converter is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In modular multilevel converters, there is a tradeoff between the switching frequency and the voltage ripple in the submodule capacitors. The reason for this is that it becomes increasingly difficult to balance the capacitor voltages when the switching frequency is reduced. This paper presents a new submodule circuit, which improves the balancing of the capacitor voltages at low switching frequencies. The proposed submodule circuit consists of two capacitors and eight switches, forming a three-level submodule. Ideally, the voltage and current ratings of the switches can be chosen such that the combined power rating of the semiconductors is the same as for the equivalent solution with conventional halfbridge submodules. The proposed submodule circuit provides the possibility of connecting the two capacitors in parallel when the intermediate voltage level is used. This will reduce the capacitor voltage ripple, especially at low switching frequencies, and thus, allow for a reduction of the size, weight, and cost of the submodule capacitors. The proposed submodule circuit is validated by both simulations and experimental results. It is found that the parallel connection of the submodule capacitors will, in fact, significantly improve the balancing of the capacitor voltages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many publications have been presented on the modulation and control of the modular multilevel converter, some of which are based on phase-shifted carrier modulation. This paper presents an analysis of how the switching frequency affects the capacitor voltages, circulating currents, and alternating voltages using phase-shifted carrier modulation. It is found that switching frequencies that are integer multiples of the fundamental frequency should be avoided as they can cause the capacitor voltages to diverge. Suitable switching frequencies are derived for which the arm and line quantities will be periodic with symmetric operating conditions in the upper and lower arms. Thus, the practical outcome of this paper is a detailed description of how the switching frequency should be chosen in order to achieve advantageous operating conditions. The theoretical results from the analysis are validated by both simulations and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

The balancing of the capacitor voltages in modular multilevel converters becomes increasingly difficult when the switching frequency is reduced. Typically, a reduced switching frequency will increase the spread in the capacitor voltages and, thus, the voltage ripple in the individual submodules. This paper presents a capacitor voltage balancing strategy which aims to combine a low switching frequency with a low capacitor-voltage ripple. This is done by a predictive algorithm that controls the converter in such a way that the stored charge in the submodule capacitors is evenly distributed among all the submodules when the capacitor voltages reach their maximum values. In this way, it is possible to limit the peak voltages in the submodule capacitors at switching frequencies as low as 2-3 times the fundamental switching frequency. The proposed capacitor voltage balancing strategy is validated by both simulations and experimental results with 130-Hz and 140-Hz switching frequency. In the simulations, the capacitor voltage ripple was reduced by 24% compared to the case when a conventional sorting algorithm is used, and the experimental results show that it is possible to combine the proposed voltage balancing strategy with a circulating-current controller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modular multilevel converters (M2Cs) are increasingly used in high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems. The efficiency of M2Cs is influenced by the modulation and cell selecting methods, which determines the switching frequency and capacitor voltage ripple in the converter station. A new approach to modulation of the M2C is presented in this paper. Tolerance band methods are employed to obtain the switching instants, and also cell selection. The proposed methods overcome the modulation problem for converters with few cells on one hand and also reduce the sorting efforts for cell balancing purposes of many cells converter on the other hand. Three different algorithms are also proposed to balance the cell capacitor voltages. The evaluation is done in time-domain simulation by which the performance of each method is studied in both the steady-state and transient cases. It is observed that using tolerance band methods not only reduces the switching frequency but also allows for handling severe fault cases in a grid-connected system. Eventually, the most promising tolerance band method has been implemented and verified in a real-time digital simulator, RTDS®. The average switching frequency of 70 Hz has been achieved for the system under study, while the capacitor voltage ripple is limited to 10% of the nominal cell voltage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, previously developed stability results for open-loop sum-capacitor-voltage control of modular multilevel converters are extended. To give improved damping, circulating-current feedback is included in the control law. With the output-current control loop and a first-order measurement lag taken into account, global asymptotic stability is proven. Careful consideration of the on-line sum-capacitor-voltage reference computation is given, since this is the most critical part of the control system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modular multilevel converters are shown to have a great potential in the area of medium-voltage drives. Low-distortion output quantities combined with low average switching frequencies for the semiconductor devices create an ideal combination for very high-efficiency drives. However, the large number of devices and capacitors that have to conduct the fundamental-frequency current require more complex converter control techniques than its two-level counterpart. Special care needs to be taken for starting and operation at low speeds, where the low-frequency current may cause significant unbalance between the submodule capacitor voltages and disturb the output waveforms. In this paper, principles for converter operation with high torque in the whole speed range are investigated. Experimental results from a down-scaled 12-kVA prototype converter running a loaded motor at various speeds between standstill and the rated speed are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The modular multilevel converter is a promising topology for high-voltage and high-power applications. By using submodules equipped with dc-capacitors excellent output voltage waveforms can be obtained at low switching frequencies. The rated energy storage of the submodule capacitors is a driving factor of the size, cost, and weight of the submodules. Although the modular multilevel converter has been thoroughly investigated in the literature, a more detailed analysis of the energy-storage requirements will provide an important contribution for dimensioning and analysis of modular multilevel converters. Such an analysis is presented in this paper. The analysis relates the power transfer capability to the stored energy in the converter and the findings are validated by both simulations and experimental results. The required size of the submodule capacitors in a 4.5 MW grid-connected converter is first calculated and the calculated operating range is then compared with simulation results. The experimental results show that if the average capacitor voltage is allowed to increase 10% above the nominal value an energy storage to power transfer ratio of 21 J/kW can be achieved. It is concluded that the presented theory can relate the power transfer capability to the energy storage in the converter and is thus a valuable tool in the design and analysis of modular multilevel converters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internal control of a modular multilevel converter aims to equalize and stabilize the submodule capacitor voltages independent of the loading conditions. It has been shown that a submodule selection mechanism, included in the modulator, can provide voltage sharing inside the converter arm. Several procedures for controlling the total stored energy in each converter arm exist. A new approach is described in this paper. It is based on estimation of the stored energy in the arms by combining the converter electromotive force reference, the measured alternating output current, and the known direct voltage. No feedback controllers are used. Experimental verification on a three-phase 10 kVA prototype is presented along with the description of the new procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Voltage source converters (VSC) have been widely utilized to provide instantaneous reactive power support to power systems, an application referred to as static synchronous compensator (StatCom). Integration of energy storage (ES) into a StatCom makes it possible for the StatCom to provide a certain amount of active power as well as reactive power support. The possible benefit of the additional active power support of a StatCom can be power oscillation damping capability, mitigation of phase-jump related disturbances, etc. Direct connection of an ES device to the dc link of the VSC incurs unnecessarily high voltage rating of the VSC due to the considerable voltage swing associated with the ES device. In order to reduce the total cost, a dual thyristor converter topology has been proposed as the interface between the ES and the dc link of the VSC. In this paper, dynamics of the proposed system are investigated. Control strategies are proposed and verified by simulations with PSCAD/EMTDC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel control method of grid-connected voltage-source converters (VSCs) is proposed. The method can be generally applied for all grid-connected VSCs but may be of most importance in high-voltage dc (HVDC) applications. Different from the previous control methods, the proposed method utilizes the internal synchronization mechanism in ac systems, in principle, similar to the operation of a synchronous machine. By using this type of power-synchronization control, the VSC avoids the instability caused by a standard phase-locked loop in a weak ac-system connection. Moreover, a VSC terminal can give the weak ac system strong voltage support, just like a normal synchronous machine does. The control method is verified by both analytical models and time simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A transformer might be driven into saturation by faults in the connected system. In a transmission system with a Static synchronous Compensator and transformers connected at the point of common coupling, different modulation schemes utilized by the voltage source converter influence the transformer saturation in different ways. This paper compares the saturation effect during fault recovery when two alternative modulation schemes are utilized: voltage modulation and flux modulation. The comparison shows that utilization of flux modulation scheme tends to soften the saturation problem during fault recovery. However, this is achieved at a higher converter transient peak current. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]