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Owing to the development of highly efficient electric power converters, the number of studies on the construction of low-voltage dc (LVDC) systems is gradually increasing. To use LVDC distribution systems, voltage regulation methods to compensate for the voltage drop and to limit the voltage unbalance are essential. In a bipolar LVDC distribution system, a voltage drop and voltage unbalance could occur because of the load current and the variation in the amount of power supplied to the poles. However, not enough research has been conducted on voltage regulation methods for LVDC distribution systems. To reduce the voltage drop and the voltage unbalance, this paper proposes a voltage regulation method based on the neutral to line drop compensation (NLDC) method, which employs a modified LDC to calculate the sending-end reference voltage. In the NLDC method, the neutral current and neutral line impedance are taken into consideration to compensate for the neutral line potential fluctuation and voltage drop on the pole. The next sending-end voltage is determined by checking the voltage unbalance factor, and it is adjusted to maintain it within the allowable voltage unbalance factor. A voltage regulation algorithm and a bipolar LVDC system model are implemented using the Electromagnetic Transients Program. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The concept of microgrids has been introduced to facilitate the integration of the distributed energy resources (DERs) into distribution networks in a more economical, reliable and environment-friendly manner. One of the critical challenges associated with microgrids is devising an appropriate protection strategy. This is because the fault current level continuously varies owing to the existence of DERs and to the fact that the microgrid can operate in grid-tied and islanded modes. This paper proposes a new protection strategy for microgrids using an interval type-2 fuzzy logic system. The proposed strategy considers various uncertainties associated with faults and employs two different fuzzy systems to detect, classify, and locate the faults in microgrids. The phase angle between superimposed modal voltage and modal current is used as an input to the fuzzy system designed to identify the fault direction. The significant feature of the proposed strategy is that it can protect the microgrid after a single-phase tripping event. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy, we have performed extensive simulations using MATLAB/SIMULINK. The simulation results show that the proposed strategy can detect, classify, and isolate various faults in the microgrid. Moreover, the strategy also provides backup protection in case of failure of the primary protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]