• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.346-357
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• 2017

The Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) is particularly attractive for medium and high power applications such as High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) systems. In order to reach a high voltage, the number of cascaded submodules (SMs) is generally very large. Thus, in the applications with hundreds or even thousands of SMs such as MMC-HVDCs, the sorting algorithm of the conventional voltage balancing strategy is extremely slow. This complicates the controller design and increases the hardware cost tremendously. This paper presents a Two-Way Merge Sort (TWMS) strategy based on the prediction of the capacitor voltages under ideal conditions. It also proposes an innovative Insertion Sort Correction for the TWMS (ISC-TWMS) to solve issues in practical engineering under non-ideal conditions. The proposed sorting methods are combined with the features of the MMC-HVDC control strategy, which significantly accelerates the sorting process and reduces the implementation efforts. In comparison with the commonly used quicksort algorithm, it saves at least two-thirds of the sorting execution time in one arm with 100 SMs, and saves more with a higher number of SMs. A 501-level MMC-HVDC simulation model in PSCAD/EMTDC has been built to verify the validity of the proposed strategies. The fast speed and high efficiency of the algorithms are demonstrated by experiments with a DSP controller (TMS320F28335).

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.476-489
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• 2017

Under partial shading conditions (PSCs), multiple maximums may be exhibited on the P-U curve of string inverter photovoltaic (PV) systems. Under such conditions, heuristic methods are invalid for extracting a global maximum power point (GMPP); intelligent algorithms are time-consuming; and model-based methods are complex and costly. To overcome these shortcomings, a novel hybrid MPPT (MPF-IP&O) based on a model-based peak forecasting (MPF) method and an improved perturbation and observation (IP&O) method is proposed. The MPF considers the influence of temperature and does not require solar radiation measurements. In addition, it can forecast all of the peak values of the PV string without complex computation under PSCs, and it can determine the candidate GMPP after a comparison. Hence, the MPF narrows the searching range tremendously and accelerates the convergence to the GMPP. Additionally, the IP&O with a successive approximation strategy searches for the real GMPP in the neighborhood of the candidate one, which can significantly enhance the tracking efficiency. Finally, simulation and experiment results show that the proposed method has a higher tracking speed and accuracy than the perturbation and observation (P&O) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) methods under PSCs.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.432-441
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• 2017

Grid voltage feedforward is extensively used for controlling grid-connected converters. However, the conventional voltage feedforward control reduces the stability margins of the converter connected to a high-impedance grid. The effect mechanism of voltage feedforward on the grid-connected converter control under high-inductive conditions of the grid impedance is clearly explained in this study using the equivalent transformations of control block diagrams. Results show that the delay produced by the digital control is the root cause of this effect. An improved voltage feedforward strategy, in which a bandpass filter (BPF) is introduced into the feedforward path, is proposed to strengthen the converter's robust stability against grid impedance variations. The selection method of the BPF's bandwidth is also provided considering the tradeoff between the response speed to the grid voltage sag and the system's robust stability. The converter can work stably over a wide range of the grid impedance through the proposed approach. Simulation and experimental results fully verify the effectiveness of the BPF-based voltage feedforward strategy.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.533-541
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• 2017

This paper presents a novel Parameter-Independent Fictive-Axis (PIFA) approach for the Voltage-Oriented Control (VOC) algorithm used in grid-tied single-phase inverters. VOC is based on the transformation of the single-phase grid current into the synchronous reference frame. As a result, an orthogonal current signal is needed. Traditionally, this signal has been obtained from fixed time delays, digital filters or a Hilbert transformation. Nevertheless, these solutions present stability and transient drawbacks. Recently, the Fictive Axis Emulation (FAE) VOC has emerged as an alternative for the generation of the quadrature current signal. FAE requires detailed information of the grid current filter along with its transfer function for signal creation. When the transfer function is not accurate, the direct and quadrature current components present steady-state oscillations as the fictive two-phase system becomes unbalanced. Moreover, the digital implementation of the transfer function imposes an additional computing burden on the VOC. The PIFA VOC presented in this paper, takes advantage of the reference current to create the required orthogonal current, which effectively eliminates the need for the filter transfer function. Moreover, the fictive signal amplitude and phase do not change with a frequency drift, which results in an increased reliability. This yields a fast, linear and stable system that can be installed without fine tuning. To demonstrate the good performance of the PIFA VOC, simulation and experimental results are presented.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.490-500
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• 2017

Fuel cell (FC) is a promising power supply in electric vehicles (EV); however, it has poor dynamic performance and short service life. To address these shortcomings, a super capacitor (SC) is adopted as an auxiliary power supply. In this study, the frequency decoupling control method is used in electric vehicle energy system. High-frequency and low-frequency demand power is provided by SC and FC, respectively, which makes full use of two power supplies. Simultaneously, the energy system still has rapidity and reliability. The distributed power system (DPS) of EV requires DC-DC converters to achieve the desired voltage. The stability of cascaded converters must be assessed. Impedance-based methods are effective in the stability analysis of DPS. In this study, closed-loop impedances of interleaved half-bridge DC-DC converter and phase-shifted full-bridge DC-DC converter based on the frequency decoupling control method are derived. The closed-loop impedance of an inverter for permanent magnet synchronous motor based on space vector modulation control method is also derived. An improved Middlebrook criterion is used to assess and adjust the stability of the energy system. A theoretical analysis and simulation test are provided to demonstrate the feasibility of the energy management system and the control method.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.1305-1317
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• 2015

Distributed generation systems (DGSs) have been getting more and more attention in terms of renewable energy use and new generation technologies in the past decades. The self-excited induction generator (SEIG) occupies an important role in the area of energy conversion due to its low cost, robustness and simple control. Unlike synchronous generators, the SEIG has to absorb capacitive reactive power from the outer device aiming to stabilize the terminal voltage at load changes. This paper presents a novel static VAR compensator (SVC) called a magnetic energy recovery switch (MERS) to serve as a voltage controller in SEIG powered DGSs. In addition, many small scale SEIGs, instead of a single large one, are applied and devoted to promote the generation efficiency. To begin with, an expandable mathematic model based on a d-q equivalent circuit is created for parallel SEIGs. The control method of the MERS is further improved with the objective of broadening its operating range and restraining current harmonics by parameter optimization. A hybrid control strategy is developed by taking both of the stand-alone and grid-connected modes into consideration. Then simulation and experiments are carried out in the case of single and double SEIG(s) generation. Finally, the measurement results verify that the proposed DGS with SVC-MERS achieves a better stability and higher feasibility. The major advantages of the mentioned variable reactive power supplier, when compared to the STATCOM, include the adoption of a small DC capacitor, line frequency switching, simple control and less loss.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.194-201
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• 2011

The air flow supplied to a fuel cell system is one of the most significant factors in determining fuel efficiency. The conventional method of controlling the air flow is to fix the oxygen supply at an estimated constant rate for optimal efficiency. However, the actual optimal point can deviated from the pre-set value due to temperature, load conditions and so on. In this paper, the maximum efficiency point tracking (MEPT) algorithm is proposed for finding the optimal air supply rate in real time to maximize the net-power generation of fuel cell systems. The fixed step MEPT algorithm has slow dynamics, thus it affects the overall efficiency. As a result, the variable step MEPT algorithm is proposed to compensate for this problem instead of a fixed one. The complete small signal model of a PEM Fuel cell system is developed to perform a stability analysis and to present a design guideline. For a design example, a 1kW PEM fuel cell system with a DSP 56F807 (Motorola Inc) was built and tested using the proposed MEPT algorithm. This control algorithm is very effective for a soft current change load like a grid connected system or a hybrid electric vehicle system with a secondary energy source.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.228-236
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• 2011

The ${\Delta}\;V_{10}$ or 10-Hz flicker index, as a common method of measurement of voltage flicker severity in power systems, requires a high computational cost and a large amount of memory. In this paper, for measuring the ${\Delta}\;V_{10}$ index, a new method based on the Adaline (adaptive linear neuron) system, the FFT (fast Fourier transform), and the PSO (particle swarm optimization) algorithm is proposed. In this method, for reducing the sampling frequency, calculations are carried out on the envelope of a power system voltage that contains a flicker component. Extracting the envelope of the voltage is implemented by the Adaline system. In addition, in order to increase the accuracy in computing the flicker components, the PSO algorithm is used for reducing the spectral leakage error in the FFT calculations. Therefore, the proposed method has a lower computational cost in FFT computation due to the use of a smaller sampling window. It also requires less memory since it uses the envelope of the power system voltage. Moreover, it shows more accuracy because the PSO algorithm is used in the determination of the flicker frequency and the corresponding amplitude. The sensitivity of the proposed method with respect to the main frequency drift is very low. The proposed algorithm is evaluated by simulations. The validity of the simulations is proven by the implementation of the algorithm with an ARM microcontroller-based digital system. Finally, its function is evaluated with real-time measurements.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.257-264
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• 2014

A novel converter-free AC LED driver that is highly resistant to the fluctuation of AC voltage is proposed in this study. By removing large passive components, such as the bulky capacitor and the large-value inductor, the integration of the driver circuit is enhanced while the driving current remains stable. The proposed circuit provides LED lamps with a driving current that can follow the sinusoid waveform to obtain a very high power factor (PF) and low total harmonic distortion (THD). The LED input current produced by this driving current is insensitive to fluctuations in the AC voltage. Users will thus not feel that LED lamps are flashing during the fluctuation. Experiment results indicate that the proposed system can obtain PF of 0.999 and THD as low as 3.3% for a five-string 6 W LED load under 220 V at 50 Hz.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.271-281
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• 2014

Fluctuating wind conditions necessitate the use of a variable speed wind turbine (VSWT) with a AC/DC/AC converter scheme in order to harvest the maximum power from the wind and to decouple the synchronous generator voltage and frequency from the grid voltage and frequency. In this paper, a combination of a three phase diode bridge rectifier (DBR) and a modified topology of the diode clamped multilevel inverter (DCMLI) has been considered as an AC/DC/AC converter. A control strategy has been proposed for the DCMLI to achieve the objective of grid interface of a wind power system together with local load compensation. A novel fixed frequency current control method is proposed for the DCMLI based on the level shifted multi carrier PWM for achieving the required control objectives with equal and uniform switching frequency operation for better control and thermal management with the modified DCMLI. The condition of the controller gain is derived to ensure the operation of the DCMLI at the fixed frequency of the carrier. The converter current injected into the distribution grid is controlled in accordance with the wind power availability. In addition, load compensation is performed as an added facility in order to free the source currents being fed from the grid of harmonic distortion, unbalance and a low power factor even though the load may be unbalanced, non-linear and of a poor power factor. The results are validated using PSCAD/EMTDC simulation studies.