• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.473-479
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• 2016

In this paper, the PSC PWM method is chosen as the optimal modulation method for a 20MW VSC HVDC, with consideration of the harmonic distortion of the output voltage, the switching frequency, and the control implementation difficulty. In addition, a new PSC PWM method is proposed in order to achieve an easy application and to solve the redundant control problems encountered in the previous PSC PWM method. To verify the proposed PSC PWM method, PSCAD/EMTDC simulations for an 11-level MMC RTDS HILS test and an 11-level MMC prototype converter test were performed. As can be seen from the results of these tests, the proposed PSC PWM method shows good results in an 11-level MMC with redundant sub-modules.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.660-669
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• 2015

This paper presents a control scheme with a focus on the combination of phase disposition pulse width modulation (PDPWM) and DC capacitor voltage control for a chopper-cell based modular multilevel converter (MMC) for the purpose of eliminating the time-consuming voltage sorting algorithm and complex voltage balancing regulators. In this paper, the convergence of the DC capacitor voltages within one arm is realized by charging the minimum voltage module and discharging the maximum voltage module during each switching cycle with the assistances of MAX/MIN capacitor voltage detection and PDPWM signals exchanging. The process of voltage balancing control introduces no extra switching commutation, which is helpful in reducing power loss and improving system efficiency. Additionally, the proposed control scheme also possess the merit of a simple executing procedure in application. Simulation and experimental results indicates that the MMC circuit together with the proposed method functions very well in balancing the DC capacitor voltage and improving system efficiency even under transient states.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.829-838
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• 2016

This paper focuses on the engineering trade-offs in designing capacitor voltage balancing schemes for modular multilevel converters (MMC) HVDC: regulation performance and switching loss. MMC is driven by the on/off switch operation of numerous submodules and the key design concern is balancing submodule capacitor voltages minimizing switching transition among submodules because it represents the voltage regulation performance and system loss. This paper first introduces the state-of-the-art MMC-HVDC submodule capacitor voltage balancing methods reported in the literatures and discusses the trade-offs in designing these methods for HVDC application. This paper further proposes a submodule capacitor balancing scheme exploiting a control signal to flexibly interchange between the on-state and the off-state submodules. The proposed scheme enables desired performance-based voltage regulation and avoids unnecessary switching transitions among submodules, consequently reducing the switching loss. The flexibility and controllability particularly fit in high-level MMC HVDC applications where the aforementioned design trade-offs become more crucial. Simulation studies for MMC HVDC are performed to demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed capacitor voltage balancing algorithm.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.467-481
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• 2018

Modular multilevel converter (MMC)-based high-voltage direct current (HVDC) presents attractive technical advantages and contributes to enhanced system operation and reduced oscillation damping in dynamic MMC-HVDC systems. We propose an advanced small-signal multi-terminal MMC-HVDC based on dynamic phasors and state space for power system stability analysis to enhance computational accuracy and reduce simulation time. In accordance with active and passive network control strategies for multi-terminal MMC-HVDC, the matchable small-signal stability models containing high harmonics and dynamics of internal variables are conducted, and a related theoretical derivation is carried out. The proposed advanced small-signal model is then compared with electromagnetic-transient and traditional small-signal state-space models by adopting a typical multi-terminal MMC-HVDC network with offshore wind generation. Simulation indicates that the advanced small-signal model can successfully follow the electromechanical transient response with small errors and can predict the damped oscillations. The validity and applicability of the proposed model are effectively confirmed.

• 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).

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2018.07a
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• pp.288-289
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• 2018

In this paper, the coupled inductor scheme instead of noncoupled inductors is suggested to reduce the dimension, weight and cost of the magnetic core. The simulation results have verified the effectiveness of the flying-capacitor MMC with coupled inductors and its control method for medium-voltage induction motor drives at low-speed operation.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2017.07a
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• pp.227-228
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• 2017

본 논문에서는 모듈라 ESS에 사용되는 인터리브드 DC-DC 컨버터의 평균 모델을 이용하여 제어 시스템을 설계함으로써 기존 소신호 모델 기반 제어의 동작점이 변동하는 경우 과도 응답 특성이 저하되는 단점을 개선하고자 한다. 또한, PSIM 시뮬레이션과 실험을 통해 제시된 설계방법의 우수성을 실증하고자 한다.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.558-572
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• 2018

In addition to its modular nature, a Hybrid Modular Multilevel Converter (HMMC) assembled from half-bridge and full-bridge sub-modules, is able to block DC faults with a minimum number of switching devices, which makes it attractive for high power applications. This paper introduces a control strategy based on the Root-Least Square (RLS) algorithm to estimate the capacitor voltages instead of using direct measurements. This action eliminates the need for voltage transducers in the HMMC sub-modules and the associated communication link with the central controller. In addition to capacitor voltage balancing and suppression of circulating currents, a fault tolerant control unit (FTCU) is integrated into the proposed strategy to modify the parameters of the HMMC controller. On advantage of the proposed FTCU is that it does not need extra components. Furthermore, a fault detection unit is adapted by utilizing a hybrid estimation scheme to detect sub-module faults. The behavior of the suggested technique is assessed using PSCAD offline simulations. In addition, it is validated using a real-time digital simulator connected to a real time controller under various normal and fault conditions. The proposed strategy shows robust performance in terms of accuracy and time response since it succeeds in stabilizing the HMMC under faults.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.96-105
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• 2021

Large-scale power converters consist of series or parallel module combinations. In these modular converter systems, the interleaving technique can be applied to improve capacitor reliability by reducing the ripple of the I/O current in which each module operates as a phase difference. However, when applying the interleaving technique for conventional three-level boost converters, the short-circuit period of the converter can be an obstacle. Such problem is caused by the absence of a low-level inductor of the conventional three-level boost converter. To solve this problem, a three-level boost converter with a low-level inductor is proposed and analyzed to enable interleaved operation. In the proposed circuit, the current ripple of the output capacitor depends on the neutral point connections between the modules. In this study, the ripple current is analyzed by the neutral point connections of the three-level boost converter that has a low-level inductor, and the effectiveness of the proposed circuit is proven by simulation and experiment.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2014.07a
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• pp.341-342
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• 2014

VSC-HVDC system based on Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) is an emerging technology since compared to the conventional VSC-HVDC system an MMC presents several advantages such as modularity, low dv/dt, low harmonics, and low switching losses. In this paper, a comprehensive control strategy of an MMC-based VSC-HVDC system is proposed. In contrast to the conventional system control strategy, the DC side of the MMC operates as a controlled voltage source by the proposed method, and the dynamics of the transmission line voltage and current can be actively controlled. Validity of the proposed strategy was verified by 201-level full-scale computer simulation.