Performance Evaluation for Medium Voltage MIMO-OFDM Power Line Communication System

Power line communication(PLC)provides intelligent electrical functions such as power quality measurement,fault surveys,and remote control of electrical network.Most of research works have been done in low voltage(LV)scenario due to the fast development of in-home PLC.The aim of this paper is to evaluate the link-level performance of a medium voltage(MV)MIMO-OFDM communication system based on transmission link under underground power line channel.The MIMO channel is modeled as a modified multipath model in the presence of impulsive noise and background noise.We first perform a measurement on the practical MV MIMO channel parameters for a section of buried cable of 1 km long in Ganzhou city,Jiangxi province,China.Based on the measured channel,we design the frame structure based on an IEEE standard for broadband over power line networks[1]to support MV MIMO-OFDM transmission.According to designed frame structure,we design an encoder and a decoder for a dual binary tail-biting turbo code and optimize some key decoder parameters for low bit error rate performance.Finally,the link-level performance for both spatial multiplexing and spatial diversity are evaluated.Numeral results show that MV MIMO-OFDM is a promising approach to provide both high data rate and link reliability for PLC.

Development of a Medium Voltage, High Power, High Frequency Four-Port Solid State Transformer

The power and voltage levels of renewable energy resources is growing with the evolution of the power electronics and switching module technologies.For that,the need for the development of a compact and highly efficient solid-state transformer is becoming a critical task in-order to integrate the current AC grid with the new renewable energy systems.The objective of this paper is to present the design,implementation,and testing of a compact multi-port solid-state transformer for microgrid integration applications.The proposed system has a four-port transformer and four converters connected to the ports.The transformer has four windings integrated on a single common core.Thus,it can integrate different renewable energy resources and energy storage systems.Each port has a rated power of 25 kW,and the switching frequency is pushed to 50 k Hz.The ports are chosen to represent a realistic industrial microgrid model consisting of grid,energy storage system,photovoltaic system,and load.The grid port is designed to operate at 4.16 k VAC corresponding to 7.2 kV DC bus voltage,while the other three ports operate at 500 VDC.Moreover,the grid,energy storage and photovoltaic ports are active ports with dual active bridge topologies,while the load port is a passive port with full bridge rectifier one.The proposed design is first validated with simulation results,and then the proposed transformer is implemented and tested.Experimental results show that the designed system is suitable for 4.16 k VAC medium voltage grid integration.

Multilevel Current Source Converters for High Power Medium Voltage Applications

In medium voltage high power applications,multi-level current source converters(CSCs)are good candidate to increase system power region,reliability,and the quality of output waveforms.Compared with widely researched voltage source multi-level converters(MLCs),the current source MLCs have the advantages of inherent short-circuit protection,high power capability and high quality of output current waveforms.The main features of MLCs include reduced harmonics,lower switching frequency and reduced current stress on each device which is a particularly important for high power application with low voltage and high current requirements.This paper conducts a general review of the current research about MLCs in higher power medium voltage application.The different types of parallel structure based MLCs and the modulation methodologies will be introduced and compared.Specifically,the circuit analysis of the common-mode(CM)loop for parallel structures will be conducted,the common-mode voltage(CMV)and circulating current suppression methods developed on the base of multilevel modulations will be addressed.

Study on the Reversible DC-DC Converter as Interface between Low and Medium Voltage DC Networks

This paper introduces an isolated reversible DC-DC converter with a particular topology, which benefits from both the NPC （neutral point clamped） structure and the series-parallel connection of converters. The key property of the proposed topology is the output voltage elevation above the blocking capabilities of each switch, without taking to a delicate synchronization of series-connected semiconductors. The converter is composed by two identical cells, each containing a full bridge, a medium frequency transformer and an NPC converter, connected in parallel at the input and in series at the output. The operation principle of each cell, into which a trapezoidal modulation was implemented, is similar to a DAB （dual active bridge）. A new model improves the dynamic performance of the controller. Simulation and experimental results verify the proposed topology, its control and start-up strategy.

Electrical Properties of Medium Voltage Electricity Distribution Networks

An increasing amount of low carbon technologies(LCT)such as solar photovoltaic,wind turbines and electric vehicles are being connected at medium and low voltage levels to electric power networks.To support high-level decision-making processes,the impacts of the LCTs on large numbers of different types(e.g.,rural,suburban,urban)of distribution networks need to be fully understood and quantified.However,detailed modeling of large numbers of real-world networks is challenging for two reasons.First,access to real-world network data is limited,and second,cleaning the data requires a significant amount of time,even before modeling of the networks.This paper offers a novel systematic methodology aimed at identifying and quantifying the key electrical properties of medium-voltage level distribution networks.The methodology allows for characterizing different types(e.g.,suburban,urban)of distribution networks and obtaining'depth'dependent electrical properties of the models of the networks.Two key sets of(electrical)data were used for the study.The first set was installed capacities of distribution substations;and the second set was the conductor cross sections of the distribution lines.In the graph models of real-world networks,'nodes'represent the distribution sub-stations,switchgears,busbars and consumers locations of the network.'Links/edges'stand for the connections between the nodes through distribution lines.The results of the investigation of the real-world networks showed that,the substation capacities and the conductor cross sections could characterize the electrical properties of suburban and urban type distribution networks.The resulted probability density functions(PDF)of the electrical properties of suburban and urban type distribution networks have the potential to be directly used in generating realistic distribution network models.

Evaluation of High Step-up Power Conversion Systems for Large-capacity Photovoltaic Generation Integrated into Medium Voltage DC Grids

With the increase of dc based renewable energy generation and dc loads,the medium voltage dc(MVDC)distribution network is becoming a promising option for more efficient system integration.In particular,large-capacity photovoltaic(PV)-based power generation is growing rapidly,and a corresponding power conversion system is critical to integrate these large PV systems into MVDC power grid.Different from traditional ac grid-connected converters,the converter system for dc grid interfaced PV system requires large-capacity dc conversion over a wide range of ultra-high voltage step-up ratios.This is an important issue,yet received limited research so far.In this paper,a thorough study of dc-dc conversion system for a medium-voltage dc grid-connected PV system is conducted.The required structural features for such a conversion system are first discussed.Based on these features,the conversion system is classified into four categories by series-parallel connection scheme of power modules.Then two existing conversion system configurations as well as a proposed solution are compared in terms of input/output performance,conversion efficiency,modulation method,control complexity,power density,reliability,and hardware cost.In-depth analysis is carried out to select the most suitable conversion systems in various application scenarios.

Derivation of Multilevel Voltage Source Converter Topologies for Medium Voltage Drives

Multilevel voltage source converters(MLVSCs)have been widely applied in the medium voltage drive(MVD)industry.The performance of a MVD system is strongly dependent on the utilized topology.As of today,many interesting topologies have been proposed and evaluated in literature.In addition to proposing new topologies,another important research topic is the MLVSC topology derivation.In this paper,two topology derivation principles,i.e.horizontal conformation principle and vertical conformation principle,are proposed from the standpoint of modularity.In both principles,a MLVSC topology can be considered as a certain combination of one base switching cell and several module switching cells.With the proposed principle,the derived topology will naturally have modularity,which is favorable in practical applications.In addition,voltage level extension based on cascaded H-bridge building blocks(HBBBs)is also introduced.The challenging issues faced by the emerging topologies for MVD applications are also discussed.It is hoped that this paper can provide a new perspective on the MLVSC topology derivation and inspire new topologies in the future.

Key technologies for medium and low voltage DC distribution system

Development of the medium and low voltage DC distribution system is of great significance to a regional transmission of electric energy,increasing a penetration rate of new energy,and enhancing a safety of the operation of the AC/DC interconnected grid.This paper first summarizes the medium and low voltage DC distribution system schemes and plans put forward by many countries,and then elaborate status of under-construction medium and low voltage DC distribution system project cases in China.Based on these project cases,this paper analyzes key issues involved in the medium and low voltage DC distribution system topologies,equipment,operation control technologies and DC fault protections,in order to provide theoretical and technical reference for future medium and low voltage DC distribution system-related projects.Finally,this paper combines a current China research status to summarize and give a prediction about the future research direction of medium and low voltage DC distribution system,which can provide reference for the research of medium and low voltage DC distribution system.

Evaluation of 1.2 kV SiC MOSFETs in Multilevel Cascaded H-bridge Three-phase Inverter for Medium-voltage Grid Applications

A study is conducted to evaluate 1.2 kV silicon-carbide(SiC)MOSFETs in a cascaded H-bridge(CHB)three-phase inverter for medium-voltage applications.The main purpose of this topology is to remove the need for a bulky 60 Hz transformer normally used to step up the output signal of a voltage source inverter to a medium-voltage level.Using SiC devices(1.2-6.5 kV SiC MOSFETs)which have a high breakdown voltage,enables the system to meet and withstand the medium-voltage stress using only a minimal number of cascaded modules.The SiC-based power electronics when used in the presented topology considerably reduce the complexity usually encountered when Si devices are used to meet the medium-voltage level and power scalability.Simulation and preliminary experimental results on a low-voltage prototype verifies the nine-level CHB topology presented in this study.

Analysis of rail potential and stray current in MVDC railway electrification system

In contrast to the conventional direct current railway electrification system(DC-RES),the medium voltage direct current(MVDC)-RES is considered promising for long-distance high-speed corridors.In the MVDC-RES,traction substations(TSSs)are placed much farther and train loads are much heavier than in the conventional DC-RES.Hence,the MVDC-RES brings a drastic change in catenary voltage,TSS spacing,and train loading,which affects rail potential and stray current.In this connection,this work performs some significant quantitative analysis of rail potential and stray current in the MVDC-RES environment.An MVDC simulation model is proposed and different grounding schemes are analyzed for a single-train and two TSSs scenario as well as for a multi-train multi-TSS scenario.According to the simulation and analysis,the maximum values of rail potential and stray current at MVDC-RES distances and the maximum safe distance between adjacent TSSs are determined.

A Study on the Load Modeling of Railway Vehicles Using PSCAD/EMTDC Based on MVDC

This paper,the kinetic equation,traction force,and braking force for railway trains are reviewed.In addition,the driving characteristics are interpreted as to how the power of the electric vehicle relates to the weight,speed,track curve,and track gradient of the electric vehicle.The driving characteristics of these trains are analyzed through PSCAD/EMTDC(power systems computer aided design/electromagnetic transients including DC)modeling.

Coordination Control of Power Flow Controller and Hybrid DC Circuit Breaker in MVDC Distribution Networks

The two main challenges of medium voltage direct current(MVDC)distribution network are the flexible control of power flow(PF)and fault protection.In this paper,the power flow controller(PFC)is introduced to regulate the PF and inhibit the fault current during the DC fault.The coordination strategy of series-parallel PFC(SP-PFC)and hybrid DC circuit breaker(DCCB)is proposed.By regulating the polarity and magnitude of SP-PFC output voltage during the fault,the rising speed of fault current can be suppressed so as to reduce the breaking current of hybrid DCCB.The access mode of SP-PFC to the MVDC distribution network and its topology are analyzed,and the coordination strategy between SP-PFC and hybrid DCCB is investigated.Moreover,the emergency control and bypass control strategies of SP-PFC are developed.On this basis,the mathematical model of SP-PFC in different fault stages is derived.With the equivalent model of SP-PFC,the fault current of the MVDC distribution network can be calculated accurately.A simulation model of the MVDC distribution network containing SP-PFC is established in MATLAB/Simulink.The fault current calculation result is compared with the simulation result,and the effectiveness of the proposed coordination strategy is verified.

Analysis and Control of MVDC Demonstration Project in the UK:ANGLE-DC

The emerging medium voltage direct current(MVDC)distribution networks are becoming more attractive due to their flexible power flow control and lower losses compared to traditional AC networks.This will significantly increase the wide uptake of renewable energy sources.The optimum utilization of the existing assets is an important aspect in grid upgrading and planning.One feasible option is to convert existing MVAC lines into MVDC operation.One of the practical demonstrations is the“ANGLE-DC”project which is also the first MVDC link in the UK.This paper highlights the innovative approach,challenges and key benefits delivered by the ANGLE-DC project.