Development of OPTO-LDR coupled timer based voltage to frequency converter

This paper describes the development of a timer based voltage to frequency converter(V FC).Timer LM555is used in astable multivibrator mode with two OPTO-LDRs(light dependent resistors)in the circuitry.The frequency of timer output waveform which is measured using a digital storage oscillator(DSO)is almost linearly proportional to the applied input voltage.Hence we obtain a linear relationship between the frequency of timer output waveform and the input voltage.Because of its quasi-digital output,the main advantages of this developed converter are linear input-output relationship,small size,easy portabilityand high cost performance.In addition,the timer output waveform can be directly interfaced with personal computer or microprocessor/microcontroller for further processing of the input voltage signal without intervening any analog-to-digital converter(ADC).

FPGA-Based Real-Time Simulation of Modular Multilevel Converter HVDC Systems

AC-HVDC-AC energy conversion systems using MMC （modular multilevel converters） are becoming popular to integrate distributed energy systems to the main grid. Such multilevel converters pose a serious problems for HIL （hardware in the loop） simulators required for control, protection design and testing due to the large number of cells that must be simulated individually using very small time steps. This paper demonstrates the advantages of using a very small time step to simulate a MMC topology. The MMC is implemented on FPGA （fiel-programmable gate array） to simulate fast transient with a time step of 250 ns. The AC network and HVDC bus is simulated on the PC, with a slower time step of 10 μs to 20 μs. The simulator architecture and the components simulated on the FPGA and on the PC will be discussed, as well as the method allowing the interconnection of this slow and fast system.

Enhanced control of DFIG-used back-to-back PWM VSC under unbalanced grid voltage conditions

This paper presents a unified positive-and negative-sequence dual-dq dynamic model of wind-turbine driven doubly-fed induction generator(DFIG) under unbalanced grid voltage conditions. Strategies for enhanced control and operation of a DFIG-used back-to-back(BTB) PWM voltage source converter(VSC) are proposed. The modified control design for the grid-side converter in the stationary αβ frames diminishes the amplitude of DC-link voltage ripples of twice the grid frequency,and the two proposed control targets for the rotor-side converter are alternatively achieved,which,as a result,improve the fault-ride through(FRT) capability of the DFIG based wind power generation systems during unbalanced network supply. A complete unbalanced control scheme with both grid-and rotor-side converters included is designed. Finally,simulation was carried out on a 1.5 MW wind-turbine driven DFIG system and the validity of the developed unified model and the feasibility of the proposed control strategies are all confirmed by the simulated results.

Distributed Virtual Inertia Based Control of Multiple Photovoltaic Systems in Autonomous Microgrid

The large inertia of a traditional power system slows down system's frequency response but also allows decent time for controlling the system.Since an autonomous renewable microgrid usually has much smaller inertia,the control system must be very fast and accurate to fight against the small inertia and uncertainties.To reduce the demanding requirements on control,this paper proposes to increase the inertia of photovoltaic(PV) system through inertia emulation.The inertia emulation is realized by controlling the charging/discharging of the direct current(DC)-link capacitor over a certain range and adjusting the PV generation when it is feasible and/or necessary.By well designing the inertia,the DC-link capacitor parameters and the control range,the negative impact of inertia emulation on energy efficiency can be reduced.The proposed algorithm can be integrated with distributed generation setting algorithms to improve dynamic performance and lower implementation requirements.Simulation studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed solution.

Damping controller design based on FO-PID-EMA in VSC HVDC system to improve stability of hybrid power system

Wind energy sources have different structures and functions from conventional power plants in the power system.These resources can affect the exchange of active and reactive power of the network.Therefore,power system stability will be affected by the performance of wind power plants,especially in the event of a fault.In this paper,the improvement of the dynamic stability in power system equipped by wind farm is examined through the supplementary controller design in the high voltage direct current(HVDC)based on voltage source converter(VSC)transmission system.In this regard,impacts of the VSC HVDC system and wind farm on the improvement of system stability are considered.Also,an algorithm based on controllability(observability)concept is proposed to select most appropriate and effective coupling between inputs-outputs(IO)signals of system in different work conditions.The selected coupling is used to apply damping controller signal.Finally,a fractional order PID controller(FO-PID)based on exchange market algorithm(EMA)is designed as damping controller.The analysis of the results shows that the wind farm does not directly contribute to the improvement of the dynamic stability of power system.However,it can increase the controllability of the oscillatory mode and improve the performance of the supplementary controller.

Spectral Calculation of the Output Voltage of an Inverter with Bipolar Pulse Width Modulation

Converters with pulse width modulation are used for connections between the direct current （DC） and alternating current （AC） networks, e.g., in uninterrupted power supply systems, AC electromotor drives, for powering induction furnaces, in audio technique. Spectrum of signals sampled by pulse amplitude modulation and output voltage spectrum of the converter with pulse width modulation have similar properties. Spectrum of signals sampled by pulse amplitude modulation contains a harmonic of frequency equal to the frequency of the modulating signal and the harmonics of frequencies equal to the sum of frequency of the modulating signal and multiples of the sampling frequency. The output voltage spectrum of the converter with bipolar pulse width modulation contains harmonic of frequency equal to the frequency of the modulating signal and harmonics of frequencies equal to sum of the frequency of the modulating signal and multiples of the frequency of the carrier signal. It also contains harmonics of frequencies equal to the sum of the multiples of the frequency of the modulating signal and the multiples of the carrier signal. The comparison analysis was carried out for the harmonics of the output voltage of the converter with bipolar pulse width modulation in time domain. The dependency of the amplitudes and frequency spectrum on the wave forms of the carrier signal and modulating signal was shown. Similarity of the output voltage spectrum of the converter and signal spectrum sampled by the pulse width modulation was also shown. Key words： Output voltage converter with bipolar pulse width modulation, spectral analysis, Fourier series, carrier signal, reference signal.

Design of High Efficiency DC-DC Converter for Photovoltaic Solar Home Applications

The solar energy conversion system is very interesting alternative on supplement the electric system generation, due to the persistent cost reduction of the overall system and cleaner power generation. To obtain a stable voltage from an input supply （PV cells） that is higher and lower than the output, a high efficiency and minimum ripple DC-DC converter required in the system for residential power production. Buck-boost converters make it possible to efficiently convert a DC voltage to either a lower or higher voltages. Buck-boost converters are especially useful for PV maximum power tracking purposes, where the objective is to draw maximum possible power from solar panels at all times, regardless of the load. This paper analyzes and describes step by step the process of designing, and simulation of high efficiency low ripple voltage buck-boost DC-DC converter for the photovoltaic solar conversion system applicable to a （typical） single family home based on battery-based systems. The input voltage can typically change from （20 V） initially, down to （5 V）, and provide a regulated voltage within the range of the battery （12 V）. PLECS simulation results provide strong evidences about the high efficiency, minimum ripple voltage, high accuracy, and the usefulness of the system of the proposed converter when applied to either residential or solar home applications.

Three Phase Dual Input Direct Matrix Converter for Integration of Two AC Sources from Wind Turbines

This project proposes a novel dual-input matrix converter (DIMC) which is used to integrate the output of the wind energy to a power grid. The proposed matrix converter is developed based on the traditional indirect matrix converter under reverse power flow operation mode, but with its six-switch voltage source converter replaced by a nine-switch configuration followed by the current source inverter (CSI). Matrix electric power conversion topologies and their switch functions are flexible and are used for specific applications. With the additional three switches, the proposed DIMC can provide six input terminals, which make it possible to integrate two independent AC sources from two independent wind turbines into a single grid tied power electronics interface. Commanded currents can be extracted from the two input sources to the grid. The proposed PI control and modulation schemes guaranteed sinusoidal input and output waveforms as well as reduced THD. The simulation results are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control and modulation schemes for the proposed converter.

Large-disturbance Stability Analysis of Power Systems with Synchronous Generator and Converter-interfaced Generation

This letter studies large-disturbance stability of the power system with a synchronous generator(SG)and a converter-interfaced generation(CIG)connected to infinite bus.The power system is multi-timescale and first simplified.It is shown that the boundary of region of attraction(ROA)of the simplified model is composed of stable manifolds of unstable equilibrium point(UEP)or semi-singular point(SSP),named anchor points,and singular surface pieces.The type of anchor point determines the dominant instability pattern of the power system.When the anchor point is UEP or SSP,the dominant instability pattern is the instability of rotor angle of SG or the instability of phase-locked loop and outer control loop(OCL)of CIG,respectively.Transition of dominant instability pattern can be analyzed with the relative position relationship between UEP and SSP.The effect of OCL is discussed.When the OCL is activated,the ROA becomes smaller and the system is more prone to instability of CIG.It is necessary to consider the OCL when studying the large-disturbance stability of the power system.

Detection of Nonlinear Behavior Induced by Hard Limiting in Voltage Source Converters in Wind Farms Based on Higher-order Spectral Analysis

In recent years, sub-synchronous oscillation accidents caused by wind power integration have received extensive attention. The recorded constant-amplitude waveforms can be induced by either linear or nonlinear oscillation mechanisms. Hence, the nonlinear behavior needs to be distinguished prior to choosing the analysis method. Since the 1960s, the higher-order statistics(HOS) theory has become a powerful tool for the detection of nonlinear behavior(DNB) in production quality control wherein it has mainly been applied to mechanical condition monitoring and fault diagnosis. This study focuses on the hard limiters of the voltage source converter(VSC) control systems in the wind farms and attempts to detect the nonlinear behavior caused by bi-or uni-lateral saturation hard limiting using the HOS analysis. First, the conventional describing function is extended to obtain the detailed frequency domain information on the bi-and uni-lateral saturation hard limiting. Furthermore, the bi-and tri-spectra are introduced as the HOS, which are extended into bi-and tri-coherence spectra to eliminate the effects of the linear parts on the harmonic characteristics of hard limiting in the VSC control system, respectively. The effectiveness of the HOS in the DNB and the classification of the hard-limiting types is proven, and its detailed derivation and estimation procedure is presented. Finally, the quadratic and cubic phase coupling in the signals is illustrated, and the performance of the proposed method is evaluated and discussed.

Analysis and Optimization of Boost Converter Parameters in Internal Model Control for Voltage Source Converter-based AC Microgrids

This paper investigates integration of distributed energy resources(DERs)in microgrids(MGs)through two-stage power conversion structures consisting of DC-DC boost converter and DC-AC voltage source converter(VSC)subsystems.In contrast to existing investigations that treated DC-link voltage as an ideal constant voltage,this paper considers the non-ideal dynamic coupling between both subsystems for completeness and higher accuracy,which introduces additional DC-side dynamics to the VSC.The analysis shows parameters of the boost converter’s power model that impact stability through the DC-link.Carefully selecting these parameters can mitigate this effect on stability and improve dynamic performance across the DC-link.Hence,an optimization framework is developed to facilitate in selecting adequate boost converter parameters in designing a stable voltage source converter-based microgrid(VSC-MG).The developed optimization framework,based on particle swarm optimization,considers dynamic coupling between both subsystems and is also effective in avoiding inadequate boost converter parameters capable of propagating instability through the DC-link to the VSC.Simulations are performed with MATLAB/Simulink to validate theoretical analyses.

Synchronization Stability Analysis of PLL-based Grid-connected VSC System by Voltage Space Vectors

This paper focuses on synchronization stability analysis of the power system,in which power electronics are synchronized by the phase-locked loop(PLL).It provides new insight into the synchronization stability of power electronics from the voltage perspective.The synchronization stability analysis based on space vector is carried out by establishing a simplified model of the grid-connected voltage source converter(VSC)system.Without complex mathematical calculation,the existence criterion of equilibrium points and the criterion of transient instability dominated by the unstable equilibrium point(UEP)are derived,respectively.With the proposed method,synchronization stability can be determined by the voltage space vectors,which are more observable in potential engineering applications.At the end of this study,the steps of the synchronization stability determination by voltage space vectors are summarized,and the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed method are demonstrated by numerical simulations performed on the PSCAD/EMTDC platform.

Locating Sources of Oscillations Induced by Control of Voltage Source Converters Based on Energy Structure and Nonlinearity Detection

The oscillation phenomena associated with the control of voltage source converters(VSCs)are concerning,making it crucial to locate the sources of such oscillations and suppress the oscillations.Therefore,this paper presents a location scheme based on the energy structure and nonlinearity detection.The energy structure,which conforms to the principle of the energy-based method and dissipativity theory,is developed to describe the transient energy flow for VSCs,based on which a defined characteristic quantity is implemented to narrow the scope for locating the sources of oscillations.Moreover,based on the self-sustained oscillation characteristics of VsCs,an index for nonlinearity detection is applied to locate the VSCs that produce the oscillation energy.The combination of the energy structure and nonlinearity detection distinguishes the contribu-tions of different VSCs to the oscillation.The results of a case study implemented by the PSCAD/EMTDC simulation validate theproposed scheme.

Control Strategy Optimization of Voltage Source Converter Connected to Various Types of AC Systems

Connecting the voltage source converters(VSCs) to various types of AC systems results in different operation characteristics and core problems associated with traditional control strategies. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the control strategies of the VSCs according to the types of AC systems.For the VSCs connected to islanded renewable power plants, a voltage/frequency(V/f) droop control strategy is proposed to damp fluctuations of AC voltage and frequency in the island,which is vital for bipolar VSC control. In addition, a multibranch impedance equivalent method for renewable power plants is proposed, with which large-scale renewable power plants can be modeled accurately in the frequency domain to prevent wide-band oscillation. For the VSCs connected to strong AC systems, smart AC voltage and coordinated frequency transient control strategies are proposed, which can improve AC system transient stability. For the VSCs connected to weak AC systems, the relationship between the system stability and strength is analyzed, and then the control strategy of inner-loop control parameter optimization and outer-loop power limiting(if necessary) is proposed to improve the stability of the allied system. The proposed strategies are verified by both software simulation and field commissioning.

Research on Active and Reactive Power Decoupling Control Based on VSC-HVDC

Voltage Source Converter-based High Voltage Direct Current(VSC-HVDC)transmission technology represents a groundbreaking approach in high voltage Direct Current(DC)transmission,offering numerous technical advantages and broad application prospects.However,in the d-q synchronous rotating coordinate system,the VSC-HVDC exhibits the coupling effect of active power and reactive power,so it needs to be decoupled.This paper introduces the basic principle and mathematical model of the VSC-HVDC transmission system.Through the combination of coordinate transformation and variable substitution,a feedforward decoupling control method is derived.Then the VSC-HVDC simulation model is designed,and the simulation analysis is carried out in the MATLAB environment.The simulation results demonstrate that the method effectively achieves decoupling control of active and reactive power,exhibiting superior dynamic performance and robustness.These findings validate the correctness and effectiveness of the control strategy.

System Adaptive AC Filter for a Line Commutated Converter High Voltage DC Transmission System

This paper proposes a novel AC filter system for a line commutated converter high voltage DC(LCC-HVDC)transmission system.Through the coordination of the hybrid active power filters(APF)and the existing reactive compensation devices,the proposed filter system can not only enhance the suppression performance for LCC-HVDC harmonics,but also optimize the AC yard layout with reduced reactive power subbanks,reducing the cost of HVDC projects.The novel filter system adopts a serial passive resonance topology obtained by careful comparison of different APFs.A proper control scheme is then designed integrating the control strategy of the APF and impedance characteristics of the HVDC system,which is able to realize harmonic suppression and dynamic reactive power support simultaneously.In addition,a novel self-adaption digital low-pass filter algorithm is presented,which is used in the APF harmonic detecting step,enhancing both high precision and fast dynamic response.On the basis of a real HVDC project,the advantages of proposed filter system in harmonic suppression,reactive power regulation,and sub-banks reduction are simulated and demonstrated.

R&D and application of voltage sourced converter based high voltage direct current engineering technology in China

As a new generation of direct current(DC)transmission technology,voltage sourced converter(VSC)based high voltage direct current(HVDC)has been widely developed and applied all over the world.China has also carried out a deep technical research and engineering application in this area,and at present,it has been stepped into a fast growing period.This paper gives a general review over China’s VSC based HVDC in terms of engineering technology,application and future development.It comprehensively analyzes the technical difficulties and future development orientation on the aspects of the main configurations of VSC based HVDC system,topological structures of converters,control and protection technologies,flexible DC cables,converter valve tests,etc.It introduces the applicable fields and current status of China’s VSC based HVDC projects,and analyzes the application trends of VSC based HVDC projects both in China and all over the world according to the development characteristics and demands of future power grids.

Proportional integral plus multi-frequency resonant current controller for grid-connected voltage source converter under imbalanced and distorted supply voltage conditions

This paper proposes a current control scheme for a grid-connected pulse width modulator(PWM) voltage source converter(GC-VSC) under imbalanced and distorted supply voltage conditions.The control scheme is implemented in the positive synchronously rotating reference frame and composed of a single proportional integral(PI) regulator and multi-frequency resonant controllers tuned at the frequencies of 2ω and 6ω,respectively.The experimental results,with the target of eliminating the active power oscillations and current harmonics on a prototype GC-VSC system,validate the feasibility of the proposed current control scheme during supply voltage imbalance and distortion.

Research on the control method for voltage-current source hybrid-HVDC system

The hybrid-HVDC topology,which consists of line-commutated-converter(LCC)and voltage source converter(VSC)and combines their advantages,has extensive application prospects.A hybrid-HVDC system,adopting VSC on rectifier side and LCC on inverter side,is investigated,and its mathematic model is deduced.The commutation failure issue of the LCC converter in the hybrid-HVDC system is considered,and a novel coordinated control method is proposed to enhance the system commutation failure immunity.A voltage dependent voltage order limiter(VDVOL)is designed based on the constant DC voltage control on the rectifier side,and constant extinction angle backup control is introduced based on the constant DC current control with voltage dependent current order limiter(VDCOL)on the inverter side.The hybrid-HVDC system performances under normal operation state and fault state are simulated in the PSCAD/EMTDC.Then,system transient state performances with or without the proposed control methods under fault condition are further compared and analyzed.It is concluded that the proposed control method has the ability to effectively reduce the probability of commutation failure and improve the fault recovery performance of the hybrid-HVDC system.

Robust current control design of a three phase voltage source converter

In this paper,a robust design method for current control is proposed to improve the performance of a three phase voltage source converter(VSC)with an inductorcapacitor-inductor(LCL)filter.The presence of the LCL filter complicates the dynamics of the control system and limits the achievable control bandwidth(and the overall performance),particularly when the uncertainty of the parameters is considered.To solve this problem,the advanced H?control theory is employed to design a robust current controller in stationary coordinates.Both control of the fundamental frequency current and suppression of the potential LC resonance are considered.The design procedure and the selection of the weight functions are presented in detail.A conventional proportional-resonant PR controller is also designed for comparison.Analysis showed that the proposed H∞ current controller achieved a good frequency response with explicit robustness.The conclusion was verified on a 5 kW VSC that had a LCL filter.