• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.456-463
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• 2011

Grid-connected converters have widely adopted LCL filters to acquire high harmonic suppression. However, the LCL filter increases the system order so that the design of the system stability would be complicated. Recently, sole-loop control strategies have been used for grid-connected converters with L or LC filters. But if the sole-loop control is directly transplanted to grid-connected converters with LCL filters, the systems may be unstable. This paper presents a novel dual-loop power control strategy composed of a power outer loop and a current inner loop. The outer loop regulates the grid-connected power. The inner loop improves the system stability margin and suppresses the resonant peak caused by the LCL filter. To obtain the control variables, a single-phase current detection is proposed based on PQ theory. The system transfer function is derived in detail and the influence of control gains on the system stability is analyzed with the root locus. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed control.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.786-795
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• 2015

In this paper, an active damping control scheme for LLCL filters based on the PR (proportional-resonant) regulator is proposed for grid-connected three-level T-type PWM converter systems. The PR controller gives an infinite gain at the resonance frequency. As a result, the oscillation can be suppressed at that frequency. In order to improve the stability of the system in the case of grid impedance variations, online grid impedance estimation is applied. Simulation and experimental results have verified the effectiveness of the proposed scheme for three-phase T-type AC/DC PWM converters.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2338-2349
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• 2016

This paper presents an impedance-matching-based control scheme for the harmonic resonance damping of multiple grid-connected-converters (GCCs) with LCL filters. As indicated in this paper, harmonic resonance occurs if a GCC possesses an output impedance that is not matched with the rest of the network in some specific frequency bands. It is also revealed that the resonance frequency is associated with the number of GCCs, the grid impedance and even the capacitive loads. By controlling the grid-side current instead of the converter-side current, the critical LCL filter is restricted as an internal component. Thus, the closed-loop output impedance of the GCC within the filter can be configured. The proposed scheme actively regulates the output impedance of the GCC to match the impedance of the external network, based on the detected resonance frequency. As a result, the resonance risk of multiple GCCs can be avoided, which is beneficial for the plug-and-play property of the GCCs in microgrids. Simulation and experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

• 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.10 no.3
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• pp.320-327
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• 2010

In this paper, multiple offshore wave energy converters with different output characteristics are connected to one power distribution substation. The connection between the power take-off of the different wave energy converters and the electrical power transmission system is presented in order to investigate whether multiple wave energy converters can augment energy yield and improve network integration capabilities. Moreover, the model of an array of wave energy converters is developed with the goal of analyzing the effects of the offshore wave farm on the electrical network to which it is connected. It is also developed to ensure that the electricity generated by the array is sufficiently controllable, and of a quality that can be integrate into the electricity supply network without unduly increasing the cost of connection, production or delivery.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.94-103
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• 2013

A capacitor deterioration of LCL-filter grid-connected PWM converters is progressed by the self-healing mechanism. It leads to the degradation of the filter performance and drop of power factor. Thus, it is required to diagnose fault-point of capacitors and determine the replacement time. Typically, the fault of capacitors is determined when the capacitance is reduced up to 80% from initial value. This paper proposes algorithm to the determine capacitor replacement time of an LCL filter. The algorithm takes the advantage of change of the response on the injected resonant frequency corresponding to 80% value from the initial capacitance. The results of the algorithm are demonstrated through simulations and experiments.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.153-160
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• 2019

This study proposes a current source-type pulse generator to improve output voltage and current waveforms under a capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) system. The proposed circuit comprises two parallel-connected current source-type converters. These converters can satisfy the required output waveforms of plasma processing. The parallel-connected converters operate without reverse current fault by applying a time-delay control technique. Conventional voltage source converters based on pulse power supply exhibit drawbacks in short-circuit current, and problems occur when they are applied to a CCP system. The proposed pulse power supply based on a current source converter fundamentally solves the short-circuit current problem. Therefore, this topology can improve the voltage and current accuracy of a CCP system.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.1879-1888
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• 2018

With power level of grid-connected converters rising, the switching frequency of the switching devices is commonly greatly reduced to improve its power capacity. However, this results in serious couplings of the dq current components, which leads to degradation of the static and dynamic performances of grid-connected converters and fluctuations of the reactive power in dynamic processes. In this paper, complex vector models under low switching frequency are established for an L/LCL grid-connected converter, and the relationship between the switching frequency and the coupling degree is analyzed. In addition, a series decoupling current control strategy is put forward. It is shown that the proposed control strategy can eliminate the couplings, improve the performances and have good robustness to parameter variations through static and dynamic characteristics analyses and a sensitivity analysis. Experimental and simulation results also verify the correctness of the theoretical analyses and the superiority of the proposed control strategy.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.1000-1010
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• 2019

The use of internal-model-based linear controller, such as resonant controller, is a well-established technique for the current control of grid-connected systems. Attractive properties for resonant controllers include their two-sequence tracking ability, the simple control structure, and the reduced computational burden. However, in the case of continuous-designed resonant controller, the transient performance is inevitably degraded at a low switching frequency. Moreover, available design methods for resonant controller is not able to realize the direct design of transient performances, and the anticipated transient performance is mainly achieved through trial and error. To address these problems, the zero-order-hold (ZOH) characteristic and inherent time delay in digital control systems are considered comprehensively in the design, and a corresponding hold-equivalent discrete model of the grid-connected converter is then established. The relationship between the placement of closed-loop poles and the corresponding transient performance is comprehensively investigated to realize the direct mapping relationship between the control gain and the transient response time. For the benefit of automatic tuning and real-time adaption, analytical expressions for controller gains are derived in detail using the required transient response time and system parameters. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate the validity of the proposed method.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.555-562
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• 2010

This paper presents the development of a hardware simulator for a 3-parallel grid-connected PMSG wind power system. With the development of permanent magnetic materials in recent years, the capacity of a PMSG based wind turbine system, which requires a full-scale power converter, has been raised up to a few MW. Since it is limited by the available semiconductor technology, such large amounts of power cannot be delivered with only one power converter. Hence, a parallel connecting technique for converters is required to reduce the ratings of the converters. In this paper, a hardware simulator with 3-parallel converters is described and its control issues are presented as well. Some experimental results are given to illustrate the performance of the simulator system.