• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2016.07a
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• pp.151-152
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• 2016

This paper presents a neutral point deviation compensating control algorithm applied to a 3-level NPC converter under generalized unbalanced ac input conditions. The neutral point deviation is analyzed with a focus on the current flowing out of or into the neutral point of the dc-link in 3-level NPC converter. The model of neutral point deviation and neutral current are also constructed. The positive and negative sequence components of the pole voltages and ac input currents are employed to accurately explain the behavior of 3-level NPC converter and its impact on neutral point deviation. This paper includes the harmonic characteristic of neutral point current under various imbalance AC operating conditions.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.385-393
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• 2020

This study introduces an analysis and control method for the variation of neutral point current in a grid-tied three-level neutral point clamped (NPC) converter under various grid imbalance operating conditions. Various fault cases with unbalanced amplitude and phase are systematically categorized and described using a unified metric called the imbalance factor. The fundamental component of neutral point current is generated under grid imbalance cases. The pattern and behavior of this fundamental component of neutral point current highly depend on the imbalance factor regardless of the particular type of grid fault cases. The control scheme for regulating the negative sequential component of AC input current effectively reduces the size of the fundamental component of neutral point current under a wide range of grid imbalance cases. The control scheme will enable a grid-tied three-level NPC converter to operate reliably and stably under various types of grid faults.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.118-125
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• 2017

In this paper, we propose a smart transformer for a smart transformer miniature model, which can replace a 60 [Hz] single-phase transformer installed in an electric vehicle. The proposed smart transformer is lighter than a conventional transformer, can control instantaneous voltage, and can be expected to improve power quality through harmonic compensation. The proposed intelligent transformer consists of an incoming part, an AC/DC converter, and a dual active bridge. Only the incoming part and the AC/DC converter are described in this paper. The proposed intelligent transformer has 75 kVA 3.3 kV input and 750 V DC output, which are verified by simulation and experiment.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2015.07a
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• pp.177-178
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• 2015

This paper presents a neutral point deviation compensating control algorithm applied to a 3-level NPC converter. The neutral point deviation is analyzed with a focus on the current flowing out of or into the neutral point of the dc link. Based on the zero sequence components of the reference voltages, this paper analyzes the neutral point deviation and balancing control for 3-level NPC converter. An analytical method is proposed to calculate the injected zero sequence voltage for NP balancing based on average neutral current. This paper also proposes a control scheme compensating for the neutral point deviation under generalized unbalanced grid operating conditions. The positive and negative sequence components of the pole voltages and ac input currents are employed to accurately explain the behavior of 3-level NPC converter. Simulation and experimental results for a test set up of 30kW are shown to verify the validity of the proposed algorithm.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.150-158
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• 2017

This study proposes a new pulse-width modulation switching pattern for the low conduction loss of a three-level neutral point clamped (NPC)-based dual-active bridge (DAB) converter. The operational principle for a bidirectional power conversion is a phase-shift modulation. The conventional switching method of the three-level NPC-based DAB converter shows a symmetric switching pattern. This method has a disadvantage of high root-mean-square (RMS) value of the coupling inductor current, which leads to high conduction loss. The proposed switching method shows an asymmetrical pattern, which can reduce the RMS value of the inductor current with lower conduction loss than that of the conventional method. The performance of the proposed asymmetrical switching method is theoretically analyzed and practically verified using simulation and experiment.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.108-118
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• 2019

This paper proposes a DC-link voltage balance controller using the fourth-phase of a three-level neutral-point clamped (NPC) PWM converter with medium vector selection (MVS) PWM for common-mode voltage reduction. MVS PWM makes the voltage reference by synthesizing the voltage vectors that cannot generate common-mode voltage. This PWM method is effective for reducing the EMI noise emitted from converter systems. However, the DC-link voltage imbalance problem is caused by the use of limited voltage vectors. Therefore, in this paper, the effect of MVS PWM on the DC-link voltage of a three-level NPC converter is analyzed. Then a proportional-derivative (PD) controller for the DC-link voltage balance is designed from the DC-link modeling. In addition, feedforward compensation of the neutral point current is included in the proposed PD controller. The effectiveness of the proposed controller is verified by experimental results.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.136-148
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• 2017

In recent years, voltage source multilevel converters are very popular in medium/high-voltage industrial applications, among which the NPC/H-Bridge converter is a popular solution to the medium/high-voltage drive systems. The conventional finite control set model predictive control (FCS-MPC) strategy is not practical for multilevel converters due to their substantial calculation requirements, especially under high number of voltage levels. To solve this problem, a hierarchical model predictive voltage control (HMPVC) strategy with referring to the implementation of g-h coordinate space vector modulation (SVM) is proposed. By the hierarchical structure of different cost functions, load currents can be controlled well and common mode voltage can be maintained at low values. The proposed strategy could be easily expanded to the systems with high number of voltage levels while the amount of required calculation is significantly reduced and the advantages of the conventional FCS-MPC strategy are reserved. In addition, a HMPVC-based field oriented control scheme is applied to a drive system with the NPC/H-Bridge converter. Both steady-state and transient performances are evaluated by simulations and experiments with a down-scaled NPC/H-Bridge converter prototype under various conditions, which validate the proposed HMPVC strategy.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.336-344
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• 2017

This paper presents the three-port DC-DC converter modeling and controller design procedure, which is part of the solid-state transformer (SST) to interface medium voltage AC grid to bipolar DC distribution network. Due to the high primary side DC link voltage, the proposed converter employs the three-level neutral point clamped (NPC) topology at the primary side and 2-two level half bridge circuits for each DC distribution network. For the proposed converter particular structure, this paper conducts modeling the three winding transformer and the power transfer between each port. A decoupling method is adopted to simplify the power transfer model. The voltage controller design procedure is presented. In addition, the output current sharing controller is employed for current balancing between the parallel-connected secondary output ports. The proposed circuit and controller performance are verified by experimental results using a 30 kW prototype SST system.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.419-427
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• 2019

Several multilevel converter topologies have been proposed and compared. The three-level (3L) neutral-point-clamped (NPC) topology is promising and widely accepted. However, this topology suffers from uneven loss distribution among switches due to its fixed switching strategy. The 3L active NPC (ANPC) topology, which exhibits improved loss distribution profile, was proposed to address this disadvantage. The 3L T-NPC topology, a hybrid configuration of 2L and 3L NPC topologies, was introduced to address not only the loss distribution problem but also the reduction in the number of switches. In the present research, the application of these three topologies in PMSG-based medium-voltage wind turbines was investigated. The power devices considered were 10 kV IGCTs. Performance was evaluated in terms of a power loss of 10 kV IGCT for each NPC topology, which is a crucial indicator of thermal behavior, reliability, cost, and lifetime of any converter. The comparison was performed using ABB make 10 kV IGCT 5SHY17L9000 and the simulation tool PLECS.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2018.11a
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• pp.86-88
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• 2018

The three level(3L) neutral point clamped (NPC) voltage source converter (VSC) topology is widely used for grid interface in high power wind energy due to its superior performance as compared to the two level(2L) VS. However, one of the major drawbacks of this topology is the unequal dispersion of loss and therefore the junction temperature among the power devices. The 3L ANPC topology derived from the NPC topology was proposed to resolve this drawback of unequal loss profile of 3L NPC. The 3L ANPC can work under various switching strategies. In this paper a comparative study of the various switching strategies of 3L ANPC using the recently developed 10kV IGCTs which has the capability to raise the current and voltage rating of the wind turbines is carried out. The comparison is performed using ABB make 10kV IGCT 5SHY17L9000 and PLECs simulations.