Assessing the benefits of hybrid cycloconverters

Power converters consisting of naturally commutated thyristors such as cycloconverters and current source inverters were the first to be used in driving electrical motors with variable speed, but now, due to their inferior performance compared to forced commutated converters, their use is restricted in the high voltage/high power range where the performance and cost of forced commutated switching devices are not yet competitive. Hybrid cycloconverters proposed recently are capable of improving the performance of cycloconverters by adding an auxiliary forced commutated inverter with reduced installed power. It will be shown that the new topology is not only able to improve the quality of the output voltage but is also able to enhance the control over the circulating current and, therefore, for some of the cycloconverter arrangements, to improve the input power quality. This paper evaluates the performance of a few standard and hybrid cycloconverter arrangements using both simulation and experimental results

High-performance motor drives

This article reviews the present state and trends in the development of key parts of controlled induction motor drive systems: converter topologies, modulation methods, as well as control and estimation techniques. Two- and multilevel voltage-source converters, current-source converters, and direct converters are described. The main part of all the produced electric energy is used to feed electric motors, and the conversion of electrical power into mechanical power involves motors ranges from less than 1 W up to several dozen megawatts

A regenerative active clamp circuit for DC/AC converters with high-frequency isolation in photovoltaic systems

DC/AC converters with high-frequency isolation and bidirectional power flow are extensively used in photovoltaic power systems and small isolated power converters at low and medium power ranges. The main disadvantages of these circuits are: high freewheeling loss of the primary leakage current, limited ZVS range for the lagging leg switches, the effects of the parasitic elements of the systems and others. To avoid these losses an energy recovery circuit based on an active voltage clamper is presented. The control circuit is designed having a number of soft switching transitions. The system has been verified by simulation and a prototype is being tested. In this paper we present an energy recovery system and a modulation sequence for the cycloconverter. The energy recovery system is based on an active voltage clamper; the voltage peaks energy is returned to the source. Furthermore, the presented modulation sequence is designed to have a maximum number of soft-switching transitions independent of the electric variables; which means minimum losses and independence on measurement systems limitations for modulation.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Multilevel Converter Topologies for Utility Scale Solar Photovoltaic Power Systems

Renewable energy technologies have been growing in their installed capacity rapidly over the past few years. This growth in solar, wind and other technologies is fueled by state incentives, renewable energy mandates, increased fossil fuel prices and environmental consciousness. Utility scale systems form a substantial portion of electricity capacity addition in modern times. This sets the stage for research activity to explore new efficient, compact and alternative power electronic topologies to integrate sources like photovoltaics (PV) to the utility grid, some of which are multilevel topologies. Multilevel topologies allow for use of lower voltage semiconductor devices than two-level converters. They also produce lower distortion output voltage waveforms. This dissertation proposes a cascaded multilevel converter with medium frequency AC link which reduces the size of DC bus capacitor and also eliminates power imbalance between the three phases. A control strategy which modulates the output voltage magnitude and phase angle of the inverter cells is proposed. This improves differential power processing amongst cells while keeping the voltage and current ratings of the devices low. A battery energy storage system for the multilevel PV converter has also been proposed. Renewable technologies such as PV and wind suffer from varying degrees of intermittency, depending on the geographical location. With increased installation of these sources, management of intermittency is critical to the stability of the grid. The proposed battery system is rated at 10% of the plant it is designed to support. Energy is stored and extracted by means of a bidirectional DC-DC converter connected to the PV DC bus. Different battery chemistries available for this application are also discussed. In this dissertation, the analyses of common mode voltages and currents in various PV topologies are detailed. The grid integration of PV power employs a combination of pulse width modulation (PWM) DC-DC converters and inverters. Due to their fast switching nature a common mode voltage is generated with respect to the ground, inducing a circulating current through the ground capacitance. Common mode voltages lead to increased voltage stress, electromagnetic interference and malfunctioning of ground fault protection systems. Common mode voltages and currents present in high and low power PV systems are analyzed and mitigation strategies such as common mode filter and transformer shielding are proposed to minimize them

Variable speed pumped storage hydropower for integration of wind energy in isolated grids : case description and control strategies

This paper presents the use of variable speed pumped storage hydropower plants for balancing power fluctuations from wind power in an isolated grid. A topology based on a synchronous machine and a full scale back-to-back voltage source converter is suggested for obtaining variable speed operation of a pump-turbine unit. This topology has not been previously investigated for variable speed pumped storage power plants, but can now be considered relevant for small and medium sized pumped storage units because of the development of voltage source converter drives for higher voltage levels. A possible case for implementation of such a system is described based on the situation on the Faroe Islands, where controllable energy storage can help to allow for a higher share of renewable energy in the power system and by that to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels. Power control of the pumped storage unit by load following for direct compensation of the fluctuations in power output from a wind farm will limit the influence on the operation of the rest of the grid. By utilizing the pumped storage to take part in the primary frequency control of the power system, the frequency response to other changes in production or load will also be improved.reviewe

High frequency link Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The main aim of this thesis is to propose, design, simulate and build a new UPS system which can be used for compact applications. The idea of the proposed system is to operate the transformers within the UPS at high frequency so that the size and the weight are kept to minimum. In order to achieve this aim, the transformer within the UPS system is operated at high frequency; however it also carries two 50 Hz waveforms at 180 phase shift so that the transformer does not see this 50 Hz frequency. A cycloconverter is then used to reconstruct the 50 Hz waveform for the UPS output. The UPS system is simulated using PSPICE software at high frequency link of 500 Hz, 1 kHz, 5 kHz and 10 kHz. The simulation results show that the transformer only passes the high frequency component while the 50 Hz frequency is ‘hidden’ within the transformer. The proposed UPS system is then built using MOSFETs IRF740 as the main switches for the inverter and cycloconverter circuits. A Chipkit-uno32-development-board is used to control the MOSFET switches. Simulated and practical results show the viability of the proposed UPS system.This study is funded by Dubai Aluminium

Feasibility of high frequency alternating current power distribution for the automobile auxiliary electrical system

This study investigates the feasibility and potential benefits of high frequency alternating current (HFAC) for vehicle auxiliary electrical systems. A 100Vrms, 50kHz sinusoidal AC bus is compared with 14V DC and 42V DC electrical systems in terms of mass and energy efficiency. The investigation is focused on the four main sub-systems of an on-board electrical network, namely: the power generation, power distribution, power conversion and the electrical loads. In addition, a systemlevel inquiry is conducted for the HFAC bus and a comparable 42V DC system. A combination of computer simulation, analytical analysis and experimental work has highlighted benefits for the HFAC power distribution sub-system and for low-torque motor actuators. Specifically, the HFAC conductor mass is potentially 70% and 30% lighter than comparable 14V DC and 42V DC cables, respectively. Also, the proposed cable is expected to be at least 80% more energy efficient than the current DC conductor technology. In addition, it was found that 400Hz AC machines can successfully replace DC motor actuators with a rated torque of up to 2Nm. The former are up to 100% more efficient and approximately 60% lighter and more compact than the existing DC motors in vehicles. However, it is argued that the HFAC supply is not feasible for high-torque motor actuators. This is because of the high energy losses and increased machine torque ripple associated with the use of HFAC power. The HFAC power conversion sub-system offers benefits in terms of simple power converter structure and efficient HFAC/DC converters. However, a significant limitation is the high power loss within HFAC/AC modules, which can be as high as 900W for a 2.4kW load with continuous operation. Similar restrictions are highlighted for the HFAC power generation sub-system, where up to 400W is lost in a 4kW DC/HFAC power module. The conclusion of the present work is that the HFAC system offers mass and energy efficiency benefits for the conventional vehicle by leveraging the use of compact lowtorque motor actuators and lightweight wiring technology

Matrix Converter for More Electric Aircraft

This proposed chapter discusses three methods that do not allow regenerative power from the matrix converter (MC) motor drive onto the aircraft power supply. According to aerospace power quality specifications, the regenerative power must be dissipated in the drive itself to avoid instability problem in aircraft power supply. These are bidirectional switch (BDS) method, input power clamp (IPC) method, and standard clamp circuit (SCC) method for aerospace applications. To identify regeneration in a matrix converter drive, two novel techniques are proposed. These are power comparison technique (PC) and input voltage reference technique (IVR). In both techniques, output power of MC and direction of speed, these factors are used to detect regeneration in MC drive. The electrical braking is important in many aerospace applications such as surface actuation and air-to-air (in-flight) refueling system. Therefore, the inherent regeneration capability of the matrix converter drive is not desirable for aerospace applications so it has to be avoided. The proposed methods are demonstrated through detailed simulation results and experimental verification. In order to prove the proposed methods with novel techniques, a 7.5-kW matrix converter fed 4-kW induction motor (IM) with inertial load has experimentally implemented. The obtained results using BDS method with PC technique proved avoiding regeneration with a matrix converter is feasible. This chapter is valuable for 150-kVA matrix converter for high-power application

High frequency-link cycloconverters for medium voltage grid connection

As the deployment of renewable generation increases in the worldwide electrical grids, the development of distributed energy storage becomes more and more of an essential requirement. Energy storage devices connected at Medium Voltage allows for much higher powered deployments and this Ph.D. will focus on the power converter used to interface the energy storage device to the electrical grid. Multi-level converters can be used to provide this interface without huge filtering requirements or the need of a Low Frequency step up transformer. However traditional Multi-level converter topologies require a large number of electrolytic capacitors, reducing the reliability and increasing the cost. Multi-level converters constructed from a Cycloconverter Topology do not require any additional electrolytic capacitors, however the High Frequency transformer, used to provide isolation has to be considerably larger. This Ph.D. will investigate a novel hybrid converter topology to provide an interface between an energy storage device, such as a super-capacitor or battery, to the Medium Voltage grid, designed for high reliability and power density. This topology is called The Hybrid Cycloconverter Topology and is based on a Cycloconverter Topology connected to an auxiliary 3-Phase VSI. A comprehensive simulation study is carried out to investigate the semiconductor losses of this novel converter topology and compared against two alternative topologies. An experimental converter is constructed to validate the theory of operation and to justify its effectiveness