Open-circuit fault resilient ability multi level inverter with reduced switch count for off grid applications

In a multi-level inverter (MLI), the switching component number effect on volume and reliability is a major concern in on-grid and off-grid applications. The recent trend in MLI, reduced component number of power switches, and capacitors in multi-level inverter topologies have been driven for power conversion. The concept of fault tolerance is not considered in many such configurations; due to this the reliability of the MLI is very low. So now it is a major research concern, to develop a strong fault resilient ability power electronic converter. In this work, a novel configuration of a multilevel inverter with a lower switch count is proposed and analyzed with fault tolerance operation for improvement of reliability. Generally, the fault-tolerant operation is analyzed in only any one of the switches in MLI. But the proposed topology is concerned with multiple switch fault tolerance. Further, the phase disposition pulse width modulation (PDPWM) control scheme is utilized for the operation of the proposed inverter topology. The proposed inverter topology is simulated in MATLAB/Simulink environment under normal and faulty condition; the results are obtained and validated

Fault Tolerant Multilevel Inverter Topologies with Energy Balancing Capability: Photovoltaic Application

The continuous increase in energy demand and depletion of conventional resources motivates the research towards the environment friendly renewable energy sources like solar and wind energy. These sources are best suitable for rural, urban and offshore locations, because of easy installation, less running cost and ample resources (sun light and wind). The remote locations are mostly islanded in nature and far away from technical expertise in case of troubleshooting. This motivates the research on development of fault tolerant converters. These fault tolerant converters increases the reliability, which provides the continuous power supply to critical loads. From the last few decades, the integration of multilevel inverters with renewable energy systems is also increasing because of advantages like, improved power quality, total harmonic distortion (THD) and reduced output filter size requirement. Employing conventional multilevel inverters for increasing the number of voltage levels increases the device count and isolated DC sources. As a result probability of semiconductor switch failure is more and energy balancing issue between sources, which in-turn degrades the reliability and performance of the inverter. The majority of conventional multilevel inverter topologies cannot address energy balancing issues between multiple photovoltaic (PV) sources, which may need because of partial shading, hotspots, uneven charging and discharging of associated batteries etc. If energy sharing not addressed effectively, the batteries which are connected to the shaded or faulty PV system will discharge faster which may cause total system shutdown and leads to under-utilization of healthier part of the system. To address these issues, fault tolerant multilevel inverter topologies with energy balancing capability are presented in this thesis. The major contributions of the proposed work are Single phase and three phase fault tolerant multilevel inverter topologies. viii Energy balancing between sources and dc off set minimization (or batteries) due to uneven charging and discharging of batteries for five-level inverter. Extending the fault tolerance and energy balancing for higher number of voltage levels. The first work of this thesis is focused to develop fault tolerant single phase and three phase multilevel inverter topologies for grid independent photovoltaic systems. The topologies are formed by using three-level and two-level half bridge inverters. The topology fed with multiple voltage sources formed by separate PV strings with MPPT charge controllers and associated batteries. Here the topologies are analyzed for different switch open circuit and/or source failures. The switching redundancy of the proposed inverters is utilized during fault condition for supplying power with lower voltage level so that critical loads are not affected. In general, the power generation in the individual PV systems may not be same at all the times, because of partial shading, local hotspots, wrong maximum power point tracking, dirt accumulation, aging etc. To address this issue energy balancing between individual sources is taken care with the help of redundant switching combinations of proposed five-level inverter carried out in second work. Because of partial shading the associated batteries with these panels will charge and discharge unevenly, which results voltage difference between terminal voltages of sources because of SOC difference. The energy balance between batteries is achieved for all operating conditions by selecting appropriate switching combination. For example during partial shading the associated battery with low SOC is discharged at slower rate than the battery with more SOC until both SOC’s are equal. This also helps in minimization of DC offset into the ac side output voltage. The mathematical analysis is presented for possible percentage of energy shared to load by both the sources during each voltage level. The third work provides single phase multilevel inverter with improved fault tolerance in terms of switch open circuit failures and energy balancing between sources. Generally multilevel inverters for photovoltaic (PV) applications are fed ix with multiple voltage sources. For majority of the multilevel inverters the load shared to individual voltage sources is not equal due to inverter structure and switching combination. This leads to under-utilization of the voltage sources. To address this issue optimal PV module distribution for multilevel inverters is proposed. Mathematical analysis is carried out for optimal sharing of PV resources for each voltage source. The proposed source distribution strategy ensures better utilization of each voltage source, as well as minimizes the control complexity for energy balancing issues. This topology requires four isolated DC-sources with a voltage magnitude of Vdc/4 (where Vdc is the voltage requirement for the conventional NPC multilevel inverter). These isolated DC voltage sources are realized with multiple PV strings. The operation of proposed multilevel single phase inverter is analyzed for different switch open-circuit failures. All the presented topologies are simulated using MATLAB/Simulink and the results are verified with laboratory prototyp

Power quality improvement utilizing photovoltaic generation connected to a weak grid

Microgrid research and development in the past decades have been one of the most popular topics. Similarly, the photovoltaic generation has been surging among renewable generation in the past few years, thanks to the availability, affordability, technology maturity of the PV panels and the PV inverter in the general market. Unfortunately, quite often, the PV installations are connected to weak grids and may have been considered as the culprit of poor power quality affecting other loads in particular sensitive loads connected to the same point of common coupling (PCC). This paper is intended to demystify the renewable generation, and turns the negative perception into positive revelation of the superiority of PV generation to the power quality improvement in a microgrid system. The main objective of this work is to develop a control method for the PV inverter so that the power quality at the PCC will be improved under various disturbances. The method is to control the reactive current based on utilizing the grid current to counteract the negative impact of the disturbances. The proposed control method is verified in PSIM platform. Promising results have been obtaine

A New Fault-Tolerant Topology and Operation Scheme for the High Voltage Stage in a Three-Phase Solid-State Transformer

Solid-state transformers (SSTs) are comprised of several cascaded power stages with different voltage levels. This leads to more challenges for operation and maintenance of the SSTs not only under critical conditions, but also during normal operation. However, one of the most important reliability concerns for the SSTs is related to high voltage side switch and grid faults. High voltage stress on the switches, together with the fact that most modern SST topologies incorporate large number of power switches in the high voltage side, contribute to a higher probability of a switch fault occurrence. The power electronic switches in the high voltage stage are under very high voltage stress, significantly higher than other SST stages. Therefore, the probability of the switch failures becomes more substantial in this stage. In this research, a new technique is proposed to improve the overall reliability of the SSTs by enhancing the reliability of the high voltage stage.The proposed method restores the normal operation of the SST from the point of view of the load even though the input stage voltages are unbalanced due to the switch faults. On the other hand, high voltage grid faults that result in unbalanced operating conditions in the SST can also lead to dire consequences in regards to safety and reliability. The proposed method can also revamp the faulty operation to the pre-fault conditions in the case of grid faults. The proposed method integrates the quasi-z-source inverter topology into the SST topology for rebalancing the transformer voltages. Therefore, this work develops a new SST topology in conjunction with a fault-tolerant operation strategy that can fully restore operation of the proposed SST in the case of the two aforementioned fault scenarios. The proposed fault-tolerant operation strategy rebalances the line-to-line voltages after a fault occurrence by modifying the phase angles between the phase voltages generated by the high voltage stage of the proposed SST. The boosting property of the quasi z source inverter topology circuitry is then used to increase the amplitude of the rebalanced line-to-line voltages to their pre-fault values. A modified modulation technique is proposed for modifying the phase angles and controlling the quasi z source inverter topology shoot-through duty ratio. The specific contributions of this work are as follows: • The proposed method enables the SST to operate normally in case of switch fault occurrences due to high voltage stress. The function of faulty cells is compensated for without adding any extra legs or backup power cells. The remaining healthy cells are used to modify and balance the output voltage. • Using the proposed method, the delivered power by the SST after fault occurrence will be the same as the pre-fault conditions. Modifying the angles of phase voltages and using the feature of the proposed SST to boost the voltages lead to deliver the same power as in the pre-fault conditions. • Using the quasi-z-source inverter topology in the proposed method increases the reliability of the proposed SST topology since the transformer will have the ability to generate balanced three phase voltages using only two phase voltages. • The proposed method increases the lifetime of the SST after fault occurrence by distributing the voltage stress symmetrically between all cells of the high voltage stage in the three phases . • The proposed method guarantees the regulation of the output voltage of the SST, since the proposed SST topology can isolate the load from any disturbances in the grid. Also, the obtained output voltage of the proposed SST is balanced. As a result of this, there is no difference between the pre-fault voltage and post-fault voltage. Therefore, the obtained voltages will be synchronized well with the grid

Control of distributed power in microgrids: PV field to the grid, islanding operation, and ultra-fast charging station.

Aquesta tesi explora el control de l'energia distribuïda en microxarxes (MG) i aborda diversos reptes relacionats amb el control, l'estabilitat, la compartició d'energia, el disseny del convertidor d'energia, la connexió a la xarxa, la càrrega ultraràpida i el subministrament d'energia renovable. El rendiment dels MG s'analitza tant en modes d'operació connectats a la xarxa com en illa, considerant diferents configuracions i escenaris de flux d'energia. La tesi se centra en diversos reptes clau, com ara maximitzar l'extracció d'energia de matrius fotovoltaiques (PV) en MG que utilitzen convertidors DC-DC, injectar potència MG excedent a la xarxa principal mitjançant inversors de font de tensió DC-AC (VSI) sota càrregues no lineals i desequilibrades, optimitzant el rendiment de MG i la compartició d'energia en mode illa mitjançant VSI, connectant-se a la xarxa principal en el punt d'acoblament comú (PCC) mitjançant transformadors de baixa freqüència (LFT) i transformadors d'estat sòlid (SST) i explorant topologies de convertidors de potència per ultra -càrrega ràpida de CC de vehicles elèctrics (EV). L'ús de SST en lloc de LFT pot millorar la capacitat de MG alhora que redueix el volum i el pes de l'arquitectura elèctrica MG. Aquesta tesi proporciona coneixements i solucions per abordar els reptes esmentats anteriorment, contribuint a l'avenç del control, l'estabilitat, la qualitat de l'energia i la integració eficient de les fonts d'energia renovables i la càrrega dels vehicles elèctrics.Esta tesis explora el control de la potencia distribuida en microrredes (MGs) y aborda diversos retos relacionados con el control, la estabilidad, el reparto de potencia, el diseño de convertidores de potencia, la conexión a la red, la carga ultrarrápida y el suministro de energías renovables. El rendimiento de las MG se analiza tanto en modo de funcionamiento conectado a la red como en modo aislado, considerando diferentes configuraciones y escenarios de flujo de potencia. La tesis se centra en varios retos clave, como la maximización de la extracción de energía de las matrices fotovoltaicas (FV) en las MG utilizando convertidores CC-CC, la inyección del excedente de energía de las MG en la red principal a través de inversores de fuente de tensión CC-CA (VSI) bajo cargas no lineales y desequilibradas, la optimización del rendimiento de las MG y del reparto de energía en modo aislado mediante VSI, la conexión a la red principal en el punto de acoplamiento común (PCC) mediante transformadores de baja frecuencia (LFT) y transformadores de estado sólido (SST), y la exploración de topologías de convertidores de potencia para la carga ultrarrápida en corriente continua de vehículos eléctricos (VE). El uso de SST en lugar de LFT puede mejorar la capacidad de la MG y, al mismo tiempo, reducir el volumen y el peso de la arquitectura eléctrica de la MG. Esta tesis aporta ideas y soluciones para abordar los retos mencionados, contribuyendo al avance del control de la MG, la estabilidad, la calidad de la energía y la integración eficiente de fuentes de energía renovables y la carga de vehículos eléctricos. Traducción realizada con la versión gratuita del traductor www.DeepL.com/TranslatorThis thesis explores the control of distributed power in microgrids (MGs) and addresses various challenges related to control, stability, power sharing, power converter design, grid connection, ultra-fast charging, and renewable energy supply. The performance of MGs is analysed in both grid-connected and islanded modes of operation, considering different configurations and power flow scenarios. The thesis focuses on several key challenges, including maximising power extraction from photovoltaic (PV) arrays in MGs utilizing DC-DC converters, injecting surplus MG power into the main grid via DC-AC voltage source inverters (VSIs) under nonlinear and unbalanced loads, optimising MG performance and power sharing in islanded mode through VSIs, connecting to the main grid at the point of common coupling (PCC) using low-frequency transformers (LFTs) and solid-state transformers (SSTs), and exploring power converter topologies for ultra-fast DC charging of electric vehicles (EVs). The use of SSTs instead of LFTs can enhance MG capability while reducing the volume and weight of the MG electrical architecture. This thesis provides insights and solutions to address the aforementioned challenges, contributing to the advancement of MG control, stability, power quality, and efficient integration of renewable energy sources and EV charging

A multi-modular second life hybrid battery energy storage system for utility grid applications

The modern grid system or the smart grid is likely to be populated with multiple distributed energy sources, e.g. wind power, PV power, Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PEV). It will also include a variety of linear and nonlinear loads. The intermittent nature of renewable energies like PV, wind turbine and increased penetration of Electric Vehicle (EV) makes the stable operation of utility grid system challenging. In order to ensure a stable operation of the utility grid system and to support smart grid functionalities such as, fault ride-through, frequency response, reactive power support, and mitigation of power quality issues, an energy storage system (ESS) could play an important role. A fast acting bidirectional energy storage system which can rapidly provide and absorb power and/or VARs for a sufficient time is a potentially valuable tool to support this functionality. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are one of a range suitable energy storage system because it can provide and absorb power for sufficient time as well as able to respond reasonably fast. Conventional BESS already exist on the grid system are made up primarily of new batteries. The cost of these batteries can be high which makes most BESS an expensive solution. In order to assist moving towards a low carbon economy and to reduce battery cost this work aims to research the opportunities for the re-use of batteries after their primary use in low and ultra-low carbon vehicles (EV/HEV) on the electricity grid system. This research aims to develop a new generation of second life battery energy storage systems (SLBESS) which could interface to the low/medium voltage network to provide necessary grid support in a reliable and in cost-effective manner. The reliability/performance of these batteries is not clear, but is almost certainly worse than a new battery. Manufacturers indicate that a mixture of gradual degradation and sudden failure are both possible and failure mechanisms are likely to be related to how hard the batteries were driven inside the vehicle. There are several figures from a number of sources including the DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Control) and Arup and Cenex reports indicate anything from 70,000 to 2.6 million electric and hybrid vehicles on the road by 2020. Once the vehicle battery has degraded to around 70-80% of its capacity it is considered to be at the end of its first life application. This leaves capacity available for a second life at a much cheaper cost than a new BESS Assuming a battery capability of around 5-18kWhr (MHEV 5kWh - BEV 18kWh battery) and approximate 10 year life span, this equates to a projection of battery storage capability available for second life of >1GWhrs by 2025. Moreover, each vehicle manufacturer has different specifications for battery chemistry, number and arrangement of battery cells, capacity, voltage, size etc. To enable research and investment in this area and to maximize the remaining life of these batteries, one of the design challenges is to combine these hybrid batteries into a grid-tie converter where their different performance characteristics, and parameter variation can be catered for and a hot swapping mechanism is available so that as a battery ends it second life, it can be replaced without affecting the overall system operation. This integration of either single types of batteries with vastly different performance capability or a hybrid battery system to a grid-tie 3 energy storage system is different to currently existing work on battery energy storage systems (BESS) which deals with a single type of battery with common characteristics. This thesis addresses and solves the power electronic design challenges in integrating second life hybrid batteries into a grid-tie energy storage unit for the first time. This study details a suitable multi-modular power electronic converter and its various switching strategies which can integrate widely different batteries to a grid-tie inverter irrespective of their characteristics, voltage levels and reliability. The proposed converter provides a high efficiency, enhanced control flexibility and has the capability to operate in different operational modes from the input to output. Designing an appropriate control system for this kind of hybrid battery storage system is also important because of the variation of battery types, differences in characteristics and different levels of degradations. This thesis proposes a generalised distributed power sharing strategy based on weighting function aims to optimally use a set of hybrid batteries according to their relative characteristics while providing the necessary grid support by distributing the power between the batteries. The strategy is adaptive in nature and varies as the individual battery characteristics change in real time as a result of degradation for example. A suitable bidirectional distributed control strategy or a module independent control technique has been developed corresponding to each mode of operation of the proposed modular converter. Stability is an important consideration in control of all power converters and as such this thesis investigates the control stability of the multi-modular converter in detailed. Many controllers use PI/PID based techniques with fixed control parameters. However, this is not found to be suitable from a stability point-of-view. Issues of control stability using this controller type under one of the operating modes has led to the development of an alternative adaptive and nonlinear Lyapunov based control for the modular power converter. Finally, a detailed simulation and experimental validation of the proposed power converter operation, power sharing strategy, proposed control structures and control stability issue have been undertaken using a grid connected laboratory based multi-modular hybrid battery energy storage system prototype. The experimental validation has demonstrated the feasibility of this new energy storage system operation for use in future grid applications

Recent Developments and Challenges on AC Microgrids Fault Detection and Protection Systems–A Review

The protection of AC microgrids (MGs) is an issue of paramount importance to ensure their reliable and safe operation. Designing reliable protection mechanism, however, is not a trivial task, as many practical issues need to be considered. The operation mode of MGs, which can be grid-connected or islanded, employed control strategy and practical limitations of the power electronic converters that are utilized to interface renewable energy sources and the grid, are some of the practical constraints that make fault detection, classification, and coordination in MGs different from legacy grid protection. This article aims to present the state-of-the-art of the latest research and developments, including the challenges and issues in the field of AC MG protection. A broad overview of the available fault detection, fault classification, and fault location techniques for AC MG protection and coordination are presented. Moreover, the available methods are classified, and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed

Advanced Power Electronics Interfaces for Distributed Energy Workshop Summary: August 24, 2006, Sacramento, California

The Advanced Power Electronics Interfaces for Distributed Energy Workshop, sponsored by the California Energy Commission Public Interest Energy Research program and organized by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, was held Aug. 24, 2006, in Sacramento, Calif. The workshop provided a forum for industry stakeholders to share their knowledge and experience about technologies, manufacturing approaches, markets, and issues in power electronics for a range of distributed energy resources. It focused on the development of advanced power electronic interfaces for distributed energy applications and included discussions of modular power electronics, component manufacturing, and power electronic applications

Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy is energy generated from natural resources - such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat - which are naturally replenished. In 2008, about 18% of global final energy consumption came from renewables, with 13% coming from traditional biomass, such as wood burning. Hydroelectricity was the next largest renewable source, providing 3% (15% of global electricity generation), followed by solar hot water/heating, which contributed with 1.3%. Modern technologies, such as geothermal energy, wind power, solar power, and ocean energy together provided some 0.8% of final energy consumption. The book provides a forum for dissemination and exchange of up - to - date scientific information on theoretical, generic and applied areas of knowledge. The topics deal with new devices and circuits for energy systems, photovoltaic and solar thermal, wind energy systems, tidal and wave energy, fuel cell systems, bio energy and geo-energy, sustainable energy resources and systems, energy storage systems, energy market management and economics, off-grid isolated energy systems, energy in transportation systems, energy resources for portable electronics, intelligent energy power transmission, distribution and inter - connectors, energy efficient utilization, environmental issues, energy harvesting, nanotechnology in energy, policy issues on renewable energy, building design, power electronics in energy conversion, new materials for energy resources, and RF and magnetic field energy devices