Effects of energy storage systems grid code requirements on interface protection performances in low voltage networks

The ever-growing penetration of local generation in distribution networks and the large diffusion of energy storage systems (ESSs) foreseen in the near future are bound to affect the effectiveness of interface protection systems (IPSs), with negative impact on the safety of medium voltage (MV) and low voltage (LV) systems. With the scope of preserving the main network stability, international and national grid connection codes have been updated recently. Consequently, distributed generators (DGs) and storage units are increasingly called to provide stabilizing functions according to local voltage and frequency. This can be achieved by suitably controlling the electronic power converters interfacing small-scale generators and storage units to the network. The paper focuses on the regulating functions required to storage units by grid codes currently in force in the European area. Indeed, even if such regulating actions would enable local units in participating to network stability under normal steady-state operating conditions, it is shown through dynamic simulations that they may increase the risk of unintentional islanding occurrence. This means that dangerous operating conditions may arise in LV networks in case dispersed generators and storage systems are present, even if all the end-users are compliant with currently applied connection standards

MODELING AND CONTROL OF MAGNETOSTRICTIVE ACTUATORS

Most smart actuators exhibit rate-dependant hysteresis when the working frequency is higher than 5Hz. Although the Preisach model has been a very powerful tool to model the static hysteresis, it cannot be directly used to model the dynamic hysteresis. Some researchers have proposed various generalizations of the Preisach operator to model the rate-dependant hysteresis, however, most of them are application-dependant and only valid for low frequency range. In this thesis, a first-order dynamic relay operator is proposed. It is then used to build a novel dynamic Preisach model. It can be used to model general dynamic hysteresis and is valid for a large frequency range. Real experiment data of magnetostrictive actuator is used to test the proposed model. Experiments have shown that the proposed model can predict all the static major and minor loops very well and at the same time give an accurate prediction for the dynamic hysteresis loops. The controller design using the proposed model is also studied. An inversion algorithm is developed and a PID controller with inverse hysteresis compensation is proposed and tested through simulations. The results show that the PID controller with inverse compensation is good at regulating control; its tracking performance is really limited (average error is 10 micron), especially for high frequency signals. Hence, a simplified predictive control scheme is developed to improve the tracking performance. It is proved through experiments that the proposed predictive controller can reduce the average tracking error to 2 micron while preserve a good regulating performance

Function based control for bilateral systems in tele-micromanipulation

Design of a motion control system should take into account (a) unconstrained motion performed without interaction with environment or any other system, and (b) constrained motion with system in contact with environment or other systems. Control in both cases can be formulated in terms of maintaining desired system configuration what makes essentially the same structure for common tasks: trajectory tracking, interaction force control, compliance control etc. The same design approach can be used to formulate control in bilateral systems aimed to maintain desired functional relations between human and environment through master and slave motion systems. Implementation of the methodology is currently being pursued with a custom built Tele-micromanipulation setup and preliminary results concerning force/position tracking and transparency between master and slave are clearly demonstrated

Modeling and Control of Piezoelectric Actuators

Piezoelectric actuators (PEAs) utilize the inverse piezoelectric effect to generate fine displacement with a resolution down to sub-nanometers and as such, they have been widely used in various micro- and nanopositioning applications. However, the modeling and control of PEAs have proven to be challenging tasks. The main difficulties lie in the existence of various nonlinear or difficult-to-model effects in PEAs, such as hysteresis, creep, and distributive vibration dynamics. Such effects can seriously degrade the PEA tracking control performances or even lead to instability. This raises a great need to model and control PEAs for improved performance. This research is aimed at developing novel models for PEAs and on this basis, developing model-based control schemes for the PEA tracking control taking into account the aforementioned nonlinear effects. In the first part of this research, a model of a PEA for the effects of hysteresis, creep, and vibration dynamics was developed. Notably, the widely-used Preisach hysteresis model cannot represent the one-sided hysteresis of PEAs. To overcome this shortcoming, a rate-independent hysteresis model based on a novel hysteresis operator modified from the Preisach hysteresis operator was developed, which was then integrated with the models of creep and vibration dynamics to form a comprehensive model for PEAs. For its validation, experiments were carried out on a commercially-available PEA and the results obtained agreed with those from model simulations. By taking into account the linear dynamics and hysteretic behavior of the PEA as well as the presliding friction between the moveable platform and the end-effector, a model of the piezoelectric-driven stick-slip (PDSS) actuator was also developed in the first part of the research. The effectiveness of the developed model was illustrated by the experiments on the PDSS actuator prototyped in the author's lab. In the second part of the research, control schemes were developed based on the aforementioned PEA models for tracking control of PEAs. Firstly, a novel PID-based sliding mode (PIDSM) controller was developed. The rational behind the use of a sliding mode (SM) control is that the SM control can effectively suppress the effects of matched uncertainties, while the PEA hysteresis, creep, and external load can be represented by a lumped matched uncertainty based on the developed model. To solve the chattering and steady-state problems, associated with the ideal SM control and the SM control with boundary layer (SMCBL), the novel PIDSM control developed in the present study replaces the switching control term in the ideal SM control schemes with a PID regulator. Experiments were carried out on a commercially-available PEA and the results obtained illustrate the effectiveness of the PIDSM controller, and its superiorities over other schemes of PID control, ideal SM control, and the SMCBL in terms of steady state error elimination, chattering suppression, and tracking error suppression. Secondly, a PIDSM observer was also developed based on the model of PEAs to provide the PIDSM controller with state estimates of the PEA. And the PIDSM controller and the PIDSM observer were combined to form an integrated control scheme (PIDSM observer-controller or PIDSMOC) for PEAs. The effectiveness of the PIDSM observer and the PIDSMOC were also validated experimentally. The superiority of the PIDSMOC over the PIDSM controller with σ-β filter control scheme was also analyzed and demonstrated experimentally. The significance of this research lies in the development of novel models for PEAs and PDSS actuators, which can be of great help in the design and control of such actuators. Also, the development of the PIDSM controller, the PIDSM observer, and their integrated form, i.e., PIDSMOC, enables the improved performance of tracking control of PEAs with the presence of various nonlinear or difficult-to-model effects

The control of power electronic converters for grid code compliance in wind energy generation systems

This research report reviews some of the latest control schemes for the power electronic converters found in modern variable speed wind turbines in order to comply with various grid codes. Various control schemes, in order to comply with low voltage ride-through requirements, active and reactive power control and frequency control, are presented. The report first investigates the South African grid code requirements for wind energy generation, and then makes a comparison to grid codes of countries with significant penetration levels and vast experience in wind energy generation. This is followed by a review of the state of the art in fixed and variable speed wind turbine technologies. The research revealed that Type 3 generators offer significant advantages over others but suffer due to grid faults. Various active control schemes for fault ride-through were researched and the method of increasing the rotor speed to accommodate the power imbalance was found to be the most popular. It was found that Type 4 generators offer the best fault ride-through capabilities due to their full scale converters. The research will assist power system operators to develop appropriate and effective grid codes to enable a stable and reliable power system. The research will also provide turbine manufacturers and independent power producers with a comprehensive view on grid codes and relate them to the associated turbine technologies

Adaptive Control

Adaptive control has been a remarkable field for industrial and academic research since 1950s. Since more and more adaptive algorithms are applied in various control applications, it is becoming very important for practical implementation. As it can be confirmed from the increasing number of conferences and journals on adaptive control topics, it is certain that the adaptive control is a significant guidance for technology development.The authors the chapters in this book are professionals in their areas and their recent research results are presented in this book which will also provide new ideas for improved performance of various control application problems

Modelling and Simulation of Parallel/Series Hybrid Filter to Achieve Active Resonance Damping

Hybrid power filters is widely known and acknowledged in the field of power quality improvement especially in mitigating harmonics and compensating the reactive power. Since it is the combination of the passive and active filter in a circuit, it is not only simple, but also found to be cost-effective. It has been tested in various scale of power distribution network and proven to be working efficiently. The quality of the power transferred to the load in improved by mitigating the harmonics and damping out the resonances present. This paper is discussing the most suitable and applicable type of hybrid filter for both of the case studies ; the small distribution network of source 630 kVA 400V and the wind farm with capacity of 2MW for each of the 20 wind turbines. Classified references presented in this paper would serve for a quick reference