Time-domain analysis of RF and microwave autonomous circuits by vector fitting-based approach

This work presents a new method for the analysis of RF and microwave autonomous circuits directly in the time-domain, which is the most effective approach at simulation level to evaluate nonlinear phenomena. For RF and microwave autonomous circuits, time-domain simulations usually experiment convergence problems or numerical inaccuracies due to the presence of distributed elements, preventing de-facto their use. The proposed solution is based on the Vector Fitting algorithm applied directly at circuit level. A case study relative to a RF hybrid oscillator is presented for practical demonstration and evaluation of performance reliability of the proposed method

Effective time-domain approach for the assessment of the stability characteristics and other non-linear effects of RF and microwave circuits

This study describes a systematic approach for the stability analysis of RF and microwave non-linear circuits in the time-domain and that can be useful also for the verification of other non-linearities, like intermodulation. The time-domain analysis is the most reliable approach for the evaluation of complex non-linear phenomena but, in general, the transient behaviour of non-linear circuits is difficult to verify at high frequencies, where distributed elements are common. The solution here addressed overcomes this limitation and it may be applied, without restrictions, also to monolithic microwave integrated circuits and EM-based designs. Examples of application to hybrid prototypes are provided, and the comparison between simulations and measurements illustrates the accuracy and reliability of the proposed approach

Design and Control of Power Converters for High Power-Quality Interface with Utility and Aviation Grids

Power electronics as a subject integrating power devices, electric and electronic circuits, control, and thermal and mechanic design, requires not only knowledge and engineering insight for each subarea, but also understanding of interface issues when incorporating these different areas into high performance converter design.Addressing these fundamental questions, the dissertation studies design and control issues in three types of power converters applied in low-frequency high-power transmission, medium-frequency converter emulated grid, and high-frequency high-density aviation grid, respectively, with the focus on discovering, understanding, and mitigating interface issues to improve power quality and converter performance, and to reduce the noise emission.For hybrid ac/dc power transmission,• Analyze the interface transformer saturation issue between ac and dc power flow under line unbalances.• Proposed both passive transformer design and active hybrid-line-impedance-conditioner to suppress this issue.For transmission line emulator,• Propose general transmission line emulation schemes with extension capability.• Analyze and actively suppress the effects of sensing/sampling bias and PWM ripple on emulation considering interfaced grid impedance.• Analyze the stability issue caused by interaction of the emulator and its interfaced impedance. A criterion that determines the stability and impedance boundary of the emulator is proposed.For aircraft battery charger,• Investigate architectures for dual-input and dual-output battery charger, and a three-level integrated topology using GaN devices is proposed to achieve high density.• Identify and analyze the mechanisms and impacts of high switching frequency, di/dt, dv/dt on sensing and power quality control; mitigate solutions are proposed.• Model and compensate the distortion due to charging transition of device junction capacitances in three-level converters.• Find the previously overlooked device junction capacitance of the nonactive devices in three-level converters, and analyze the impacts on switching loss, device stress, and current distortion. A loss calculation method is proposed using the data from the conventional double pulse tester.• Establish fundamental knowledge on performance degradation of EMI filters. The impacts and mechanisms of both inductive and capacitive coupling on different filter structures are understood. Characterization methodology including measuring, modeling, and prediction of filter insertion loss is proposed. Mitigation solutions are proposed to reduce inter-component coupling and self-parasitics

Offshore Wind Farm-Grid Integration: A Review on Infrastructure, Challenges, and Grid Solutions

Recently, the penetration of renewable energy sources (RESs) into electrical power systems is witnessing a large attention due to their inexhaustibility, environmental benefits, storage capabilities, lower maintenance and stronger economy, etc. Among these RESs, offshore wind power plants (OWPP) are ones of the most widespread power plants that have emerged with regard to being competitive with other energy technologies. However, the application of power electronic converters (PECs), offshore transmission lines and large substation transformers result in considerable power quality (PQ) issues in grid connected OWPP. Moreover, due to the installation of filters for each OWPP, some other challenges such as voltage and frequency stability arise. In this regard, various customs power devices along with integration control methodologies have been implemented to deal with stated issues. Furthermore, for a smooth and reliable operation of the system, each country established various grid codes. Although various mitigation schemes and related standards for OWPP are documented separately, a comprehensive review covering these aspects has not yet addressed in the literature. The objective of this study is to compare and relate prior as well as latest developments on PQ and stability challenges and their solutions. Low voltage ride through (LVRT) schemes and associated grid codes prevalent for the interconnection of OWPP based power grid have been deliberated. In addition, various PQ issues and mitigation options such as FACTS based filters, DFIG based adaptive and conventional control algorithms, ESS based methods and LVRT requirements have been summarized and compared. Finally, recommendations and future trends for PQ improvement are highlighted at the end

Epsilon-Near-Zero Al-Doped ZnO for Ultrafast Switching at Telecom Wavelengths: Outpacing the Traditional Amplitude-Bandwidth Trade-Off

Transparent conducting oxides have recently gained great attention as CMOS-compatible materials for applications in nanophotonics due to their low optical loss, metal-like behavior, versatile/tailorable optical properties, and established fabrication procedures. In particular, aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) is very attractive because its dielectric permittivity can be engineered over a broad range in the near infrared and infrared. However, despite all these beneficial features, the slow (> 100 ps) electron-hole recombination time typical of these compounds still represents a fundamental limitation impeding ultrafast optical modulation. Here we report the first epsilon-near-zero AZO thin films which simultaneously exhibit ultra-fast carrier dynamics (excitation and recombination time below 1 ps) and an outstanding reflectance modulation up to 40% for very low pump fluence levels (< 4 mJ/cm2) at the telecom wavelength of 1.3 {\mu}m. The unique properties of the demonstrated AZO thin films are the result of a low temperature fabrication procedure promoting oxygen vacancies and an ultra-high carrier concentration. As a proof-of-concept, an all-optical AZO-based plasmonic modulator achieving 3 dB modulation in 7.5 {\mu}m and operating at THz frequencies is numerically demonstrated. Our results overcome the traditional "modulation depth vs. speed" trade-off by at least an order of magnitude, placing AZO among the most promising compounds for tunable/switchable nanophotonics.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, 1 tabl

A power consensus algorithm for DC microgrids

A novel power consensus algorithm for DC microgrids is proposed and analyzed. DC microgrids are networks composed of DC sources, loads, and interconnecting lines. They are represented by differential-algebraic equations connected over an undirected weighted graph that models the electrical circuit. A second graph represents the communication network over which the source nodes exchange information about the instantaneous powers, which is used to adjust the injected current accordingly. This give rise to a nonlinear consensus-like system of differential-algebraic equations that is analyzed via Lyapunov functions inspired by the physics of the system. We establish convergence to the set of equilibria consisting of weighted consensus power vectors as well as preservation of the weighted geometric mean of the source voltages. The results apply to networks with constant impedance, constant current and constant power loads.Comment: Abridged version submitted to the 20th IFAC World Congress, Toulouse, Franc

Methodologies for Transient Simulation of Hybrid Electromagnetic/Circuit Systems with Multiple Time Scales

This work presents methodologies to facilitate the efficient cosimulation of electromagnetic/circuit systems while exploiting the multiple time scales that are often present in the numerical simulation of such systems. Three distinct approaches are presented to expedite such a simulation process, with the common theme that the methodologies should allow for the ability to utilize different timesteps in the simulation procedure for the different components appearing in a hybrid system. The first contribution involves a direct representation of each of Maxwell???s curl equations in terms of SPICE-equivalent circuit stamps. This provides for a full-wave, circuit-compatible description of a distributed structure that can very naturally be incorporated into a circuit simulation environment. This capability can be applied to circuit simulations of distributed structures, or it can facilitate the detailed simulation of an electrically small structure with full electromagnetic accuracy. The second contribution allows for the utilization of different numerical integration schemes and timesteps in the simulation of hybrid structures via a domain decomposition approach. By introducing a novel scheme to combine finite-difference time-domain simulation with SPICE-like circuit simulation, it is shown that the timestep used in the lumped circuit portions need not be limited by the Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy (CFL) limit which governs the timestep used in distributed portions. Additionally, the use of the Crank-Nicolson integration scheme is investigated for the simulation of transmission line structures, and an efficient methodology is proposed by combining the Crank-Nicolson integration of transmission lines and standard integration of circuits. Finally, the third contribution in this work involves efficient simulation of circuits involving multirate signals with widely separated time scales. An efficient representation of multirate signals is found by introducing a different time variable for each time scale in order to overcome the significant oversampling of such signals that arises from more traditional, univariate representations. This representation is then directly applied to the simulation of transmission line structures. It is found that the resulting methodologies provide for a significant speedup in the overall simulation time