A family of discontinuous PWM strategies for quasi Z-source nine-switch inverters

This paper proposes a new family of discontinuous PWM strategies to control the quasi-Z-source nine-switch inverters (qZS-NSI). The presented strategies provide buck and boost inversion capabilities, and suitable for common-frequency and different-frequency modes of operation. Accordingly, two different shoot-through (ST) approaches are introduced and compared. The first approach uses three-leg ST, while the second uses single-leg ST to reduce the number of switching commutations, therefore minimizing switching losses. Both approaches can be implemented using simple-boost (SB) and maximum boost (MB) control methods. The operating principles, performance criteria, and PWM modulator of each scheme are introduced. Compared to the conventional PWM technique for the same output voltage gains, the proposed schemes ensure continuous input current with minimum ripples, and the voltage stresses on the switching devices and capacitors could be reduced in the proposed MB control schemes. Moreover, the effective switching frequency of upper and lower switches of all schemes is fixed and could be reduced by 1/3 from the switching frequency of the conventional technique of the qZS-NSI, while only the single-leg ST schemes ensure minimum effective switching frequency of the middle switches. The proposed modulation strategies are digitally implemented and tested on the LAUNCHXL-F28379D DSP. The feasibility of the proposed modulation schemes is confirmed via simulation and experimental results, which show good agreement with the theoretical analysis. Moreover, the presented strategies can be applied to other types of Z-source NSIs.Scopu

Quasi two-level PWM operation of a nine-arm modular multilevel converter for six-phase medium-voltage motor drives

This paper proposes a hybrid converter for medium-voltage six-phase machine drive systems that mixes the operation of a traditional two-level voltage-source inverter and the modular multilevel converter (MMC) to enable operation over a wide frequency range. Topologically, the proposed converter consists of nine arms resembling two sets of three-phase MMCs with three common arms, yielding a nine-arm MMC with a 25% reduction in the number of employed arms compared to a traditional dual three-phase MMC. The multilevel property of a standard MMC is emulated in the proposed converter, however on a two-level basis, resulting in a stepped two-level output voltage waveform. The proposed converter has a reduced footprint with advantages of small voltage steps, modular structure, and ease of scalability. Further, it is able to drive high-power six-phase machines within low operating frequencies at the rated torque. The operating principle of the converter is elaborated, and its modulation scheme is discussed. The features of the proposed converter are verified through simulations and experimentally

A modular multilevel converter with integrated shared capacitor sub-module for MV motor drives incorporating symmetrical six-phase machines

This paper proposes a new modular multilevel converter (MMC) configuration as a medium-voltage drive for variable-speed applications incorporating symmetrical six-phase machines. The proposed topology employs six MMC phase-legs feeding two isolated groups of three-phase machine windings, each with 60° spatial phase-displacement. A novel concept of sharing one capacitor between each pair of adjacent-arm submodules (SMs) of MMC phase-legs, while feeding machine windings in a spatial phase-opposition, is realized through a new integrated SM arrangement. The integrated SM allows the shared capacitor to absorb and release the same energy amount in a consecutive switching scheme, where the capacitor is experiencing both charging and discharging arm currents, one after another. This results in a limited voltage variation across the SM shared capacitor, independent of the operating frequency. Also, the proposed approach allows the MMC to utilize half the number of the SM capacitors, compared to a traditional MMC topology, while further diminishes the SM capacitance requirement, reducing the volume of the MMC system and its stored energy. The proposed configuration can efficiently operate at near zero frequency, therefore a machine speed-range from zero speed to the rated speed is possible under rated torque operating condition. The proposed MMC topology is elucidated in detail, and its effective performance is verified using simulation

A modular multilevel converter with ripple-power decoupling channels for three-phase MV adjustable-speed drives

This paper presents a drive system based on a modular multilevel converter (MMC) with high-frequency magnetic channels between adjacent-arm submodules (SMs), suitable for medium-voltage, high-power three-phase variable-speed machines. The configuration employs chains of dual half-bridge (DHB) modules linking adjacent SMs of three-phase symmetrical arms. The DHB modules are operating as power channels enabling energy exchange to restore the power imbalance among the SM capacitors. This allows arms' ripple-powers to be entirely decoupled through bidirectional power transfer between adjacent-arm SMs, resulting in a near ripple-free SM capacitor voltage profile. Therefore, the MMC common problem of wide voltage fluctuation across SM capacitors is comprehensively solved, independent of the operating frequency. Additionally, a significant reduction in the sizing requirement of SM capacitance is achieved. The configuration is able to drive multi-megawatt machines from standstill to the rated speed at the rated torque operating condition. The operating principle of the proposed MMC configuration is explained and necessary mathematical analysis is derived. Features and viability of the proposed drive system are verified through simulation and experimentation

A hybrid nine-arm modular multilevel converter for medium-voltage six-phase machine drives

The nine-arm modular multilevel converter (9A-MMC) has been recently proposed as a reduced MMC topology variation for six-phase drive applications, with 25% reduction in the number of employed arms and associated components, compared to a standard dual three-phase MMC, however with a limited output voltage amplitude. This paper proposes a hybrid 9A-MMC comprised of half-bridge submodules (SMs) in both the upper and lower arms, and full-bridge SMs in the middle arms. By employing the negative-voltage state of the full-bridge SMs, the hybrid 9A-MMC avoids the limitations imposed on the dc-link voltage utilization, while achieving further reduction in the component count, compared to a standard 9A-MMC with identical half-bridge SMs. The operating principles of the proposed hybrid 9A-MMC are illustrated with mathematical analysis, while its characteristics are verified through both simulation and experimentation. An assessment of the proposed topology quantifying its employed components is also provided, in comparison to other MMC-based six-phase machine drives

Modified extended complex Kalman filter for DC offset and distortion rejection in grid-tie transformerless converters

Proper operation of the grid-tie transformerless converters under unbalanced and distorted conditions entails a precise detection of the frequency and fundamental component of the grid voltage. One of the main problems that could arise during the estimation of grid parameters is the existence of a DC offset generated from measurement and A/D conversion. This undesirable induced DC offset could appear as a part of the reference sinusoidal current of grid-tie converters. Although literature has proposed the use of an extended complex Kalman filter (ECKF) for the estimation of positive and negative sequence voltage components as a promising competitor to phase locked loops, mitigating the effect of possible DC offsets when a Kalman filter is employed remains scarce. This paper proposes a new extended complex Kalman filter to improve the filter stability for estimating the frequency and the fundamental positive and negative symmetrical components of the grid voltages, where DC offset, scaling error, and noise can successfully be rejected. The theoretical findings are experimentally validated

Improved utilization for “smart parking systems” based on paging technique

Considering the rapid urbanization and the road congestion, the development of smart parking solutions becomes more crucial, especially in terms of economic interests. Thanks to IoT-connectivity and the cloud-integrated platforms, drivers can easily find a vacant parking lot with smart parking services. This paper intervenes in the profit of parking management systems. The paper proposes a new technique “paging technique” which increases the utilization factor of parking slots. The proposed method takes advantage of the idle time that exists between two successful parking services in the same slot. Besides, it investigates the possibility of using the idle times from different parking slots to provide a continuous parking time for an additional car. The paging technique is optimally implemented using mixed-integer linear programming that maximizes the utilization factor for the parking slots with minimum car transitions. Moreover, a data model for the parking management system has been constructed while considering the three major customers, namely, regular, prepaid, and walk-in customers. The difference between fixed and dynamic pricing for parking has been investigated. The technique has been validated using GAMS optimization software and hardware using DSP with Coin-or branch and cut solver (CBC) under real-life conditions. The statistical results prove that the revenue for the proposed parking system has increased significantly. Finally, a comparative analysis is performed, benchmarking our proposed method against recent competing algorithms in real world applications to demonstrate its superiority

A dual modular multilevel converter with shared capacitor sub-module for MV open-end stator winding machine drives

This paper proposes a new dual modular multilevel converter (MMC) topology as a medium-voltage drive for adjustablespeed applications incorporating open-end stator winding machines. A novel concept of sharing one capacitor between each two adjacent-arm sub-modules (SMs) of MMC phaselegs, operating with out-of-phase modulation, is realized through new SM arrangement. This concept allows the MMC to utilize half the number of the SM capacitors, compared to a traditional MMC topology. Additionally, the sizing requirement of the shared capacitor is diminished, which significantly reduces the volume of the drive system and its stored energy. The switching scheme of the shared capacitor between two oppositely modulated SMs eliminates the problem of capacitor wide voltage fluctuations, independent of the operating frequency. Further, the proposed MMC can efficiently operate at near zero frequency, therefore a machine speed-range from zero speed to the rated speed is possible under rated torque operating condition. The proposed MMC topology is elucidated in detail, and its effective performance is verified through simulation

Circadian rhythm of metabolic changes associated with summer heat stress in high-producing dairy cattle

The current study aimed to investigate the circadian rhythm of blood metabolic parameters associated with summer heat stress (HS) in dairy cows. Ten healthy lactating Holstein Friesian cows were followed during HS for three successive days at six different time points. Blood was sampled from each cow starting from 07:00AM; at 4-h intervals. Ambient air temperature and relative humidity were recorded, and temperature-humidity index (THI) was calculated as well. Respiration rate (RR) and rectal temperature (RT) were recorded for each cow at the time of blood sampling. Concentrations of glucose, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), total cholesterol (TC) and urea were measured in each blood sample. The THI values were >68 at all times of the day, and the highest values were recorded at 11:00AM, 03:00PM and 07:00PM (80.9, 83.7, and 80.8, respectively). All the cows showed a significantly higher RR and RT coinciding with higher THI values (93±4 and 39.6±0.1; 90.2±3.4, and 40.1±0.1; 87.6±4.1, and 39.8±0.1, respectively, P<0.05). The concentrations of glucose were the lowest at 11:00AM and 03:00PM (3.75±0.1 and 3.44±0.1 mmol/L, respectively, P<0.05). Decreased glucose concentrations coincided with increased NEFA concentrations, (0.43±0.01 and 0.56±0.02 mmol/L, respectively, P<0.05), and were highly negatively correlated (r=−0.50, P<0.001). The highest urea and TC concentrations were registered at 11:00AM (6.11±0.15 mmol/L and 109.9±2.2 mg/dl, respectively) whereas the lowest urea and TC values were recorded at 03:00AM (4.97±0.18 mmol/L and 99.5± 1.7 mg/dl, respectively, P<0.05). The results of the present study indicate that there was a circadian variation in glucose, NEFA, urea, and TC resulting in the most unfavorable metabolic condition during the hottest moment of the day in dairy cattle. Earlier work revealed that HS-metabolic changes are reflected in the follicular fluid. The circadian changes observed in the present study associated with HS may imply that also the microenvironment of the oocyte is affected

Investigation of six-phase surface permanent magnet machine with typical slot/pole combinations for integrated onboard chargers through methodical design optimization

This article presents an analytical magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC) modeling approach for a six-phase surface-mounted permanent magnet (SPM) machine equipped with fractional slot concentrated winding (FSCW) for integrated onboard chargers. For the sake of comparison, the selected asymmetrical six-phase slot/pole combinations with the same design specifications and constraints are first designed based on the parametric MEC model and then optimized using a multiobjective genetic algorithm (MOGA). The commercial BMW i3 design specifications are adopted in this article. The main focus of this study is to achieve optimal design of the SPM machine considering both the propulsion and charging performances. Thus, a comparative study of the optimization cost functions, including the peak-to-peak torque ripple and core losses under both motoring and charging modes and electromagnetic forces (EMFs) under charging, is conducted. In addition, the demagnetization capability in the charging mode and the overall cost of the employed machines are optimized. Since the average propulsion torque is crucial in electric vehicle (EV) applications, it is maintained through the design optimization process. Furthermore, finite element (FE) simulations have been carried out to verify the results obtained from the analytical MEC model. Eventually, the effectiveness of the proposed design optimization process is corroborated by experimental tests on a 2-kW prototype system