Modelos no lineales y control en modo deslizamiento de convertidores de estructura resonante

El presente trabajo de investigación se ha dedicado al estudio y la caracterización de un conjunto de sistemas electrónicos de potencia basados en convertidores resonantes Quantum con subsistemas de control en modo de deslizamiento, utilizados en aplicaciones de estabilización de tensión y de seguimiento de señal.El trabajo se inicia con la presentación detallada del principio de funcionamiento de un amplio conjunto de convertidores Quantum, incluyendo la descripción de la estrategia de actuación sobre los interruptores y la identificación de las posibles acciones de control de acuerdo con el modo de operación seleccionado. Este estudio ha facilitado la deducción de unos modelos que permiten agrupar las ecuaciones de estado de más de un convertidor por medio de dos variables de control. Seguidamente se propone un método de modelado de convertidores resonantes, basado en la clasificación y aproximación de las variables de estado según su comportamiento dinámico. Los modelos promediados resultantes son válidos no sólo en un entorno reducido del punto nominal de funcionamiento del convertidor, sino en situaciones de arranque del sistema y en presencia de grandes variaciones en la tensión de entrada, la carga y la tensión de referencia. Además, es posible identificar modelos de orden reducido, que contienen las variables de control, la tensión de entrada y la carga, y las variables de estado promediadas más significativas. Por lo tanto, la simplicidad de los modelos resultantes y su amplio margen de validez hacen del método de modelado la herramienta adecuada para la caracterización de convertidores resonantes y la introducción de técnicas de control no lineales en esta clase de estructuras de conversión.Posteriormente se desarrolla un nuevo procedimiento de diseño de controladores en modo de deslizamiento para convertidores conmutados con múltiples entradas de control, basado en el segundo método de Lyapunov y el método del control equivalente. La utilización del método de diseño proporciona la configuración de las superficies de deslizamiento y las leyes de control, y al mismo tiempo, facilita la determinación de las principales restricciones que deben satisfacer los parámetros de los controladores para el correcto funcionamiento de estos sistemas. Otras características fundamentales del método son la simplicidad de los subsistemas de control resultantes y el excelente comportamiento de los convertidores que lo utilizan.Finalmente se implementan cuatro prototipos experimentales suficientemente representativos del problema de estabilización de tensión y de seguimiento de señal en este tipo de sistemas. Los estudios teóricos realizados y el análisis de los resultados de simulación y de las medidas efectuadas sobre los prototipos han permitido derivar las propiedades más significativas de los sistemas electrónicos de potencias estudiados en el presente trabajo: pérdidas de conmutación prácticamente nulas, simple procesado del ruido EMI, gran robustez frente a perturbaciones externas, posibilidad de alimentar a cargas de diferente naturaleza y simple realización del control. Asimismo, es necesario remarcar la existencia de un compromiso de diseño entre la consecución de una excelente respuesta dinámica y un elevado rendimiento, según la elección de topologías resonantes con una o dos acciones de control.This work deals with the study of stabilization and tracking problems in power electronics systems, using Quantum resonant converters and sliding mode control. In both applications, large-signal behavior due to the presence of large amplitude disturbances in the input voltage, the load or the reference is considered. In this case, linear models are insufficient to analyze the system behavior, thus not being able to lead to an accurate conception of the control loop.At first, a non-linear modeling method of resonant converters is introducing, starting from the system state variable partition in two subsets, one corresponding to the fast variation components and the other to the slow variation ones. The resulting averaged models are valid in transient state as well as in the steady-state, and also in large-signal operation. Moreover, reduced-order models can be identified, which consists of external inputs and significant state-space variables. Thus, the modeling method is an easy-to-use tool which can be use not only for the analysis of the converter but also for the design of the control loop.Secondly, a design method of sliding mode controllers for multi-input converters is developed. The method is based on the Lyapunov function approach, and it provides both the structure of the switching surfaces and their associated control laws, guaranteeing globally state behavior. Here, the design procedure is applied to the reduced-order models of different resonant converters resulting in close-loop controllers with simple implementation and fast transient response.Finally, several high-frequency prototypes sufficiently representative of stabilization and tracking problems (two regulators, one inverter, and one transformer) are built and tested to verify the proposed methods of modeling and control design. Comparing the theoretical predictions with simulation and experimental results, the following characteristics of the power electronic systems studied here have been deduced: low switching losses, low EMI noise, robust output voltage response with respect to external disturbances, and simple close-loop implementation. Moreover, it is necessary to point out the existence of a design trade-off between an excellent dynamic response and a high efficiency, according to the selection of resonant topologies with one or two control actions

PI-based controller for low-power distributed inverters to maximise reactive current injection while avoiding over voltage during voltage sags

This paper is a postprint of a paper submitted to and accepted for publication in IET Power Electronics and is subject to Institution of Engineering and Technology Copyright. The copy of record is available at the IET Digital Library.In the recently deregulated power system scenario, the growing number of distributed generation sources should be considered as an opportunity to improve stability and power quality along the grid. To make progress in this direction, this work proposes a reactive current injection control scheme for distributed inverters under voltage sags. During the sag, the inverter injects, at least, the minimum amount of reactive current required by the grid code. The flexible reactive power injection ensures that one phase current is maintained at its maximum rated value, providing maximum support to the most faulted phase voltage. In addition, active power curtailment occurs only to satisfy the grid code reactive current requirements. As well as, a voltage control loop is implemented to avoid overvoltage in non-faulty phases, which otherwise would probably occur due to the injection of reactive current into an inductive grid. The controller is proposed for low-power rating distributed inverters where conventional voltage support provided by large power plants is not available. The implementation of the controller provides a low computational burden because conventional PI-based control loops may apply. Selected experimental results are reported in order to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.Peer ReviewedPostprint (updated version

Analysis of the effect of clock drifts on frequency regulation and power sharing in inverter-based islanded microgrids

© 2018 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes,creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.Local hardware clocks in physically distributed computation devices hardly ever agree because clocks drift apart and the drift can be different for each device. This paper analyses the effect that local clock drifts have in the parallel operation of voltage source inverters (VSIs) in islanded microgrids (MG). The state-of-the-art control policies for frequency regulation and active power sharing in VSIs-based MGs are reviewed and selected prototype policies are then re-formulated in terms of clock drifts. Next, steady-state properties for these policies are analyzed. For each of the policies, analytical expressions are developed to provide an exact quantification of the impact that drifts have on frequency and active power equilibrium points. In addition, a closed-loop model that accommodates all the policies is derived, and the stability of the equilibrium points is characterized in terms of the clock drifts. Finally, the implementation of the analyzed policies in a laboratory MG provides experimental results that confirm the theoretical analysis.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Reliability and energy costs analysis of a rural hybrid microgrid using measured data and battery dynamics: a case study in the coast of Perú

Hybrid microgrids constitute a promising solution for filling the electricity access gap that currently exists in rural areas; however, there is still relatively little information about their reliability and costs based on measured data in real working conditions. This article analyzes data obtained from the operation of a 9 kW hybrid microgrid in the fishermen’s cove of Laguna Grande, Paracas, in the Ica region of Perú, which has been running for 5 years. This microgrid has been equipped with data acquisition systems that measure and register wind speed, solar radiation, temperatures, and all the relevant electric parameters. Battery dynamics considerations are used to determine the depth of discharge in a real-time operative situation. The collected data are used to optimize the design using the specialized software HOMER, incorporating state-of-the-art technology and costs as a possible system upgrade. This work aims to contribute to better understanding the behavior of hybrid rural microgrids using data collected under field conditions, analyzing their reliability, costs, and corresponding sensitivity to battery size as well as solar and wind installed power, as a complement to a majority of studies based on simulations.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Robust and fast sliding-mode control for a DC-DC current-source parallel-resonant converter

Modern DC-DC resonant converters are normally built around a voltage-source series-resonant converter. This study aims to facilitate the practical use of current-source parallel-resonant converters due to their outstanding properties. To this end, this study presents a sliding-mode control scheme, which provides the following features to the closed-loop system: (i) high robustness to external disturbances and parameter variations and (ii) fast transient response during large and abrupt load changes. In addition, a design procedure for determining the values of the control parameters is presented. The theoretical contributions of this study are experimentally validated by selected tests on a laboratory prototype.Peer ReviewedPreprin

Spanish university assessment practices: examination tradition with diversity by faculty.

Classroom assessment is crucial to understand how students approach course materials, even more in a competitive environment such as the one in higher education. Our aim was to explore the current situation of assessment in higher education to consider further institutional and training actions. Every syllabus from all public universities in Spain was entered into a database, from which 1,693 syllabi were selected completely at random for a content analysis. It was found that (1) university teachers use a greater variety and number of assessment instruments than did their counterparts of decades ago, (2) final exam score is still the highest-weighted source of information for the final grade, (3) the cluster of assessment practices show that traditional approaches are still the most prevalent ones, (4) formal peer and self-assessment practices are still extremely rare in the classroom, (5) assessment practices barely change between first- and fourth-year courses, and (6) most variations in assessment are explained by differences on faculty/academic divisions. This research has implications for European legislation, university regulation and university teacher training programmes.pre-print1061 K

Performance evaluation of secondary control policies with respect to digital communications properties in inverter-based islanded microgrids

A key challenge for inverted-based microgrids working in islanded mode is to maintain their own frequency and voltage to a certain reference values while regulating the active and reactive power among distributed generators and loads. The implementation of frequency and voltage restoration control policies often requires the use of a digital communication network for real-time data exchange (tertiary control covers the coordi- nated operation of the microgrid and the host grid). Whenever a digital network is placed within the loop, the operation of the secondary control may be affected by the inherent properties of the communication technology. This paper analyses the effect that properties like transmission intervals and message dropouts have for four existing representative approaches to secondary control in a scalable islanded microgrid. The simulated results reveals pros and cons for each approach, and identifies threats that properly avoided or handled in advance can prevent failures that otherwise would occur. Selected experimental results on a low- scale laboratory microgrid corroborate the conclusions extracted from the simulation study.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Optimal tuning of the control parameters of an inverter-based microgrid using the methodology of design of experiments

This paper is a postprint of a paper submitted to and accepted for publication in IET Power Electronics and is subject to Institution of Engineering and Technology Copyright. The copy of record is available at the IET Digital Library.The design of the control system in an inverter-based microgrid is a challenging problem due to the large number of parameters involved. Different optimisation methods based on obtaining an approximated mathematical model of the microgrid can be found in the literature. In these approaches, the non-linearities and uncertainties of the real system are typically not considered, which may result in a non-optimal tuning of the control parameters. In addition, in most applications, the problem has been simplified assuming that all controllers have the same value for their control parameters. However, in this case, the behaviour of the system is sub-optimal since the particularities of each node of the microgrid are not taken into account. In this paper, an experimental approach for tuning the control parameters of an inverter-based microgrid is introduced. The approach is based on the methodology of design of experiments and it considers different values for the control parameters of all controllers. In this study, this methodology is applied to the design of a droop-free control scheme; however, it can be easily extended to other control schemes. The validity of the proposal is verified through selected experimental results.This work was supported by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain and by the European Regional Development Fund under project RTI2018- 100732- B-C22.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Local secondary control for inverter-based islanded microgrids with accurate active-power sharing under high load conditions

Local secondary control has been successfully used to regulate the frequency of inverterbased islanded microgrids without using communications. In this scenario, noticeable steady-state deviations have been observed in active power sharing caused by the inherent clock drift of the digital processors that implement each inverter local control. This paper presents a control scheme that performs frequency regulation and improves the active power sharing under high load conditions, thus alleviating the impact of clock drifts in this situation. The study introduces a theoretical analysis that quantifies the steady-state deviations in active power sharing. It also includes a design procedure for the control parameters based on static and dynamic specifications. Experimental tests validate the expected features of the proposed control. The experimental setup is based on a laboratory microgrid equipped with three independent digital signal processors with different clock drifts.Postprint (author's final draft

Control strategy for distribution generation inverters to maximize the voltage support in the lowest phase during voltage sags

IEEE Voltage sags are considered one of the worst perturbations in power systems. Distributed generation power facilities are allowed to disconnect from the grid during grid faults whenever the voltage is below a certain threshold. During these severe contingencies, a cascade disconnection could start, yielding to a blackout. To minimize the risk of a power outage, inverter-based distributed generation systems can help to support the grid by appropriately selecting the control objective. Which control strategy performs better when supporting the grid voltage is a complex decision that depends on many variables. This paper presents a control scheme that implements a smart and simple strategy to support the fault: the maximum voltage support for the lowest phase voltage. Therefore, the faulted phase that is more affected by the sag can be better supported since this phase voltage increases as much as possible, reducing the risk of under-voltage disconnection. The proposed controller has the following features: a) maximizes the voltage in the lowest phase, b) injects the maximum rated current of the inverter, and c) balances the active and reactive power references to deal with resistive and inductive grids. The control proposal is validated by means of experimental results in a laboratory prototype.Postprint (author's final draft