A Passivity-Based High-Bandwidth Voltage Control for Grid-Forming Inverters

The increasing number of power electronic devices connected to the power system is leading it to new stability challenges. The uncertainty of the grid-model may complicate the controller design and compromise stability. As a countermeasure, LQR and pole-placement techniques can be re-oriented to design for passivity, which is leading to new controller design paradigms. Nevertheless, as a general rule, all the variables of the system are considered in the full bandwidth, which may become unfeasible or costly in the industrial scenario. An original controller design technique for LC or LCL filter which accomplishes passivity in a wide range of frequency is proposed. Besides, it reduces the voltage sensor needs, even controlling it, being suitable for Grid-Forming. As consequence, the complexity of the software, hardware and price are reduced. Experimental verification is provided: impedance of the converter from the grid side and response against a changes in the reference/load

Multilevel Multiphase Feedforward Space-Vector Modulation Technique

Multiphase converters have been applied to an increasing number of industrial applications in recent years. On the other hand, multilevel converters have become a mature technology mainly in medium- and high-power applications. One of the problems of multilevel converters is the dc voltage unbalance of the dc bus. Depending on the loading conditions and the number of levels of the converter, oscillations appear in the dc voltages of the dc link. This paper presents a feedforward modulation technique for multilevel multiphase converters that reduces the distortion under balanced or unbalanced dc conditions. The proposed modulation method can be applied to any multilevel-converter topology with any number of levels and phases. Experimental results are shown in order to validate the proposed feedforward modulation technique.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación DPI2009-07004Ministerio de Eduación y Ciencia TEC2007-6187

A multiport partial power processing converter with energy storage integration for EV stationary charging

Battery storage system (BSS) integration in fast charging station (FCS) is becoming popular to achieve higher charging rates with peak-demand shaping possibility. However, the additional conversion stage for integrating the BSS increases the system losses, size and cost. The concept of partial power processing converter (PPPC), can mitigate this effect. Compared to conventional used full power processing converter, PPPC reduces the amount of transferred power from the BSS to the electric vehicle by the converter. As a consequence, the power losses generated by the converter are reduced, leading to lower sized converters and higher system efficiencies. This paper proposes a DC/DC multiport converter which allows the integration of battery storage in FCS based on a partial power processing concept, while maintaining the specific requirements in terms of isolation for FCS. The proposed three-port partial power processing converter (3P-PPPC) is derived from the commonly used triple active bridge (TAB) converter. The resulting design trade-offs, the dynamic behavior and limitations of the topology are investigated. Furthermore, the round-trip efficiency of the 3P-PPPC for integrating BSS in FCS is compared with conventional full power processing converter solutions, highlighting the superiority of the proposed topology. A prototype has been built to validate the 3P-PPPC

Multi-Variable High-Frequency Input-Admittance of Grid-Connected Converters: Modeling, Validation and Implications on Stability

Modern grids are facing a massive integration of power electronics devices, usually associated to instability issues. In order to assess the likelihood and severity of harmonic instability in the high frequency region, this work develops a multi-variable input-admittance model that accurately reflects the following aspects: i) the discrete controller frequencies are defined inside a spectrum region limited by the Nyquist frequency; ii) the physical system aliases are transformed into lower frequency component inside the discrete controller. The proposed model shows that dynamic interactions are not theoretically band-limited; however, the control action tends to be strongly limited in a low frequency range, due to the natural low-pass filter behavior of acquisition and modulation blocks. This is reflected in a reduced resistive part (either positive or negative) of the input-admittance in the high frequency range. More specifically, considering the input-admittance passivity criterion, the excursions into the non-passive area are very smooth at high frequencies, where the input-admittance is well described by simply its inductive filter. Comprehensive experiments are conducted on a lab scale prototype, which includes measurements beyond the Nyquist frequency and alias identification. The experimental results well match the theoretical model

Dynamic Assessment of Source–Load Interactions in Marine MVDC Distribution

Medium-voltage direct-current (MVDC) distribution is a possible replacement due to the advancements in power electronic technologies, for existing medium-voltage ac distribution on ships. The new systems based on MVDC are expected to increase fuel efficiency, remove bulky low frequency transformers used for voltage coordination, and integrate storage technologies. These expected benefits of MVDC come with challenges such as stability and reliability of the new distribution system. In this paper, the effect of three different source-side converters, based on commercially available technology, on the MVDC distribution grid and their interactions with the constant power loads (propulsion drives) are investigated. Additionally, the effect of variations in the filtering effort and the distribution lengths on the system stability is analyzed using the impedance-based stability assessment

Input-Admittance Passivity Compliance for Grid-Connected Converters With an LCL Filter

This work presents a design methodology and its experimental validation for the input-admittance passivity compliance of LCL grid-connected converters. The designs of the LCL filter parameters and discrete controller are addressed systematically, and suitable design guidelines are provided. The controller design is developed in the z-domain, with capacitor voltage based active damping used as degree of freedom to compensate for system delay effects. The role of resistive components in the circuit, which have inherent dissipative properties, is also discussed. As an outcome of the design, a passive input admittance shaping is obtained. The theoretical development is further verified in a low-scale prototype supplied from a controllable grid simulator. For the sake of generality, different combinations of resonant to sampling frequency are tested. Experimental results fully prove the input-admittance passivity compliance

Open-Loop Power Sharing Characteristic of a Three-Port Resonant LLC Converter

The Solid State Transformer (SST) is an attractive solution for highly flexible, cost-effective, compact and efficient power transfer among different grids. Furthermore, a three-port topology is proven as a suitable solution to integrate energy storage resources, the key functionality of emerging SST concept. Among other alternatives, the resonant LLC series resonant converter (SRC) is the cost-effective solution to implement the DC-transformer functionality, which is a core part of the SST. This paper addresses the power sharing characteristics and the zero-voltage switching (ZVS) conditions of a galvanically isolated three-port SRC, operated in DC-transformer mode. A mathematical model, which effectively decouples principal from circulating currents and power flows, is proposed and developed. This new mathematical framework eases the analysis; and reveals a constant power sharing characteristic tightly dominated by the resonant tank parameters even though some degrees of freedom are allowed thanks to the introduction of a differential voltage at the input terminals. Subsequently, design aspects and assessments of working operation conditions are also reported. The accuracy of the proposed model is verified by experimental validation on a lab-scale prototype

Power Supply System with Integrated Energy Storage for Superconducting Magnets

To achieve higher collision rate of particle beams, CERN Large Hadron Collider requires new superconducting magnets and associated power supplies at the interaction points for its High-Luminosity upgrade. A new family of two-quadrant converters with integrated energy storage is studied in order to increase the system availability and energy efficiency. This paper describes topological implementation with an energy storage solution based on supercapacitor, considering real operating cycle and superconducting magnet parameters. Power supply control and energy management considerations are presented and verified through simulations of a complete system, providing insight for the future design of the system