Model Predictive Control Techniques with Application to Photovoltaic, DC Microgrid, and a Multi-Sourced Hybrid Energy System

Renewable energy sources continue to gain popularity. However, two major limitations exist that prevent widespread adoption: availability and variability of the electricity generated and the cost of the equipment. The focus of this dissertation is Model Predictive Control (MPC) for optimal sized photovoltaic (PV), DC Microgrid, and multi-sourced hybrid energy systems. The main considered applications are: maximum power point tracking (MPPT) by MPC, droop predictive control of DC microgrid, MPC of grid-interaction inverter, MPC of a capacitor-less VAR compensator based on matrix converter (MC). This dissertation firstly investigates a multi-objective optimization technique for a hybrid distribution system. The variability of a high-penetration PV scenario is also studied when incorporated into the microgrid concept. Emerging (PV) technologies have enabled the creation of contoured and conformal PV surfaces; the effect of using non-planar PV modules on variability is also analyzed. The proposed predictive control to achieve maximum power point for isolated and grid-tied PV systems speeds up the control loop since it predicts error before the switching signal is applied to the converter. The low conversion efficiency of PV cells means we want to ensure always operating at maximum possible power point to make the system economical. Thus the proposed MPPT technique can capture more energy compared to the conventional MPPT techniques from same amount of installed solar panel. Because of the MPPT requirement, the output voltage of the converter may vary. Therefore a droop control is needed to feed multiple arrays of photovoltaic systems to a DC bus in microgrid community. Development of a droop control technique by means of predictive control is another application of this dissertation. Reactive power, denoted as Volt Ampere Reactive (VAR), has several undesirable consequences on AC power system network such as reduction in power transfer capability and increase in transmission loss if not controlled appropriately. Inductive loads which operate with lagging power factor consume VARs, thus load compensation techniques by capacitor bank employment locally supply VARs needed by the load. Capacitors are highly unreliable components due to their failure modes and aging inherent. Approximately 60% of power electronic devices failure such as voltage-source inverter based static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) is due to the use of aluminum electrolytic DC capacitors. Therefore, a capacitor-less VAR compensation is desired. This dissertation also investigates a STATCOM capacitor-less reactive power compensation that uses only inductors combined with predictive controlled matrix converter

E-Mobility -- Advancements and Challenges

Mobile platforms cover a broad range of applications from small portable electric devices, drones, and robots to electric transportation, which influence the quality of modern life. The end-to-end energy systems of these platforms are moving toward more electrification. Despite their wide range of power ratings and diverse applications, the electrification of these systems shares several technical requirements. Electrified mobile energy systems have minimal or no access to the power grid, and thus, to achieve long operating time, ultrafast charging or charging during motion as well as advanced battery technologies are needed. Mobile platforms are space-, shape-, and weight-constrained, and therefore, their onboard energy technologies such as the power electronic converters and magnetic components must be compact and lightweight. These systems should also demonstrate improved efficiency and cost-effectiveness compared to traditional designs. This paper discusses some technical challenges that the industry currently faces moving toward more electrification of energy conversion systems in mobile platforms, herein referred to as E-Mobility, and reviews the recent advancements reported in literature

Novel LCL filter for non-isolated photovoltaic inverters with CM current trapping capability for weak grids

© 2018 IEEE. In this work, a novel LCL filter topology for non-isolated Photovoltaic (PV) applications is developed. This topology has the ability to trap the High-Frequency (HF) Common Mode (CM) current inside the PV inverter. Consequently, suppressing the ground leakage current. Furthermore, the proposed solution is immune to ground leakage current resonance issues (i.e. effective for applications where the utility grid is characterized as a weak grid). Moreover, the theoretical analyses were validated on a 10 kW grid-connected PV system. The results demonstrated that at resonance conditions, the proposed system reduced the leakage current root-mean-square (RMS) value from 1 A to 25 mA. Thus, satisfying the VDE standard's leakage current limit.This publication was made possible by NPRP grant # [X-033-2-007] from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors

Preventing Stealthy Attacks on Power Electronics Dominated Grids

Stealthy zero-dynamics attacks are a subset of false data injection attacks (FDIAs) that are especially dangerous, as they are designed to be undetectable by any intrusion detection mechanisms. This paper shows that stealthy attacks can be more destructive on power electronic dominated grids (PEDGs) than traditional power systems, by taking advantage of the low inertia property of PEDGs. The low inertia of these power grids causes the system to be prone to frequency instability when disturbances occur, meaning that an attacker can cause more harm to a system in a shorter amount of time. Another advantage to the attacker is an increased amount of telecommunication devices in PEDGs which provides the attacker with a larger attack surface. It is thus critical that we strive to design PEDGs in such a manner that we minimize their susceptibility to stealthy attacks. We provide a small signal model for a PEDG system, along with the the state space representation of the low-inertia part of the system, and we show that even without the state-space model of the whole system, a stealthy zero-dynamics attack can be constructed and can be successful on a PEDG. Results are also provided to show that strategically choosing model parameters in the design phase of the system can prevent the existence of stealthy zero-dynamics attacks

On Design Challenges of Portable Nuclear Magnetic Resonance System

This article studies the optimal design approach for a portable nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) system for use in non-destructive flow measurement applications. The mechanical and electromagnetic design procedures were carried out using the Ansys Maxwell finite-element analysis (FEA) software tool. The proposed procedure considered homogeneity and strength constraints while ensuring the desired functionality of the intended device for a given application. A modified particle swarm optimization (MPSO) algorithm was proposed as a reference design framework for optimization stages. The optimally designed NMR tool was prototyped, and its functionality was validated via several case studies. To assess the functionality of the prototyped device, Larmor frequency for hydrogen atom was captured and compared with theoretical results. Furthermore, the functionality and accuracy of the prototyped NMR tool is compared to the off-the-shelf NMR tool. Results demonstrated the feasibility and accuracy of the prototyped NMR tool constrained by factors, such as being lightweight and compact