Article
Automation & Control Systems
Sandeep Kaler, Amirnaser Yazdani
Summary: This article introduces a dynamic model and current-mode control for a DC-DC modular multilevel converter, aiming to expand the converter to a three-leg configuration in order to reduce filtering requirements. The complete model of the converter and systematic approach for power throughput control are developed and verified through simulations and experiments. Expanding from a single-leg to three-leg configuration effectively alleviates the filtering requirements on both high-voltage and low-voltage sides.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Cristian Pesce, Javier Riedemann, Ruben Pena, Ivan Andrade, Werner Jara, Rodrigo Villalobos
Summary: This paper proposes a decoupled control of a dc-dc modular multilevel converter (MMC) based on a double-T topology intended for multi-terminal high voltage direct current (MT-HVdc) transmission systems or emerging distribution systems operating in medium voltage direct current (MVdc). The aim of the proposed control strategy is to obtain an input current with reduced harmonic content and to eliminate the output ac common-mode voltage, which is not allowed in MT-HVdc systems. The control strategy consists of injecting two circulating ac currents and two dc currents that allow the energy balance between the arms of the converter and the general energy balance of the topology. The dc and ac currents are decoupled and allow control over load variations and reference changes in the dc-links. The proposed topology is mathematically modeled and the control method is then derived. Simulation results are presented to validate the proposed system.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Ewan M. Farr, Ralph Feldman, Jon C. Clare, Omar F. Jasim
Summary: This article introduces ac fault ride-through strategies for the extended-overlap operating mode of the alternate arm converter, which are experimentally validated. The AAC offers benefits such as requiring fewer submodules with smaller capacitance compared to the half-bridge modular multilevel converter, and providing dc fault ride-through capability.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Zain Hassan, Alan J. Watson, Francesco Tardelli, Jon Clare
Summary: The modular multilevel converter (MMC) has become the industry standard for high voltage direct current (HVDC) applications due to its scalability, modularity, high efficiency, and better output quality. A switched mid-point modular multilevel converter (SMPC) is introduced in this paper as an alternative topology to reduce energy storage while maintaining the benefits of the MMC. The SMPC achieves significant energy storage reduction (around 50%) compared to the MMC, and the DC-side does not require additional filtering for distortion. However, it requires more switches and slightly lower efficiency.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Andres E. Leon, Julian Freytes
Summary: This paper compares and analyzes the traditional voltage-source converter control approach with the new control philosophy in MMC, discussing their main differences and applicability. Additionally, some guidelines are provided for MMC systems to offer additional services.
IEEE SYSTEMS JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Dimitrios Vozikis, Grain P. Adam, Pierre Rault, Olivier Despouys, Derrick Holliday
Summary: This article discusses the operating principles, performance, and variant design of the enhanced modular multilevel converter (EMMC). Through comprehensive simulation studies, it has been confirmed that EMMC is reliable in normal operation, fault tolerance, and specific functionalities.
IEEE JOURNAL OF EMERGING AND SELECTED TOPICS IN POWER ELECTRONICS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Joaquin Pedra, Luis Sainz, Lluis Monjo
Summary: High-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems linked to AC grids with converters are promising energy transmission systems. However, existing stability study methods do not fully model voltage source converters (VSCs) in HVDC systems. This paper proposes a detailed and complete DC admittance model of VSCs using dq-complex space vectors, taking into account the VSC delay, feedforward filter, and d- and q-reference current controls, as well as a general AC grid.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Daniel Dinkel, Claus Hillermeier, Rainer Marquardt
Summary: This article presents a new multivariable control (MVC) concept for modular multilevel converters (MMCs), which enables independent and extremely fast control of all essential variables. The MVC has been implemented based on FPGA-hardware and digital signal processing, and it shows robustness against parameter variation.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS
(2022)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Pierre-Baptiste Steckler, Jean-Yves Gauthier, Xuefang Lin-Shi, Francois Wallart
Summary: This article presents a new control method based on differential flatness theory for Modular Multilevel Converters (MMC), which allows for high dynamic performance of power flow even under noisy measurements and parametric disturbances. By utilizing the average model of MMC and trajectory tracking controllers, active and reactive power control of AC grid can be achieved efficiently.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON CONTROL SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Yuanshi Zhang, Xuekun Meng, Amin Mohammadpour Shotorbani, Liwei Wang
Summary: This paper discusses the optimization of transmission loss in an interconnected AC-DC grid through adjusting active power exchange between AC and DC grids, as well as proposing an optimization algorithm to minimize total loss and DC voltage deviation. The adaptive droop control is used to optimize power references in the proposed algorithm.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER SYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Florian Errigo, Florent Morel, Cedric Mathieu De Vienne, Laurent Chedot, Ali Sari, Pascal Venet
Summary: This paper proposes a modular interface converter for energy storage systems and modular multilevel converters. By using switches with high switching frequency, the volume of passive components can be reduced. The proposed control method achieves appropriate energy exchange and addresses balancing issues.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Keijo Jacobs, Stefanie Heinig, Daniel Johannesson, Staffan Norrga, Hans-Peter Nee
Summary: The article reviews developments in silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor technology and submodule (SM) topologies for modular multilevel converters, evaluating their combined performance in high-voltage-direct-current (HVdc) converters based on core requirements. Various alternative design approaches to state-of-the-art SMs with Si insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) are proposed, with a focus on leveraging advantages such as SM bipolar capability, reduced losses with SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors, and higher SM voltage enabled by SiC devices. Potential future developments in ultrahigh-voltage bipolar devices like SiC IGBTs and SiC gate turn-off thyristors are also discussed.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Harith R. Wickramasinghe, Pingyang Sun, Georgios Konstantinou
Summary: This study demonstrates the interoperability of an emerging alternate arm converter (AAC) with the state-of-the-art modular multilevel converter (MMC) in high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems based on a hybrid VSC-HVDC system. Through detailed analysis of an 800 MVA hybrid voltage source converter (VSC)-HVDC system, the study showcases the interoperability performance of the AAC under different operating scenarios and verifies its associated control functions.
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Abraham Marquez Alcaide, Youngjong Ko, Markus Andresen, Jose I. Leon, Sergio Vazquez, Vito Giuseppe Monopoli, Giampaolo Buticchi, Marco Liserre, Leopoldo G. Franquelo
Summary: Interleaved dc-dc converters are widely used in various applications due to their inherent power sharing and reduced output waveform ripple. However, in some cases such as multistring photovoltaic converters, the mismatched power management among power modules can lead to unbalanced operation and degraded harmonic response. This directly affects the lifetime of the dc-link capacitor, a critical component of the system. This article proposes a variable-angle phase displacement angle to mitigate this issue and extend the converter's lifetime.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Mustafa Kaya, Alessandro Costabeber, Alan Watson, Francesco Tardelli, Jon Clare
Summary: This article introduces a push-pull series connected (PPSC) ac-dc converter for high-voltage direct current applications. The proposed topology requires fewer submodules compared to a standard modular multilevel converter (MMC) for the same dc voltage. Each converter phase unit is connected via a center-tapped single-phase transformer, providing galvanic isolation. The required arm inductance can be merged into the transformer leakage inductance. The design, operation, and comparison with MMC are discussed in detail.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS
(2022)
Review
Energy & Fuels
Uvais Mustafa, Rishad Ahmed, Alan Watson, Patrick Wheeler, Naseer Ahmed, Parmjeet Dahele
Summary: Electric vehicles are gaining popularity for their eco-friendly operation. As the demand increases, exploring charging strategies becomes important. Integrating charging and traction systems, termed 'Integrated Chargers', is becoming a popular practice due to similarities in power electronics converters for both operations.
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Feng Guo, Tao Yang, Ahmed M. Diab, Zhen Huang, Seang Shen Yeoh, Serhiy Bozhko, Patrick Wheeler
Summary: In this article, a hybrid active modulation approach is proposed to tackle the challenges faced by conventional pulsewidth modulation (PWM) strategies in the aircraft electric starter/generator system. The proposed approach includes coordinate-based PWM for startup process and enhanced carrier-based virtual-space-vector modulation technique for generation mode. Bias-offset injection in the time and voltage domain is used to maintain balanced capacitor voltages. Simulation and experimental results obtained from a test rig validate the effectiveness of the presented algorithm.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Yuxin Liu, Xin Liu, Fei Gao, Dong Liu, Patrick Wheeler
Summary: Auxiliary power supply (APS) plays a crucial role in medium voltage (MV) solid state transformers (SSTs) by providing power to auxiliary units. A new design for isolated APS of an input-series output-parallel (ISOP) SST is proposed in this article. The distributed MV APSs are galvanically isolated by flybacks, and the centralized APS is supplied from the MV APSs via a decoupling four-port medium frequency transformer. A dual-loop control scheme based on APS-fluctuating is proposed to solve the issue of input voltage imbalance in the ISOP system. The proposed system's small-signal model, start-up strategy, and parameter design are investigated, and a 500 V/2.2 kW lab prototype of SST with APS is built with an overall system efficiency of 95.1%.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Giampaolo Buticchi, Pat Wheeler, Dushan Boroyevich
Summary: Aviation is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, driving the need for aircraft electrification to reduce pollution and improve flight efficiency. This article provides an overview of recent advancements and trends in aircraft electrification, referencing the global aviation roadmap.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Chemistry, Analytical
Carlos R. Baier, Jesus C. Hernandez, Patrick Wheeler
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Matias Albornoz, Marco Rivera, Patrick Wheeler, Roberto Ramirez
Summary: Pulsed electrolysis has emerged as a promising research topic due to advancements in solid-state semiconductor devices. These technologies have allowed for the development of simpler, more efficient, and cost-effective high-voltage and high-frequency power converters. This paper investigates high-voltage pulsed electrolysis considering variations in both power converter parameters and cell configuration. Experimental results demonstrate the potential of pulsed plasmolysis as a method for hydrogen production by decomposing water.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Sohaib Qazi, Prasanth Venugopal, Gert Rietveld, Thiago Batista Soeiro, Udai Shipurkar, Alex Grasman, Alan J. Watson, Patrick Wheeler
IEEE ELECTRIFICATION MAGAZINE
(2023)
Review
Energy & Fuels
Sultan Alwahaibi, Patrick Wheeler, Marco Rivera, Md Rishad Ahmed
Summary: There is a global trend to reduce emissions from cars through the adoption of other alternatives, such as electric vehicles (EVs). The increasing popularity of EVs has led to a growing demand for electric vehicle chargers. This paper presents an overview of the impact of grid events on EV battery chargers, including the impact of grid unbalances on EV chargers and the impact of grid faults on other power electronics interfaced resources.
Review
Energy & Fuels
Peyman Koohi, Alan J. Watson, Jon C. Clare, Thiago Batista Soeiro, Patrick W. Wheeler
Summary: Multi-port DC-DC converters are a promising solution for applications involving multiple DC sources, storage elements, and loads. Multi-active bridge (MAB) converters have attracted researchers' interest due to their potential advantages, such as high power density and galvanic isolation. However, the coupled power flow nature of MAB converters makes their control implementation difficult, requiring a decoupling control strategy to be designed.
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Yeiner Arias-Esquivel, Roberto Cardenas, Matias Urrutia, Matias Diaz, Luca Tarisciotti, Jon C. Clare
Summary: The modular multilevel converter is a suitable choice for high-power, medium-voltage drive applications due to its modularity and scalability. However, its control is complex and involves several tightly-coupled circulating current feedback loops implemented using single-input single-output design tools. This study proposes the use of continuous control set model predictive control to consider cross-coupling and interactions between the state variables, as well as system constraints. The proposed controller is experimentally validated and tested on an 18-cell MMC prototype driving a cage machine.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Youzheng Wang, Hongchen Liu, Huiying Yu, Fengjiang Wu, Patrick Wheeler, Qikun Zhou, Shiyu Zhao
Summary: In this study, a universal hybrid coupler with high misalignment tolerance is proposed to solve the issues of voltage output and system efficiency decreasing in the electric vehicle inductive power transfer (IPT) charging system when misalignment occurs. The hybrid coupler consists of a four-coil bipolar (BP) coupler, the T-type network, and a compensation capacitor, which effectively achieves high anti-misalignment capabilities for any compensation networks. The experimental results validate the correctness of the theoretical analysis.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON VEHICULAR TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Rodrigo Aliaga, Javier Munoz, Marco Rivera, Patrick Wheeler, Jaime Rohten, Andrew Trentin
Summary: Solar energy can be converted into electrical power through photovoltaics (PV) and connected to grids by power electronic converters. The use of microinverters, which connect a small power electronic converter to each PV panel, solves the issue of power loss caused by partial shading and enables independent maximum power point tracking and electrical isolation.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Dong Ding, Jiang Liu, Weizhang Song, Patrick Wheeler
Summary: This paper investigates the resonance problem of inverter clusters under weak grids and proposes a resonance suppression strategy. By analyzing the resonance characteristics and mathematically modeling the change caused by equivalent grid impedance, a control gain for the proposed strategy is obtained through the Routh Criterion. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the strategy.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS I-REGULAR PAPERS
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Fatma A. Khera, Serhiy Bozhko, Pat Wheeler
Summary: Research on electric power systems (EPSs) for the aviation industry has grown significantly due to the need to reduce global CO2 emissions. This paper focuses on the development of solid-state power controllers (SSPCs) for a 270 V DC system with a current rating of 125 A / 250 A. The study presents designs for over-voltage suppression and thermal management of the SSPCs, and shows effective over-voltage suppression and quick interruption capabilities for the proposed SSPCs.
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Youzheng Wang, Hongchen Liu, Huiying Yu, Patrick Wheeler
Summary: This paper proposes a method to enhance the efficiency and soft-switching stability of battery wireless chargers. By using an auxiliary resonant network and a new modulation method, smooth switching between constant current mode and constant voltage mode can be achieved, effectively reducing switching losses.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS
(2023)
