Research on the New Topology and Coordinated Control Strategy of Renewable Power Generation Connected MMC-Based DC Power Grid Integration System

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) station connected to the islanded renewable energy generation system needs to adopt the voltage frequency (VF) control to provide AC voltage. The single-pole converter fault will unbalance the input and output power of the DC power grid, which causes the DC voltage or the bridge arm current of the non-fault pole to exceed the protection value in the time scale of tens to hundreds of milliseconds, leading to cascading failures. To realize the fault ride-through (FRT) of single-pole converter fault, this paper analyzes the electrical characteristic of the system. Based on the analysis, the existing topology is optimized and the reasonable operation reserved margin is designed. Furthermore, the corresponding control strategy is proposed, which can not only ensure the single-pole converter block fault ride-through but can also realize economic, stable, and resilient power supply and address asymmetrical problems. Finally, the simulation model is built in PSCAD/EMTDC and the simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.

Automated summary

This paper discusses the use of voltage frequency control by the modular multilevel converter connected to an islanded renewable energy generation system to provide AC voltage. It is found that a single-pole converter fault can lead to power imbalances in the DC grid, requiring optimization of the topology and design of operational reserve margins to achieve fault ride-through.