A Novel Control Method for Transformerless H-Bridge Cascaded STATCOM with Star Configuration

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a transformerless static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) system based on multilevel H-bridge converter with star configuration. This proposed control methods devote themselves not only to the current loop control but also to the dc capacitor voltage control. With regards to the current loop control, a nonlinear controller based on the passivity-based control (PBC) theory is used in this cascaded structure STATCOM for the first time. As to the dc capacitor voltage control, overall voltage control is realized by adopting a proportional resonant controller. Clustered balancing control is obtained by using an active disturbances rejection controller. Individual balancing control is achieved by shifting the modulation wave vertically which can be easily implemented in a field-programmable gate array. Two actual H-bridge cascaded STATCOMs rated at 10 kV 2 MVA are constructed and a series of verification tests are executed. The experimental results prove that H-bridge cascaded STATCOM with the proposed control methods has excellent dynamic performance and strong robustness. The dc capacitor voltage can be maintained at the given value effectively.

KEYWORDS:

Active disturbances rejection controller (ADRC), H-bridge cascaded, passivity-based control (PBC), proportional resonant (PR) controller, shifting modulation wave, static synchronous compensator (STATCOM).

SOFTWARE: MATLAB/SIMULINK

CONTROL BLOCK DIAGRAM:

Fig. 1. Control block diagram for the 10 kV 2 MVA H-bridge cascaded STATCOM.

Fig. 2. Block diagram of PBC.

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS:

Fig. 3. Experimental results verify the effect of PBC in steady-state process. (a) Ch1: reactive current; Ch2: compensating current; Ch3: residual current of grid. (b) Ch1: reactive current; Ch2: compensating current; Ch3: residual current of grid.

Fig. 4. Experimental results show the dynamic performance of STATCOM in the dynamic process. Ch1: reactive current; Ch2: compensating current; Ch3: residual current of grid.

Fig. 5. Experimental results in the startup process and stopping process. (a) Ch1: reactive current; Ch2: compensating current; Ch3: residual current of grid. (b) Ch1: reactive current; Ch2: compensating current; Ch3: residual current of grid.

CONCLUSION

This paper has analyzed the fundamentals of STATCOM based on multilevel H-bridge converter with star configuration. And then, the actual H-bridge cascaded STATCOM rated at 10 kV 2 MVA is constructed and the novel control methods are also proposed in detail. The proposed method has the following characteristics.

1) A PBC theory-based nonlinear controller is first used in STATCOM with this cascaded structure for the current loop control, and the viability is verified by the experimental results.

2) The PR controller is designed for overall voltage control and the experimental result proves that it has better performance in terms of response time and damping profile compared with the PI controller.

3) The ADRC is first used in H-bridge cascaded STATCOM for clustered balancing control and the experimental results verify that it can realize excellent dynamic compensation for the outside disturbance.

4) The individual balancing control method which is realized by shifting the modulation wave vertically can be easily implemented in the FPGA.

The experimental results have confirmed that the proposed methods are feasible and effective. In addition, the findings of this study can be extended to the control of any multilevel voltage source converter, especially those with H-bridge cascaded structure.

REFERENCES

[1] B. Gultekin and M. Ermis, “Cascaded multilevel converter-based transmission STATCOM: System design methodology and development of a 12 kV ±12 MVAr power stage,” IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 28, no. 11, pp. 4930–4950, Nov. 2013.

[2] B. Gultekin, C. O. Gerc¸ek, T. Atalik, M. Deniz, N. Bic¸er, M. Ermis, K. Kose, C. Ermis, E. Koc¸, I. C¸ adirci, A. Ac¸ik, Y. Akkaya, H. Toygar, and S. Bideci, “Design and implementation of a 154-kV±50-Mvar transmission STATCOM based on 21-level cascaded multilevel converter,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl., vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 1030–1045, May/Jun. 2012.

[3] S. Kouro, M. Malinowski, K. Gopakumar, L. G. Franquelo, J. Pou, J. Rodriguez, B.Wu,M. A. Perez, and J. I. Leon, “Recent advances and industrial applications of multilevel converters,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 57, no. 8, pp. 2553–2580, Aug. 2010.

[4] F. Z. Peng, J.-S. Lai, J. W. McKeever, and J. VanCoevering, “A multilevel voltage-source inverter with separateDCsources for static var generation,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl., vol. 32, no. 5, pp. 1130–1138, Sep./Oct. 1996.

[5] Y. S. Lai and F. S. Shyu, “Topology for hybrid multilevel inverter,” Proc. Inst. Elect. Eng.—Elect. Power Appl., vol. 149, no. 6, pp. 449–458, Nov. 2002.

A Novel High Step-up DC/DC Converter Based on Integrating Coupled Inductor and Switched-Capacitor Techniques for Renewable Energy Applications

ABSTRACT

In this paper, a novel high step-up dc/dc converter is presented for renewable energy applications. The suggested structure consists of a coupled inductor and two voltage multiplier cells, in order to obtain high step-up voltage gain. In addition, two capacitors are charged during the switch-off period, using the energy stored in the coupled inductor which increases the voltage transfer gain. The energy stored in the leakage inductance is recycled with the use of a passive clamp circuit. The voltage stress on the main power switch is also reduced in the proposed topology. Therefore, a main power switch with low resistance RDS(ON) can be used to reduce the conduction losses. The operation principle and the steady-state analyses are discussed thoroughly. To verify the performance of the presented converter, a 300-W laboratory prototype circuit is implemented. The results validate the theoretical analyses and the practicability of the presented high step-up converter.

KEYWORDS:

Coupled inductor, DC/DC converters, High step-up, Switched capacitor.

SOFTWARE: MATLAB/SIMULINK

 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM:

Fig. 1. Circuit configuration of the presented high-step-up converter.

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS:

  

Fig. 2. Experimental results under load 300 W.

CONCLUSION

This paper presents a new high-step-up dc/dc converter for renewable energy applications. The suggested converter is suitable for DG systems based on renewable energy sources, which require high-step-up voltage transfer gain. The energy stored in the leakage inductance is recycled to improve the performance of the presented converter. Furthermore, voltage stress on the main power switch is reduced. Therefore, a switch with a low on-state resistance can be chosen. The steady-state operation of the converter has been analyzed in detail. Also, the boundary condition has been obtained. Finally, a hardware prototype is implemented which converts the 40-V input voltage into 400-V output voltage. The results prove the feasibility of the presented converter.

REFERENCES

 [1] F.Nejabatkhah, S. Danyali, S. Hosseini, M. Sabahi, and S. Niapour, “Modeling and control of a new three-input DC–DC boost converter for hybrid PV/FC/battery power system,” IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 2309–2324, May 2012.

[2] R. J. Wai and K. H. Jheng, “High-efficiency single-input multiple-output DC–DC converter,” IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 886–898, Feb. 2013.

[3] Y. Zhao, X. Xiang, C. Li, Y. Gu, W. Li, and X. He, “Single-phase high step-up converter with improved multiplier cell suitable for half- bridgebased PV inverter system,” IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 29, no. 6, pp. 2807–2816, Jun. 2014.

[4] J.H. Lee, T. J. Liang, and J. F. Chen, “Isolated coupled-inductor-integrated DC–DC converter with non-dissipative snubber for solar energy applications,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 61, no. 7, pp. 3337–3348, Jul.2014.

[5] C.Olalla, C. Delineand, andD.Maksimovic, “Performance of mismatched PV systems withsubmodule integrated converters,” IEEE J. Photovoltaic, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 396–404, Jan. 2014.

A Multi-Input Bridgeless Resonant AC-DC Converter for Electromagnetic Energy Harvesting

ABSTRACT

Flapping electromagnetic-reed generators are investigated to harvest wind energy, even at low cut-off wind speeds. Power electronic interfaces are intended to address ac-dc conversion and power conditioning for single- or multiple-channel systems. However, the generated voltage of each generator reed at low wind speed is usually below the threshold voltage of power electronic semiconductor devices, increasing the difficulty and inefficiency of rectification, particularly at relatively low output powers. This manuscript proposes a multi-input bridgeless resonant ac-dc converter to achieve ac-dc conversion, step up voltage and match optimal impedance for a multi-channel electromagnetic energy harvesting system. Alternating voltage of each generator is stepped up through the switching LC network and then rectified by a freewheeling diode. Its resonant operation enhances efficiency and enables miniaturization through high frequency switching. The optimal electrical impedance can be adjusted through resonance impedance matching and pulse-frequency-modulation (PFM) control. A 5-cm×3-cm, six-input standalone prototype is fabricated to address power conditioning for a six-channel BreezBee wind panel.

KEYWORDS:

AC-DC conversion, electromagnetic energy harvesting, multi-input converter, resonant converter, wind energy.

SOFTWARE: MATLAB/SIMULINK

 BLOCK DIAGRAM:

Fig. 1. Multi-channel EMR generators and PEI system: (a) conventional PEI; and (b) proposed multi-input PEI.

CIRCUIT DIAGRAM:

Fig. 2. Illustrative scheme of the proposed multi-input converter (v(i)emf: EMF of #i reed; r(i)EMR: coil resistance; L(i)EMR: self-inductance; i(i)EMR: reed terminal current; v(i)EMR: reed terminal voltage; C(i)r1= C(i)r2: resonant capacitors; Lr: resonant inductor; Q(i)r1, Q(i)r2: MOSFETs; Dr: output diode; Co: output capacitor).

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS:

      

                                       (a)                                                                         (b)

Fig. 3. Experimental waveforms of power amplifiers: fin = 20 Hz; X-axis: 10 ms/div; Y-axis: (a) vemf = 3 Vrms; Ch1 = output voltage (Vo), 2.5 V/div; Ch2 = terminal voltage (vEMR) of reed #1, 10 V/div; Ch3 = input current (iEMR) of six reeds, 50 mA/div; and (b) vemf = 0.5 Vrms; Ch1 = output voltage (Vo), 0.5 V/div; Ch2 = terminal voltage (vEMR) of reed #1, 5 V/div; Ch3 = sum of the input currents (iEMR) of six reeds, 10 mA/div.

                (a)                                                                           (b)

Fig. 4. Experimental waveforms of power amplifiers with step change: X-axis: 40 ms/div; Y-axis: (a) vemf = from 1 Vrms to 2 Vrms; Ch1 = output voltage (Vo), 1 V/div; Ch2 = terminal voltage (vEMR) of reed #1, 5 V/div; Ch3 = input current (iEMR) of six reeds, 50 mA/div; and (b) fin = from 20 Hz to 50 Hz; Ch1 = output voltage (Vo), 0.5 V/div; Ch2 = terminal voltage (vEMR) of reed #1, 5 V/div; Ch3 = input current (iEMR) of six reeds, 50 mA/div.

Fig. 5. Experimental waveforms of EMR generators: X-axis: (a) 20 ms/div; (b) 100 ms/div; Y-axis: (a) constant wind speed; (b) wind speed step change; Ch1 = terminal voltage (vEMR) of reed #2, 5 V/div; Ch2 = output voltage (Vo), 1 V/div; Ch3 = terminal voltage (vEMR) of reed #1, 10 V/div; Ch4 = input current (iEMR) of reed #1, 10 mA/div.

CONCLUSION

This manuscript introduces a multi-input bridgeless resonant ac-dc converter suitable for efficient, low-voltage, low-power, ac-dc power conversion of multiple electromagnetic generators. The multi-input single-stage topology is capable of directly converting independent, low-amplitude, alternative voltages of EMR inductive generators to a stepped-up dc output voltage with relatively high efficiency. Low-frequency alternating voltages of EMR generators are first converted into a high-frequency alternating voltage through an LC network and then rectified into a dc output voltage through a soft-switched diode. Optimal electrical impedance matching is achieved through proper LC network design and PFM control to scavenge maximum power of EMR generators. In addition, high-frequency soft-switching increases the potential of size miniaturization without suffering from switching losses. The converter performance is verified through a 5cm×3cm standalone prototype, which converts ac voltages of six-channel generators into a dc output voltage. A maximum PEI conversion efficiency of 86.3% is measured at 27-mW ac-dc power conversion. The topological concept, presented in this manuscript, can be adapted for rectification of any inductive voltage sources or electromagnetic energy-harvesting device.

REFERENCES

[1] A. Khaligh, P. Zeng, and C. Zheng, “Kinetic energy harvesting using piezoelectric and electromagnetic technologies - state of the art,” IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 57, no. 3, pp. 850-860, Mar. 2010.

[2] Altenera Technology Inc., accessible online at http://altenera.com/products/.

[3] H. Jung, S. Lee, and D. Jang, “Feasibility study on a new energy harvesting electromagnetic device using aerodynamic instability,” IEEE Trans. on Magnetics, vol. 45, no. 10, pp. 4376-4379, Oct. 2009.

[4] A. Bansal, D. A. Howey, and A. S. Holmes, “CM-scale air turbine and generator for energy harvesting from low-speed flows,” in Proc. Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems Conf., Jun. 2009, pp. 529-532.

[5] D. Rancourt, A. Tabesh, and L. G. Fréchette, “Evaluation of centimeter-scale micro windmills: aerodynamics and electromagnetic power generation,” in Proc. PowerMEMS, 2007, pp. 93-96.

High-Efficiency MOSFET Transformerless Inverter for Non-isolated Microinverter Applications

ABSTRACT

State-of-the-art low-power-level metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET)-based transformerless photovoltaic (PV) inverters can achieve high efficiency by using latest super junction MOSFETs. However, these MOSFET-based inverter topologies suffer from one or more of these drawbacks: MOSFET failure risk from body diode reverse recovery, increased conduction losses due to more devices, or low magnetics utilization. By splitting the conventional MOSFET based phase leg with an optimized inductor, this paper proposes a novel MOSFET-based phase leg configuration to minimize these drawbacks. Based on the proposed phase leg configuration, a high efficiency single-phase MOSFET transformerless inverter is presented for the PV microinverter applications. The pulsewidth modulation (PWM) modulation and circuit operation principle are then described. The common-mode and differential-mode voltage model is then presented and analyzed for circuit design. Experimental results of a 250W hardware prototype are shown to demonstrate the merits of the proposed transformerless inverter on non-isolated two-stage PV microinverter application.

KEYWORDS: Microinverter, MOSFET inverters, photovoltaic (PV) inverter, transformerless inverter.

SOFTWARE: MATLAB/SIMULINK

   

BLOCK DIAGRAM:

Fig. 1. Two-stage nonisolated PV microinverter.

CIRCUIT DIAGRAM:

Fig. 2. Proposed transformerless inverter topology with (a) separated magnetic and (b) integrated magnetics.

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS:

Fig. 3. Output voltage and current waveforms.

Fig. 4. PWM gate signals waveforms.

Fig. 5. Inverter splitting inductor current waveform.

Fig. 6. Waveforms of voltage between grid ground and DC ground (VEG ).

 CONCLUSION

This paper proposes a MOSFET transformerless inverter with a novel MOSFET-based phase leg, which achieves:

1) high efficiency by using super junction MOSFETs and SiC diodes;

2) minimized risks from the MOSFET phase leg by splitting the MOSFET phase leg with optimized inductor and minimizing the di/dt from MOSFET body diode reverse recovery;

3) high magnetics utilization compared with previous high efficiency MOSFET transformerless inverters in [21], [22], [25], which only have 50% magnetics utilization.

The proposed transformerless inverter has no dead-time requirement, simple PWM modulation for implementation, and minimized high-frequency CMissue. A 250Whardware prototype has been designed, fabricated, and tested in two-stage nonisolated microinverter application. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed MOSFET transformerless inverter achieves 99.01% peak efficiency at full load condition and 98.8% CEC efficiency and also achieves around 98% magnetic utilization. Due to the advantages of high efficiency, low CM voltage, and improved magnetic utilization, the proposed topology is attractive for two-stage nonisolated PV microinverter applications and transformerless string inverter applications.

REFERENCES

 [1] F. Blaabjerg, Z. Chen, and S. B. Kjaer, “Power electronics as efficient interface in dispersed power generation systems,” IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 19, no. 5, pp. 1184–1194, Sep. 2004.

[2] S. B. Kjaer, J. K. Pedersen, and F. Blaabjerg, “A review of singlephase grid-connected inverters for photovoltaic modules,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl., vol. 41, no. 5, p. 1292, Sep. 2005.

[3] Q. Li and P. Wolfs, “A review of the single phase photovoltaic module integrated converter topologies with three different dc link configurations,” IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 1320–1333, May 2008.

[4] Y. Xue, L. Chang, S. B. Kjaer, J. Bordonau, and T. Shimizu, “Topologies of single-phase inverters for small distributed power generators: An overview,” IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 19, no. 5, pp. 1305–1314, 2004.

[5] W. Yu, J. S. Lai, H. Qian, and C. Hutchens, “High-efficiency MOSFET inverter with H6-type configuration for photovoltaic non-isolated AC-module applications,” IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 56, no. 4, pp. 1253–1260, Apr. 2011.

A High Step-Up DC to DC Converter Under Alternating Phase Shift Control for Fuel Cell Power System

ABSTRACT

This paper investigates a novel pulse width modulation (PWM) scheme for two-phase interleaved boost converter with voltage multiplier for fuel cell power system by combining alternating phase shift (APS) control and traditional interleaving PWM control. The APS control is used to reduce the voltage stress on switches in light load while the traditional interleaving control is used to keep better performance in heavy load. The boundary condition for swapping between APS and traditional interleaving PWM control is derived. Based on the aforementioned analysis, a full power range control combining APS and traditional interleaving control is proposed. Loss breakdown analysis is also given to explore the efficiency of the converter. Finally, it is verified by experimental results.

KEYWORDS: Boost converter, Fuel cell, Interleaved, Loss breakdown, Voltage multiplier.

SOFTWARE: MATLAB/SIMULINK

BLOCK DIAGRAM:

Fig. 1. Grid-connected power system based on fuel cell.

Fig. 2. Main theoretical waveforms at boundary condition.

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS:

 Fig.3 Experimental results at boundary condition with traditional interleaving control (L = 1158 μH, R = 2023 Ω, and D = 0.448). (a) CH1-S1 Driver Voltage, CH2 − L1 Current, CH3-S1 Voltage Stress, CH4-Output Voltage, (b) CH1-S1 Driver Voltage, CH2 − C1 Current, CH3-S1 Voltage Stress, CH4-OutputVoltage, (c) CH1-S1 DriverVoltage,CH2 − D1 Current,CH3-S1 Voltage Stress, CH4-Output Voltage, (d) CH1-S1 Driver Voltage, CH2 −DM1 Current, CH3-S1 Voltage Stress, CH4-Output Voltage.

Fig. 4. Traditional interleaving control at nominal load (L = 1158 μH and R = 478 Ω).

Fig. 5. Traditional interleaving control in Zone A (L = 1158 μH and R = 1658 Ω).

Fig. 6. Traditional interleaving control in Zone B (L = 1158 μH and R = 3460 Ω).

Fig. 7. APS control in Zone B (L = 1158 μH and R = 3460 Ω).

 CONCLUSION

The boundary condition is derived after stage analysis in this paper. The boundary condition classifies the operating states into two zones, i.e., Zone A and Zone B. The traditional interleaving control is used in Zone A while APS control is used in Zone B. And the swapping function is achieved by a logic unit. With the proposed control scheme, the converter can achieve low voltage stress on switches in all power range of the load, which is verified by experimental results.

REFERENCES

[1] N. Sammes, Fuel Cell Technology: Reaching Towards Commercialization. London, U.K.: Springer-Verlag, 2006.

[2] G. Fontes, C. Turpin, S. Astier, and T. A. Meynard, “Interactions between fuel cells and power converters: Influence of current harmonics on a fuel cell stack,” IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 670–678, Mar. 2007.

[3] P. Thounthong, B. Davat, S. Rael, and P. Sethakul, “Fuel starvation,” IEEE Ind. Appl. Mag., vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 52–59, Jul./Aug. 2009.

[4] S.Wang,Y.Kenarangui, and B. Fahimi, “Impact of boost converter switching frequency on optimal operation of fuel cell systems,” in Proc. IEEE Vehicle Power Propulsion Conf., 2006, pp. 1–5.

[5] S. K. Mazumder, R. K. Burra, and K. Acharya, “A ripple-mitigating and energy-efficient fuel cell power-conditioning system,” IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 1437–1452, Jul. 2007.