Seventeen-Level Inverter Formed by Cascading Flying Capacitor and Floating Capacitor H-Bridges

Seventeen-Level Inverter Formed by Cascading

Flying Capacitor and Floating Capacitor H-Bridges

ABSTRACT:

A multilevel inverter for generating 17 voltage levels using a three-level flying capacitor inverter and cascaded H-bridge modules with floating capacitors has been proposed. Various aspects of the proposed inverter like capacitor voltage balancing have been presented in the present paper. Experimental results are presented to study the performance of the proposed converter. The stability of the capacitor balancing algorithm has been verified both during transients and steady state operation. All the capacitors in this circuit can be balanced instantaneously by using one of the pole voltage combinations. Another advantage of this topology is its ability to generate all the voltages from a single dc-link power supply which enables back-to-back operation of converter. Also, the proposed inverter can be operated at all load power factors and modulation indices. Additional advantage is, if one of the H-bridges fail, the inverter can still be operated at full load with reduced number of levels. This configuration has very low dv/dt and common-mode voltage variation.

KEYWORDS:

1.     Cascaded H-bridge

2.     Flying capacitor

3.     Multilevel inverter

4.     17-level inverter.

                                          

 SOFTWARE: MATLAB/SIMULINK

 CIRCUIT  DIAGRAM:

CONCLUSION:

A new 17-level inverter configuration formed by cascading a three-level flying capacitor and three floating capacitor Hbridges has been proposed for the first time. The voltages of each of the capacitors are controlled instantaneously in few switching cycles at all loads and power factors obtaining high performance output voltages and currents. The proposed configuration uses a single dc link and derives the other voltage levels from it. This enables back-to-back converter operation where power can be drawn and supplied to the grid at prescribed power factor. Also, the proposed 17-level inverter has improved reliability. In case of failure of one of the H-bridges, the inverter can still be operated with reduced number of levels supplying full power to the load. This feature enables it to be used in critical applications like marine propulsion and traction where reliability is of highest concern. Another advantage of the proposed configuration is modularity and symmetry in structure which enables the inverter to be extended to more number of phases like five-phase and six-phase configurations with the same control scheme. The proposed inverter is analyzed and its performance is experimentally verified for various modulation indices and load currents by running a three-phase 3-kW squirrel cage induction motor. The stability of the capacitor balancing algorithm has been tested experimentally by suddenly accelerating the motor at no load and observing the capacitor voltages at various load currents.

REFERENCES:

[1] J. Rodriguez, J.-S. Lai, and F. Z. Peng, “Multilevel inverters: A survey of topologies, controls, and applications,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl., vol. 49, no. 4, pp. 724–738, Aug. 2002.

[2] L. G. Franquelo, J. Rodriguez, J. I. Leon, S. Kouro, R. Portillo, and M. A. M. Prats, “The age of multilevel converters arrives,” IEEE Ind. Electron. Mag., vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 28–39, Jun. 2008.

[3] S. Kouro, M. Malinowski, K. Gopakumar, J. Pou, L. G. Franquelo, B.Wu, J. Rodriguez, 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] A. M. Massoud, S. Ahmed, P. N. Enjeti, and B. W.Williams, “Evaluation of a multilevel cascaded-type dynamic voltage restorer employing discontinuous space vector modulation,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 57, no. 7, pp. 2398–2410, Jul. 2010.

[5] S. Rivera, S. Kouro, B.Wu, S. Alepuz,M. Malinowski, P. Cortes, and J. R. Rodriguez, “Multilevel direct power control—a generalized approach for grid-tied multilevel converter applications,” IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 29, no. 10, pp. 5592–5604, Oct. 2014.

Switching Losses and Harmonic Investigations in Multilevel Inverters

ABSTRACT:

Use of conventional two-level pulse width modulation (PWM) inverters provide less distorted current and voltage but at the cost of higher switching losses due to high switching frequencies. Multilevel inverters are emerging as a viable alternative for high power, medium voltage applications. This paper compares total harmonic distortion and switching losses in conventional two-level inverters with multilevel inverters (three-level and five-level) at different switching frequencies. An optimized switching frequency has been obtained for a lower level of total harmonic distortion and switching losses. Diode-clamped, three-phase topology is considered for study. A sinusoidal PWM technique is used to control the switches of the inverter. Simulation study confirms the reduction in harmonic distortion and switching losses as the number of the levels increases.

KEYWORDS:

1.     Harmonics

2.     Multilevel inverters

3.     Pulse width modulation

4.     Switching losses

5.     Total harmonic distortion.

SOFTWARE: MATLAB/SIMULINK

CIRCUIT DIAGRAM:

 EXPECTED SIMULATION RESULTS:

CONCLUSION:

A comparative study of THD of the output voltage waveform and switching losses of two-level, three-level and five-level three-phase diode clamped inverters has been presented in this paper using the SPWM technique. It has been observed that both THD and switching losses decrease with the increase in the number of levels in the output voltage. However, with the decrease in carrier frequency, the THD level increases and switching losses reduce proportionately. Figures 10, 12 and 14 can be referred to optimize the switching losses and harmonic contents for operation of an inverter at an optimized switching frequency. The above investigation is made without an output filter. By using suitable filters, the harmonic content can be further reduced.

REFERENCES:

1. F. Z. Peng & J. S. Lai, ‘Multilevel Converters - A new breed of power converters’, IEEE Transaction on Industry Applications, Vol. 32, No. 3, May/June, 1996, pp. 509-517.

2. Jose Rodriguez, J. S. Lai & F. Z. Peng, ‘Multilevel Inverters: A Survey of Topologies, Controls, and Applications’, IEEE Transaction on Industrial Electronics, Vol. 49, No. 4, Aug 2002, pp. 724-738.

3. Mohan Ned, Undeland T.M. & Robbins W.P., ‘Power Electronics: Converters, Applications and Design’, John Wiley and Sons, Second Edition, 2001.

4. G. Bhuvaneswari & Nagaraju, ‘Multilevel Inverters - A Comparative Study’, IETE Journal of Research, Vol. 51, No.2, Mar-Apr 2005, pp. 141-153.

5. B. Kaku, I. Miyashita & S. Sone, ‘Switching Loss Minimized Space Vector PWM Method for IGBT Three-Level Inverter’, IEE Proceedings, Electric Power Applications, Vol. 144, No. 3, May 1997, pp 182-190.

MODIFIED INCREMENTAL CONDUCTANCE ALGORITHM FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM UNDER PARTIAL SHADING CONDITIONS AND LOAD VARIATION

ABSTRACT:

Under partial shading conditions, multiple peaks are observed in the power–voltage (P–V ) characteristic curve of a photovoltaic (PV) array, and the conventional maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms may fail to track the global maximum power point (GMPP). Therefore, this paper proposes a modified incremental conductance (Inc Cond) algorithm that is able to track the GMPP under partial shading conditions and load variation. A novel algorithm is introduced to modulate the duty cycle of the dc–dc converter in order to ensure fast MPPT process. Simulation and hardware implementation are carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm under partial shading and load variation. The results show that the proposed algorithm is able to track the GMPP accurately under different types of partial shading conditions, and the response during variation of load and solar irradiation are faster than the conventional Inc Cond algorithm. Hence, the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm under partial shading condition and load variation is validated in this paper.

KEYWORDS:

1.     DC–DC converter

2.     Incremental conductance (Inc Cond)

3.     Maximum power point tracking (MPPT)

4.     Partial shading

5.     Photovoltaic (PV) system.

SOFTWARE: MATLAB/SIMULINK

BLOCK DIAGRAM:

 EXPECTED SIMULATION RESULTS:

CONCLUSION:

In this paper, a modified Inc Cond algorithm has been used to track the GMPP for the PV array under partial shading conditions and also load variation. A novel algorithm is used to modulate the duty cycle of the converter, and thus, the tracking speed is improved. The simulation and experimental results showed that the proposed algorithm is able to track the GMPP accurately and thus reduces the power losses faced by the conventional algorithm. The experimental results also showed that the proposed algorithm is able to respond rapidly and accurately to the variation in the load and the solar irradiation during partial shading conditions. As a conclusion, the proposed algorithm performed better in tracking the GMPP under partial shading conditions and load variation, as compared with the conventional Inc Cond algorithm.

REFERENCES:

[1] S. Mekhilef, R. Saidur, and A. Safari, “A review on solar energy use in industries,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 1777–1790, May 2011.

[2] S. Mekhilef, A. Safari, W. E. S. Mustaffa, R. Saidur, R. Omar, and M. A. A. Younis, “Solar energy in Malaysia: Current state and prospects,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 386–396, Jan. 2012.

[3] K. H. Solangi, M. R. Islam, R. Saidur, N. A. Rahim, and H. Fayaz, “A review on global solar energy policy,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 2149–2163, May 2011.

[4] T. Esram and P. L. Chapman, “Comparison of photovoltaic array maximum power point tracking techniques,” IEEE Trans. Energy Convers., vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 439–449, Jun. 2007.

[5] M. A. G. de Brito, L. Galotto, L. P. Sampaio, G. de Azevedo e Melo, and C. A. Canesin, “Evaluation of the main MPPT techniques for photovoltaic applications,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 60, no. 3, pp. 1156–1167, Mar. 2013.

NOVEL DEVELOPMENT OF A FUZZY CONTROL SCHEME WITH UPFC’s FOR DAMPING OF OSCILLATIONS IN MULTI-MACHINE POWER SYSTEMS

ABSTRACT:

This paper presents a novel development of a fuzzy logic controlled power system using UPFCs to damp the oscillations in a FACTS based integrated multi-machine power system consisting of 3 generators, 3 transformers, 9 buses, 4 loads & 2 UPFCs. Oscillations in power systems have to be taken a serious note of when the fault takes place in any part of the system, else this might lead to the instability mode & shutting down of the power system. UPFC based POD controllers can be used to suppress the oscillations upon the occurrence of a fault at the generator side or near the bus side. In order to improve the dynamic performance of the multi-machine power system, the behavior of the UPFC based POD controller should be coordinated, otherwise the power system performance might be deteriorated. In order to keep the advantages of the existing POD controller and to improve the UPFC-POD performance, a hybrid fuzzy coordination based controller can be used ahead of a UPFC based POD controller to increase the system dynamical performance & to coordinate the UPFC-POD combination. This paper depicts about this hybrid

combination of a fuzzy with a UPFC & POD control strategy to damp the electro-mechanical oscillations. The amplification part of the conventional controller is modified by the fuzzy coordination controller. Simulink models are developed with & without the hybrid controller. The 3 phase to ground symmetrical fault is made to occur near the first generator for 200 ms. Simulations are performed with & without the controller. The digital simulation results show the effectiveness of the method presented in this paper.

KEYWORDS:

1.     UPFC

2.     POD

3.     Fuzzy logic

4.     Coordination

5.     Controller

6.     Oscillations

7.     Damping

8.     Stability

9.     Simulink

10.   State space model.

SOFTWARE: MATLAB/SIMULINK

BLOCK DIAGRAM:

SIMULINK BLOCK DIAGRAM:

 

EXPECTED SIMULATION RESULTS:

CONCLUSION:

A FACTS based multi-machine power system comprising of 3 generators, 9 buses, 3 loads with and without the 2 Fuzzy-POD-UPFC controllers was considered in this paper. Simulink models were developed in Matlab 7 with & without the Fuzzy- POD-UPFC controllers for the considered multimachine model in order to damp out the oscillations. The control strategy was also developed by writing a set of fuzzy rules. The fuzzy control strategy was designed based on the conventional POD-UPFC controller & put before the POD-UPFC in the modeling. The main advantage of putting the fuzzy coordination controller before the POD-UPFC in modeling is the amplification part of the conventional controller being modified by the fuzzy coordination unit, thus increasing the power system stability. Simulations were run in Matlab 7 & the results were observed on the scope. Graphs of power angle vs. time were observed with and without the controller. From the simulation results, it was observed that without the Fuzzy-POD-UPFC controller, the nine bus system will be having more disturbances, while we check the power angle on the first generator. There are lot of ringing oscillations (overshoots / undershoots) & the output takes a lot of time to stabilize, which can be observed from the simulation results. But, from the incorporation of the Fuzzy- POD-UPFC coordination system in loop with the plant gave better results there by reducing the disturbances in the power angle and also the post fault settling time also got reduced a lot. The system stabilizes quickly, thus damping the local mode oscillations and reducing the settling time immediately after the occurrence of the fault. The developed control strategy is not only simple, reliable, and may be easy to implement in real time applications. The performance of the developed method in this paper thus demonstrates the damping of the power system oscillations using the effectiveness of Fuzzy-POD-UPFC coordination concepts over the damping of power system oscillations without the Fuzzy-POD-UPFC coordination scheme.

REFERENCES:

[1]. L. Gyugi, “Unified Power flow concept for flexible AC transmission systems”, IEE Proc., Vol. 139, No. 4, pp. 323–332, 1992.

[2]. M. Noroozian, L. Angquist, M. Ghandari, and G. Anderson, “Use of UPFC for optimal power flow control”, IEEE Trans. on Power Systems, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 1629–1634, 1997.

[3]. Nabavi-Niaki and M.R. Iravani, “Steady-state and dynamic models of unified power flow

controller (UPFC) for power system studies”, IEEE’96 Winter Meeting, Paper 96, 1996.

[4]. C.D. Schauder, D.M. Hamai, and A. Edris. “Operation of the Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) under Practical constraints”, IEEE Trans. On Power Delivery, Vol. 13, No. 2. pp. 630~639, Apr. 1998.

[5]. Gyugyi, L., “Unified power flow controller concept for flexible AC transmission systems”, IEE Proc. Gener. Transm. Distrib., No.139, pp. 323-331, 1992.

AN IMPROVED CONTROL STRATEGY FOR THE THREE-PHASE GRID-CONNECTED INVERTER

ABSTRACT:

An improved control strategy for the three-phase grid-connected inverter with space vector pulse  width modulation (SVPWM) is proposed. When the grid current contains harmonics, the d- and q-axis grid currents will be interacted, and then the waveform quality of the grid current will be poorer. As the reference output voltage cannot directly reflect the change of the reference grid current, the dynamic response of the grid-connected inverter is slow. In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the d- and q-axis grid currents in the decoupled components of the grid current controller can be substituted by the d- and q-axis reference grid currents, respectively. The operating principles of the traditional and proposed control methods are illustrated. Experimental results for a 15-kVA three-phase grid-connected inverter with SVPWM verify the theoretical analysis. Compared with the traditional control strategy, the grid-connected inverter with the improved control strategy has high waveform quality of the grid current, small ripple power, and fast dynamic response.

KEYWORDS:

1.     Inverters

2.     LCL filter

3.     Grid-connected

4.     SVPWM

5.     Total harmonic distortion.

SOFTWARE: MATLAB/SIMULINK

BLOCK DIAGRAM:

EXPERIMENTAL  RESULTS:

CONCLUSION:

This paper has proposed an improved SVPWM control strategy for the three-phase grid connected inverter. The reference grid current is used in the decoupled components of the grid current controller in the proposed control method to replace the grid current. Experimental results of a 15-kVA three-phase SVPWM grid-connected inverter show that the grid-connected inverter with the proposed control strategy has high waveform quality of the grid current, small ripple power, and fast dynamic response compared with the traditional control strategy.

  

REFERENCES:

[1] Li, R., Ma, Z., Xu, D.: ‘A ZVS grid-connected three-phase inverter’, IEEE Trans. Power Electron., 2012, 27, (8), pp. 3595–3604

[2] Kirubakaran, K., Jain, S., Nema, R. K.: ‘DSP-controlled power electronic interface for fuel cell-based distributed generation’, IEEE Trans. Power Electron., 2011, 26, (12), pp. 3853–3864

[3] Blaabjerg, F., Liserre, M., Ma, K.: ‘Power electronics converters for wind turbine systems’, IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl., 2012, 48, (2), pp. 708–719

[4] Yao, Z., Xiao, L., Yan, Y.: ‘Seamless transfer of single-phase grid-interactive inverters between grid-connected and stand-alone modes’, IEEE Trans. Power Electron., 2010, 25, (6), pp. 1597–1603

[5] Espi, J. M., Castello, J., García-Gil, R., Garcera, G., Figueres, E.: ‘An adaptive robust predictive current control for three-phase grid-connected inverters’, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., 2011, 58, (8), pp. 3537–3546

Mitigation of Power Quality Problems using Unified Power Quality Conditioner (UPQC)

ABSTRACT:

Power quality has become a crucial factor today due to wide application of power electronics based equipment. Conventional equipment for enhancement of power quality is becoming inadequate. Unified power quality conditioner (UPQC) is one modern device which deals with voltage and current imperfections simultaneously. In this paper, an attempt has been made to model the UPQC for voltage and current compensation with the help of two different control schemes. The current and voltage harmonics as well as voltage sag and swells compensation are shown.

KEYWORDS:

1.     Power Quality

2.     Active power Filter

3.     Modeling of UPQC

4.     Simulation.

SOFTWARE: MATLAB/SIMULINK

BLOCK DIAGRAM:

EXPECTED SIMULATION RESULTS:

CONCLUSION:

This work proposes a control scheme for UPQC based on hysteresis voltage and current  controller. In this scheme the series APF and the shunt APF of the UPQC are controlled by the combination of UVT and instantaneous p-q theory. The UPQC model was developed and simulated in MATLAB/SIMULINK environment. It can be observed from the results obtained through simulation that the supply side voltage sag/swell, harmonic as well as the load side current harmonics are easily taken care of by the use of the proposed control scheme. It can also be noticed from the results that the supply side current and load voltage harmonics levels are well below the IEEE 519 standards [10].

REFERENCES:

 [1] H. Awad, M. H.J Bollen, “Power Electronics for Power Quality Improvements,” IEEE Symp. on Industrial Electronics, 2003, vol.2 , pp.1129-1136.

[2] Aredes M., Heumann K., Watanabe E.H., “An universal active power line conditioner”, IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, 1998, vol. 13, pp. 545-551.

[3] Metin Kesler and Engin Ozdemir, “A Novel Control Method for Unified Power Quality Conditioner(UPQC ) Under Non-Ideal Mains Voltage and Unbalanced Load Conditions,” IEEE Conference on Applied Power Electronics, Feb. 2010, pp. 374-379.

[4] V. Khadkikar, P. Agarwal, A. Chandra, A.O. Bany and T.D.Nguyen , “A Simple New Control Technique For Unified Power Quality Conditioner (UPQC),” IEEE International Conference on Harmonics and Quality of Power, Sept. 2004, pp. 289 – 293.

[5] F. A. Jowder, “Modeling and Simulation of Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) Based on Hysteresis Voltage Control,” The 33rd Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society (IECON) Nov. 2007, pp. 1726-1731.