J.M. Espi

An Adaptive Robust Predictive Current Control for Three-Phase Grid-Connected Inverters

This paper presents an adaptive robust predictive current control (RPCC) for grid-connected three-phase inverters that exhibit zero steady-state current error. The error correction is achieved by means of an adaptive strategy that works in parallel with the deadbeat algorithm, therefore preserving the typical fast response of the predictive law. The resulting control adapts to any particular L or LCL filter by estimation of the resistive part of the filter. As a variety of the RPCC class of control, it offers the best tradeoff between robustness and speed.

A bidirectional and isolated three-phase rectifier with soft-switching operation

A bidirectional-power-flow three-phase rectifier with high-frequency isolation and all-digital control, based on the matrix converter topology, is analyzed in this paper. The selected topology consists of a bidirectional three-phase-to-single-phase reduced matrix converter with power-factor correction and a bidirectional active rectifier. The inclusion of the isolation transformer at the switching frequency permits the reduction of volume and weight. By synchronizing the commutation of both converters and adding a saturable inductor and a blocking capacitor it is possible to achieve soft commutation for most of the semiconductor elements. An all-digital control based on a digital-signal-processor and a field-programmable gate array was used to implement space-vector modulation and output current regulation. This power converter is intended to feed the low-energy correction magnet of a particle accelerator. Experimental results of a 1.5-kW 20-kHz prototype are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed topology.

Wind Turbine Generation System With Optimized DC-Link Design and Control

This paper presents an optimized capacitance design for the dc link of a back-to-back converter for wind turbine power generation. The design method combines switching ripple and dynamic specifications to give the smallest possible dc-link capacitance and the required proportional-integral compensator for the voltage regulation. Furthermore, a novel concept to globally manage the on/off switching of back-to-back power subconverters, based on a finite-state machine, is presented. The proposed management system keeps control of the dc-link voltage for proper operation of both subconverters regardless of wind or grid conditions.

Design of a virtual instrument for water quality monitoring across the Internet

Abstract This article presents the design of a new distributed and multi-platform system for water quality monitoring, enhanced with powerful Internet capabilities. The measured variables are temperature, turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and electrical conductivity. The signal-conditioning block has been simplified through the use of software routines for thermal compensation, hence, reducing the cost and dimensions. The system offers a wide variety of Internet capabilities, like e-mail alarm notifications, automatic storage of measured data in a remote machine via the FTP protocol, dynamic generation of HTML reports, real time graphs, and indicators visible from a remote web browser, etc. The whole system supports several types of computers, operating systems and communications hardware. Human presence near the geographic location of water is dramatically reduced, since the system automates the principal tasks of the classical water monitoring process.

Application of a novel parallel regulation technique in a two output forward converter

Techniques based in parallel post-regulation eliminate cross-regulation between the different outputs of multi-output converters and achieve good efficiency by handling only a percentage of the power delivered to the output. This work describes a simple implementation of such a regulation mechanism in a two output forward converter. Moreover, the development of a complete steady state and low signal model ensures proper design and implementation. The model shows the inherent simplicity of the regulation procedure, similar to that of classical PWM regulators.

Control circuit design of the L-LC resonant inverter for induction heating

In this article, the frequency variation control strategy for an induction heating L-LC resonant inverter is analyzed. The control consists of three loops, which are analyzed and reduced to their corresponding small-signal block diagrams. From these diagrams, the optimal structure of the compensation network and the design boundaries for first order closed-loop response are derived. The special case of phase limitation is analyzed because it is unstable in open-loop operation. Finally the implementation of the control circuit is described and experimental results are shown.

A New Generalized Robust Predictive Current Control for Grid-Connected Inverters Compensates Anti-Aliasing Filters Delay

In this paper, a new predictive control for grid-connected inverters is presented, which provides the best performance in terms of transient response and stability margins when analog filters in current sensing circuits are used. These filters are necessary to avoid aliasing in the A/D conversion process, which causes an important ripple on injected current into the grid and increases the total harmonic distortion. However, predictive controls are very sensitive to delays on the acquisitions, so when such anti-aliasing filters are used a reduction of stability margins is produced and the transient response is affected. The proposed predictive control allows to compensate the effect of the filter, for any order and cutoff frequency, providing the best transient response in the reference tracking and the highest stability margins. Furthermore, a modification on the adaptive strategy of current error is proposed, which allows to work with single-phase grid-connected inverters. The proposed predictive control has been tested on a 3.3-kVA single-phase grid-connected inverter with LCL filter, using different anti-aliasing filters, obtaining in all cases, better results than those offered by other predictive controls recently published.

Features and design of the voltage-fed L-LC resonant inverter for induction heating

In this paper the main advantages of the L-LC resonant inverter for induction heating over the conventional voltage-fed SRI are presented: its lower transformer current levels and its short-circuit capability. The design algorithm of the L-LC is presented, and the transformation equations which allow the conversion of the SRI into the equivalent L-LC are deduced, guaranteeing the same working frequency and power dissipation with the same inverter, heating coil and piece. Experimental results are also presented, showing the continuous and reliable behavior of the inverter during the short-circuit.

Design considerations for transformerless series resonant inverters for induction heating

The aim of the paper is to present some preliminary ideas in order to overcome the output transformer in series resonant inverters for induction heating applications. By adding a third reactive element to the conventional two element resonant inverter, the output matching transformer can be eliminated, allowing accommodation of the resonant frequency and load with the only drawback being the need for an overdimensioning of the output capacitor bank, and benefiting from inherent short-circuit protection.

DSP Implementation for Measuring the Loop Gain Frequency Response of Digitally Controlled Power Converters

This paper presents a method for measuring the loop gain frequency response of digitally controlled power converters, without the need of any expensive measurement equipment such as frequency response analyzers (FRA). The method is based on the traditional perturbation and measurement scheme. The perturbation is internally synthesized by the DSP and applied as pulse-width modulation to the converter. The loop input and output data are sent to a PC via universal serial bus, which performs online the DFT of sent data. The perturbation amplitude is varied with frequency to improve signal-to-noise ratio of measurements. The number of cycles used to perform discrete Fourier transform calculations is also varied to reduce the error induced by some rounding factors at high frequencies. The proposed method offers accuracy, ease of implementation, and low computational cost.