Staffan Norrga

Steady-State Analysis of Interaction Between Harmonic Components of Arm and Line Quantities of Modular Multilevel Converters

The fundamental frequency component in the arm currents of a modular multilevel converter is a necessity for the operation of the converter, as is the connection and bypassing of the submodules. Inevitably, this will cause alternating components in the capacitor voltages. This paper investigates how the arm currents and capacitor voltages interact when the submodules are connected and bypassed in a sinusoidal manner. Equations that describe the circulating current that is caused by the variations in the total inserted voltage are derived. Resonant frequencies are identified and the resonant behaviour is verified by experimental results. It is also found that the effective values of the arm resistance and submodule capacitances can be extracted from the measurements by least square fitting of the analytical expressions to the measured values. Finally, the analytical expression for the arm currents is verified by experimental results.

Dynamic Analysis of Modular Multilevel Converters

Theory for the dynamics of modular multilevel converters is developed in this paper. It is shown that the sum capacitor voltage in each arm often can be considered instead of the individual capacitor voltages, thereby significantly reducing the complexity of the system model. Two selections of the so-called insertion indices, which both compensate for the sum-capacitor-voltage ripples, are considered. The dynamic systems which respectively result from these selections are analyzed. An effective dc-bus model, which takes into account the contribution from the submodule capacitors, is obtained. Finally, explicit formulas for the stationary sum-capacitor-voltage ripples are derived.

A New Modulation Method for the Modular Multilevel Converter Allowing Fundamental Switching Frequency

This paper presents a new modulation method for the modular multilevel converter. The proposed method is based on a fixed pulse pattern where harmonic elimination methods can be applied. In the proposed modulation method, the pulse pattern is chosen in such a way that the stored energy in each submodule remains stable. It is shown that this can be done at the fundamental switching frequency without measuring the capacitor voltages or using any other form of feedback control. Such a modulation scheme has not been presented before. The theoretical results are verified by both simulations and experimental results. The simulation results show successful operation at the fundamental switching frequency with a larger number of submodules. When a smaller number of submodules are used, harmonic elimination methods may be applied. This is verified experimentally on a converter with eight submodules per phase leg. The experimental results verify that stable operation can be maintained at the fundamental switching frequency while successfully eliminating the fifth harmonic in the ac-side voltage.

On Energy Storage Requirements in Modular Multilevel Converters

The modular multilevel converter is a promising topology for high-voltage and high-power applications. By using submodules equipped with dc-capacitors excellent output voltage waveforms can be obtained at low switching frequencies. The rated energy storage of the submodule capacitors is a driving factor of the size, cost, and weight of the submodules. Although the modular multilevel converter has been thoroughly investigated in the literature, a more detailed analysis of the energy-storage requirements will provide an important contribution for dimensioning and analysis of modular multilevel converters. Such an analysis is presented in this paper. The analysis relates the power transfer capability to the stored energy in the converter and the findings are validated by both simulations and experimental results. The required size of the submodule capacitors in a 4.5 MW grid-connected converter is first calculated and the calculated operating range is then compared with simulation results. The experimental results show that if the average capacitor voltage is allowed to increase 10% above the nominal value an energy storage to power transfer ratio of 21 J/kW can be achieved. It is concluded that the presented theory can relate the power transfer capability to the energy storage in the converter and is thus a valuable tool in the design and analysis of modular multilevel converters.

Modular Multilevel Converter AC Motor Drives With Constant Torque From Zero to Nominal Speed

Modular multilevel converters are shown to have a great potential in the area of medium-voltage drives. Low-distortion output quantities combined with low average switching frequencies for the semiconductor devices create an ideal combination for very high-efficiency drives. However, the large number of devices and capacitors that have to conduct the fundamental-frequency current require more complex converter control techniques than its two-level counterpart. Special care needs to be taken for starting and operation at low speeds, where the low-frequency current may cause significant unbalance between the submodule capacitor voltages and disturb the output waveforms. In this paper, principles for converter operation with high torque in the whole speed range are investigated. Experimental results from a down-scaled 12-kVA prototype converter running a loaded motor at various speeds between standstill and the rated speed are also provided.

Grid integration aspects of large solar PV installations: LVRT capability and reactive power/voltage support requirements

The current work focuses on two specific issues concerning grid-connected solar PV units, i.e. the fault ride-through capability, also called low voltage ride-through capability, and the voltage support function through reactive power injection during faults. With the first one the PV unit can actually provide some limited grid support, whereas with a defined reactive power characteristic it can give a complete dynamic grid support. These two requirements, already known for wind power generation but new for the PV, have been recently introduced in the German technical guidelines for connection to the MV grid. Scope of the paper is to implement these requirements in a large solar PV plant, modeled in DIgSILENT PowerFactory, in order to understand its operation, and to evaluate its behavior and impact on the grid, in terms of stability and voltage support during grid fault.

Analysis and Operation of Modular Multilevel Converters With Phase-Shifted Carrier PWM

Many publications have been presented on the modulation and control of the modular multilevel converter, some of which are based on phase-shifted carrier modulation. This paper presents an analysis ...

Evaluation of different carrier-based PWM methods for modular multilevel converters for HVDC application

The outstanding features of modular multilevel converters (M2C) make it attractive for high voltage direct current (HVDC) systems. In order to achieve high efficiency in HVDC converter stations, the switching frequency and the capacitor voltage ripple of the converter should be minimized. A suitable modulation algorithm should achieve an optimal tradeoff between these two requirements. This paper evaluates different carrier-based PWM algorithms and discusses the most challenging technical aspects of an efficient M2C. It is observed that decoupling the waveform synthesis from the selection of which cell to switch at each instant has beneficial impact on operation performance. The evaluation is done by time-domain simulation considering a grid connected, three-phase M2C converter and an advanced control system. Results of this study can be used for implementing more economical HVDC converters.

Tolerance Band Modulation Methods for Modular Multilevel Converters

Modular multilevel converters (M2Cs) are increasingly used in high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems. The efficiency of M2Cs is influenced by the modulation and cell selecting methods, which determines the switching frequency and capacitor voltage ripple in the converter station. A new approach to modulation of the M2C is presented in this paper. Tolerance band methods are employed to obtain the switching instants, and also cell selection. The proposed methods overcome the modulation problem for converters with few cells on one hand and also reduce the sorting efforts for cell balancing purposes of many cells converter on the other hand. Three different algorithms are also proposed to balance the cell capacitor voltages. The evaluation is done in time-domain simulation by which the performance of each method is studied in both the steady-state and transient cases. It is observed that using tolerance band methods not only reduces the switching frequency but also allows for handling severe fault cases in a grid-connected system. Eventually, the most promising tolerance band method has been implemented and verified in a real-time digital simulator, RTDS®. The average switching frequency of 70 Hz has been achieved for the system under study, while the capacitor voltage ripple is limited to 10% of the nominal cell voltage.

Modular multilevel converter ac motor drives with constant torque form zero to nominal speed

Modular multilevel converters (M2Cs) are shown to have a great potential in the area of medium-voltage drives. Low-distortion output quantities, combined with low average switching frequencies for the semiconductor devices create the ideal combination for very high-efficiency drives, both from an electric motor and an inverter point of view. With M2Cs the output voltage has such a low harmonic content that high-power motors can be operated without any derating. However, the large number of devices and the existence of capacitors that have to conduct the fundamental frequency current, requires more complex converter control techniques than its two-level counterpart. Special care needs to be taken under starting and operation with low frequency, where the low-frequency current may cause significant unbalance between the submodule capacitor voltages, disturb the output waveforms, and eventually cause the converter to trip. In this paper, principles for converter operation with high torque in the whole speed range, from standstill to rated speed will be investigated. The converter-control method utilizes estimation of the capacitor voltage variation, based on equations describing steady-state conditions. Experimental results from a down-scaled 12 kVA prototype converter running a loaded motor from zero up to the rated speed are provided in the paper.