Yalong Li

Arm inductance selection principle for modular multilevel converters with circulating current suppressing control

With circulating current suppressing control, the dominating second-order circulating current in a modular multilevel converter (MMC) can be effectively decreased, and the arm inductance requirement based on the circulating current is thus largely reduced. This paper investigates the extent to which the arm inductance can be reduced. The circulating current at switching frequency is first explored, which is found to be a limitation for arm inductance selection when the circulating current suppressing control is implemented. The theoretical relationship between switching frequency circulating current and arm inductance is further deduced, and the arm inductance selection principle is proposed. Finally, the theoretical analysis is verified by the experiment.

Modeling, Control Design, and Analysis of a Startup Scheme for Modular Multilevel Converters

Featuring modularity and high efficiency, a modular multilevel converter (MMC) has become a promising topology in high-voltage direct-current transmission systems. However, its distributed capacitors lead to a more complicated startup process than that of a two-level converter. To fully understand this issue, the charging loops of an MMC rectifier and an MMC inverter during an uncontrolled precharge period are analyzed in this paper, with special focus on the necessity of additional capacitor charging schemes. Moreover, a small-signal model of a capacitor charging loop is first derived according to the internal dynamics of the MMC inverter. Based on this model, a novel startup strategy incorporating an averaging capacitor voltage loop and a feedforward control is proposed, which is capable of an enhanced dynamic response and system stability without sacrificing voltage control precision. The design considerations of the control strategy are also given in detail. Simulation results from a back-to-back MMC system supplying passive loads and experimental results from a scaled-down MMC prototype are provided to support the theoretical analysis and the proposed control scheme.

DC impedance modelling of a MMC-HVDC system for DC voltage ripple prediction under a single-line-to-ground fault

This paper investigates the prediction of the second order dc voltage ripple in a modular multilevel converter (MMC) based point-to-point high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) system when the rectifier station suffers a single-line-to-ground (SLG) fault. Under this unbalanced condition, the second order dc voltage ripple will transfer to the healthy inverter station and can lead to a potential output voltage distortion. To accurately predict the dc voltage ripple distribution, the equivalent dc side impedances of the MMC inverter station with and without circulating current control are derived separately. It is shown that the MMC inverter station can be regarded as a series connected R-L-C branch in both cases, and the branch values are independent of the adopted current and power control schemes. In addition, long cables with small capacitance and large inductance help to mitigate the voltage ripple in the inverter station. The circulating current control, acting as an active resistance, effectively damps the possible resonance around 120 Hz between the dc cable and the MMC inverter. However, due to the higher equivalent dc impedance, the amplitude of the 2nd order dc voltage ripple in the inverter station is increased. Simulation results from a MMC based HVDC system, and experimental results from a three-phase MMC inverter are provided to support the theoretical analysis.

The Impact of Voltage-Balancing Control on Switching Frequency of the Modular Multilevel Converter

Voltage-balancing control in a modular multilevel converter (MMC) impacts not only the voltage difference among submodule capacitors, but also the power device switching patterns. As a result, MMC possesses a nondeterministic switching pattern and its switching frequency is no longer an independent parameter. This paper theoretically investigates how voltage-balancing control influences the switching frequency in the MMC. Equations describing the relationship between the submodule capacitor unbalanced voltage and converter switching frequency are derived. Since unbalanced voltage also impacts the submodule capacitor ripple voltage and voltage/current harmonics, the design interaction between switching frequency and submodule capacitance, as well as the selection of unbalanced voltage are further investigated. Both simulation and experimental verifications are provided.

Steady-State Modeling of Modular Multilevel Converter Under Unbalanced Grid Conditions

This paper presents a steady-state model of MMC for the second-order phase voltage ripple prediction under unbalanced conditions, taking the impact of negative-sequence current control into account. From the steady-state model, a circular relationship is found among current and voltage quantities, which can be used to evaluate the magnitudes and initial phase angles of different circulating current components. Moreover, in order to calculate the circulating current in a point-to-point MMC-based HVdc system under unbalanced grid conditions, the derivation of equivalent dc impedance of an MMC is discussed as well. According to the dc impedance model, an MMC inverter can be represented as a series connected R–L–C branch, with its equivalent resistance and capacitance directly related to the circulating current control parameters. Experimental results from a scaled-down three-phase MMC system under an emulated single-line-to-ground fault are provided to support the theoretical analysis and derived model. This new models provides an insight into the impact of different control schemes on the fault characteristics and improves the understanding of the operation of MMC under unbalanced conditions.

Maximum modulation index for modular multilevel converter with circulating current control

In a modular multilevel converter (MMC), the circulating current control is usually adopted. It can minimize the circulating current in order to reduce the converter power loss, and also provide an active damping which is beneficial for the converter control stability. The circulating current control is normally implemented by adding a compensating component into the modulation signal. Consequently, the maximum modulation index of the fundamental frequency component will be reduced so as to allow room for circulating current control, and the utilization of dc voltage is reduced. In this paper, the impact of circulating current control on the modulation signal in MMC is investigated. The maximum obtainable modulation index of MMC is theoretically derived. It shows that the modulation index reduction is related to the converter submodule capacitance design. If the capacitance is designed for a maximum 10% voltage ripple, the circulating current control could cause as large as a 5% decrease for the maximum modulation index, or 8% for the case with 3rd harmonic component injection. Both simulation and experimental results verify the theoretical analysis.

Switching-frequency ripple on DC link voltage in a modular multilevel converter with circulating current suppressing control

This paper investigates the dc link voltage ripple in a modular multilevel converter (MMC). It is found that switching-frequency ripple occurs on the dc link voltage in MMC when circulating current suppressing control is implemented. The mechanism of the switching-frequency voltage ripple is investigated and explained. Circulating current suppressing control will manipulate the average values for the three phaseleg voltages to be equal in order to reduce the low frequency circulating current. However, switching-frequency harmonics appear on the phase-leg voltages as a result, introducing the switching-ripple voltage on the dc link. By modeling the dc link voltage, switching-ripple voltage is derived. Experimental results of a three-phase MMC are presented to verify the theoretical analysis.

Development, Demonstration, and Control of a Testbed for Multiterminal HVDC System

This paper presents the development of a scaled four-terminal high-voltage direct current (HVDC) testbed, including hardware structure, communication architecture, and different control schemes. The developed testbed is capable of emulating typical operation scenarios including system start-up, power variation, line contingency, and converter station failure. Some unique scenarios are also developed and demonstrated, such as online control mode transition and station re-commission. In particular, a dc line current control is proposed, through the regulation of a converter station at one terminal. By controlling a dc line current to zero, the transmission line can be opened by using relatively low-cost HVDC disconnects with low current interrupting capability, instead of the more expensive dc circuit breaker. Utilizing the dc line current control, an automatic line current limiting scheme is developed. When a dc line is overloaded, the line current control will be automatically activated to regulate current within the allowable maximum value.

Hardware implementation of a four-terminal HVDC test-bed

This paper presents the implementation of a scaled 4-terminal high-voltage direct current (HVDC) test-bed. The hardware construction, control scheme and communication architecture are described. The typical scenarios such as system start-up, station online recommission, power variation, online mode transition and station failure are emulated in the test-bed. A dc line current control is proposed to allow online disconnecting dc lines by using HVDC disconnectors with low current interrupting capability instead of the expensive dc circuit breaker. This control can be further utilized for dc line current limiting function. When a dc line is overloaded, the line current control will be automatically activated to regulate current below the allowable maximum value.

Circulating Current Suppressing Control’s Impact on Arm Inductance Selection for Modular Multilevel Converter

Arm inductor in a modular multilevel converter (MMC) is used to limit the circulating current and dc short circuit fault current. The circulating current in MMC is dominated by second-order harmonic, which can be largely reduced with circulating current suppressing control. By analyzing the mechanism of the circulating current suppressing control, it is found that the circulating current at switching frequency becomes the main harmonic when suppression control is implemented. Unlike the second-order harmonic that circulates only within the three phases, switching frequency harmonic also flows through the dc side and may further cause high-frequency dc voltage harmonic. This paper develops the theoretical relationship between the arm inductance and switching frequency circulating current, which can be used to guide the arm inductance selection. The experimental results with a downscaled MMC prototype verify the existence of the switching frequency circulating current and its relationship with arm inductance.