A line-voltage-sensorless synchronous rectifier

A line-voltage-sensorless control for three-phase pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) synchronous rectifiers is presented. A line synchronization and unity power factor control are described. Indirect synchronization without sensing the line voltage allows a standard vector-controlled inverter to be used as a synchronous rectifier without requiring any additional hardware. Furthermore, the line synchronization can be properly operated under line voltage distortion or notching and line frequency variation. All control functions are implemented with a single-chip microcontroller. It is shown via experimental results that the proposed controller gives good performance for the synchronous rectifier     

Three-phase power quality compensator under the unbalanced sources and nonlinear loads

A three-phase voltage-source inverter for a power quality compensator under the unbalanced mains and nonlinear loads is proposed to provide balanced three-phase source current and improve input power factor. The proposed converter is based on the conventional three-phase voltage-source inverter with three additional ac power switches to achieve three-level pulsewidth modulation. The voltage stress of three ac power switches is clamped to half the dc-link voltage. The balanced reference mains currents are estimated using the dc-bus voltage and load currents. A proportional-integral voltage controller is used in the outer loop to compensate the switching losses of the voltage-source inverter. To perform the integrated power quality compensation, a hysteresis current control scheme is adopted to track the balanced line current command in phase with mains voltage. Three voltage levels are generated on the ac terminal of the proposed inverter. Computer simulation and experimental results are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.     

New three-port DC-AC inverter outputting a single-phase and a set of three-phase AC voltages

A conventional DC-AC inverter can only output either a single-phase AC voltage or a set of three-phase AC voltages. A new three-port DC-AC inverter which can simultaneously output a single-phase AC voltage and a set of three-phase AC voltages is proposed in this paper. This three-port DC-AC inverter is based on the three-port T-type multi-level power converter which is composed of three T-type power electronic legs, a decoupling transformer set, a filter inductor set, a single-phase filter capacitor, and a three-phase filter capacitor set. The DC port of the proposed power converter is connected to a DC power source to act as the input port, and the single-phase AC port and the three-phase AC port serve as two output ports to supply power to the single-phase load and the three-phase load, respectively. The zero-sequence transformer is used to decouple the single-phase and three-phase AC components, which are generated by the three T-type power electronic legs. The operation principle of this three-port DC-AC inverter is analyzed, and a hardware prototype is established to verify the performance of the proposed three-port DC-AC inverter. The experimental results are as expected.     

A Minimal Harmonic Controller for a STATCOM

In this paper, a novel controller with fixed modulation index (MI) and variable dc capacitor voltage reference to minimize voltage and current harmonics is presented for a distribution static synchronous compensator (STATCOM). The STATCOM with the proposed controller consists of a three-phase voltage-sourced inverter and a dc capacitor and is used to provide reactive power compensation and regulate ac system bus voltage with minimum harmonics. A systematic design procedure based on pole-zero cancellation, root locus method, and pole assignment method has been developed to determine proper parameters for the current regulator, the dc voltage controller, and the ac voltage controller of the STATCOM. With the proposed STATCOM controller, harmonic distortions in the inverter output current and voltage can be reduced since the MI is held constant at unity in steady state. In addition, a fast adjustment in the STATCOM output reactive power is achieved to regulate the ac bus voltage through the adjustment of the dc voltage reference during the transient period. Simulation and experimental results for the steady-state operating condition and transient operating conditions for the system subjected to a reactive current reference step change, a three-phase line to neutral fault, and a step load change are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.     

The nearest three virtual space vector PWM - a modulation for the comprehensive neutral-point balancing in the three-level NPC inverter

This letter presents a new modulation approach for the complete control of the neutral-point voltage in the three-level three-phase neutral-point-clamped voltage source inverter. The new modulation approach, based on the virtual space vector concept, guarantees the balancing of the neutral-point voltage for any load (linear or nonlinear) over the full range of converter output voltage and for all load power factors, the only requirement being that the addition of the output three-phase currents equals zero. The implementation of the proposed modulation is simple according to the phase duty-ratio expressions presented. These expressions are only dependent on the modulation index and reference vector angle. The performance of this modulation approach and its benefits over other previously proposed solutions are verified experimentally.     

Intelligent voltage control strategy for three-phase UPS inverters with output LC filter

This paper presents a supervisory fuzzy neural network control (SFNNC) method for a three-phase inverter of uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs). The proposed voltage controller is comprised of a fuzzy neural network control (FNNC) term and a supervisory control term. The FNNC term is deliberately employed to estimate the uncertain terms, and the supervisory control term is designed based on the sliding mode technique to stabilise the system dynamic errors. To improve the learning capability, the FNNC term incorporates an online parameter training methodology, using the gradient descent method and Lyapunov stability theory. Besides, a linear load current observer that estimates the load currents is used to exclude the load current sensors. The proposed SFNN controller and the observer are robust to the filter inductance variations, and their stability analyses are described in detail. The experimental results obtained on a prototype UPS test bed with a TMS320F28335 DSP are presented to validate the feasibility of the proposed scheme. Verification results demonstrate that the proposed control strategy can achieve smaller steady-state error and lower total harmonic distortion when subjected to nonlinear or unbalanced loads compared to the conventional sliding mode control method.     

An Improved Deadbeat Current Control Scheme With a Novel Adaptive Self-Tuning Load Model for a Three-Phase PWM Voltage-Source Inverter

In this paper, an improved deadbeat current control scheme with a novel adaptive self-tuning load model for a three-phase pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) voltage-source inverter is proposed. First, to achieve high-bandwidth current control characteristics, an improved deadbeat current controller with delay compensation is adopted. The compensation method forces the delay elements, which are caused by voltage calculation, PWM, and synchronous frame rotation, to be equivalently placed outside the closed-loop control system. Hence, their effect on the closed-loop stability is eliminated, and the current controller can be designed with a higher bandwidth. Second, to relax the parameter sensitivity issue of the deadbeat controller and to realize a control scheme with reduced sensors, a novel adaptive self-tuning load model is emerged in the control structure. The adaptive model is designed with low computational demand to estimate in real time the load parameters (R,L) and the back-electromotive-force voltage simultaneously. A unified solution to the present nonlinear estimation problem is presented by adopting a parallel observer structure. Furthermore, the adaptive model has the necessary phase advance of the estimated quantities, which compensates for the total system's delay. Comparative evaluation results are presented to demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed control scheme     

Advanced control of induction motor based on load angle estimation

An advanced control system with load angle adjustment is introduced. The method is based on the action of a phase-locked loop, in which a position synchronization of two vectors to obtain a constant command angle between them is realized. In the system presented, the vectors are stator current and rotor flux. The load angle is kept constant by changing the position of stator current vector as a result of tuning its pulsation. Proportional-integral and fuzzy logic controllers are used to control the load angle. Because of using the load angle controller and simple relations for state variables, the proposed idea does not require exact speed measurement. The discussed control system is not sensitive to motor resistance variations. This idea is realized on a fixed-point digital signal processor and field-programmable gate arrays. Experimental results for the control system fed by a voltage-source inverter and controlled using a predictive current controller are presented.     

A discretized current control technique with delayed input voltagefeedback for a voltage-fed PWM inverter

A current control technique for a voltage-fed PWM inverter is presented. The discretized state equation of an inverter and a load independent of operating conditions with the delayed input voltage feedback has been derived using the averaging concept. The discretized current controller is proposed to reduce the current error as fast as possible using the deadbeat control strategy and to stabilize the closed loop system asymptotically when the variations of load parameters are given in the predetermined stabilized region. This proposed control scheme is realized by the symmetrical uniform sampling method and is easily implemented using a microprocessor-based system. Computer simulation for the proposed controller has been carried out and the results show good static and dynamic performances     

An improved control algorithm of shunt active filter for voltageregulation, harmonic elimination, power-factor correction, and balancingof nonlinear loads

This paper deals with an implementation of a new control algorithm for a three-phase shunt active filter to regulate load terminal voltage, eliminate harmonics, correct supply power-factor, and balance the nonlinear unbalanced loads. A three-phase insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) based current controlled voltage source inverter (CC-VSI) with a DC bus capacitor is used as an active filter (AF). The control algorithm of the AF uses two closed loop PI controllers. The DC bus voltage of the AF and three-phase supply voltages are used as feedback signals in the PI controllers. The control algorithm of the AF provides three-phase reference supply currents. A carrier wave pulse width modulation (PWM) current controller is employed over the reference and sensed supply currents to generate gating pulses of IGBTs of the AF. Test results are presented and discussed to demonstrate the voltage regulation, harmonic elimination, power-factor correction and load balancing capabilities of the AF system     

Three-Level Inverter-Based Shunt Active Power Filter in Three-Phase Three-Wire and Four-Wire Systems

This paper presents a direct current-space-vector control of an active power filter (APF) based on a three-level neutral-point-clamped (NPC) voltage-source inverter. The proposed method indirectly generates the compensation current reference by using an equivalent conductance of the fundamental component using APF's dc-link voltage control. The proposed control can selectively choose harmonic current components by real-time fast Fourier transform to generate the compensation current. The compensation current is represented in a rotating coordinate system with chosen switching states from a switching table implemented in a field-programmable gate array. In addition, a three-phase four-wire APF based on a three-level neutral-point-clamped inverter is also presented. The proposed APF eliminates harmonics in all three phases as well as the neutral current. A three-phase three-wire NPC inverter system can be used as a three-phase four-wire system since the split dc capacitors provide a neutral connection. To regulate and balance the split dc-capacitor voltages, a new control method using a sign cubical hysteresis controller is proposed. The characteristics of the APF system with an LCL-ripple filter are investigated and compared with traditional current control strategies to evaluate the inherent advantages. The simulation and experimental results validated the feasibility of the proposed APF.      

Common-Mode Ripple Current Estimator for Parallel Three-Phase Inverters

For the three-phase parallel voltage source inverter systems with common dc link, several control methods were developed to suppress the common-mode circulating current. The common-mode ripple current is the main disturbance source of the common-mode circulating current control system that forms part of the parallel discontinuous pulsewidth modulation (PWM) inverter system. In this paper, a real-time analysis method for the common-mode ripple voltage of the three-phase discontinuous PWM inverter is proposed, whereby the amplitude of the common-mode ripple current can be estimated correctly, the hysteresis width of the circulating current controller can be adjusted to be as small as possible, and consequently, the rms circulating current is minimized as well. The simulation and experimental results are presented to confirm the theoretical analysis method of the common-mode ripple current and the performance of the proposed common-mode ripple current estimator.      

A novel high-performance voltage regulator for single-phase ACsources

Regulation of load voltage in single-phase applications is becoming an important issue for critical loads. This paper presents a novel high-performance single-phase voltage regulator which has a common arm between the rectifier and inverter, and adopts an appropriate switching strategy. The proposed voltage regulator employs six switches and can be implemented by only one three-phase inverter module. The proposed voltage regulator has the capability of delivering sinusoidal input current with unity power factor, good output voltage regulation, and bidirectional power flow. For these purposes, a fully digital controller is designed and implemented using a TMS320F240 digital signal processor. In addition, a novel low-cost AC capacitor is also presented. This type of capacitor requires two DC capacitors and two diodes, enabling low-cost and compact manufacturing. Consequently, the complete voltage regulator system, which is mainly suitable for an uninterruptible power supply as well as reactive or nonlinear loads, can be constructed compactly and inexpensively. Experimental results are presented to verify the feasibility of the proposed voltage regulator system     

Discrete-time current control of voltage-fed three-phase PWMinverters

The discrete-time current control of three-phase voltage-fed pulsewidth modulation (PWM) inverters is discussed, with emphasis on important practical aspects. The inverter feeds a balanced three-phase load of R-L impedances in series with back-EMFs. The inverter-load system is modeled by using space vectors. The practical difficulties of the predictive control method are pointed out. In particular, effects of the delayed application of the manipulated voltage caused by controller computing time are investigated. A modified control law that eliminates the undesirable effects of the computing delay is introduced. Also, prediction of current reference is utilized, which would enable operation with any reference function. An estimation and prediction procedure for the back EMF is also introduced. Steady-state errors in the load current due to these predictions are calculated for sinusoidal operation. Simulation results for the predictive control and the modified control laws are presented and discussed     

A Model-Based Controller for A Three-Phase Four-Wire Shunt Active Filter With Compensation of the Neutral Line Current

This paper presents a model-based controller for a three-phase four-wire shunt active filter, which uses a three-leg split-capacitor topology to implement the voltage source inverter. The controller is aimed to compensate reactive power and harmonic distortion in the general case of distorted and unbalanced source voltages and load currents, including distorted loads connected between a phase and the neutral line. In addition, the controller is able to compensate for the homopolar component of the load current, that is, the current flowing to the source via the neutral line can be considerably reduced without modifying the actual topology. The complete model in (fixed frame) alphabetagamma-coordinates is presented. Special attention is given to the homopolar component (referred here as the gamma-component) of the line current, source voltage and control input, which are instrumental for the control design purpose. Experimental results in a 2 kVA prototype are provided to illustrate the benefits of the proposed solution.     

A New Multilevel Conversion Structure for Grid-Connected PV Applications

A novel scheme for three-phase grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) generation systems is presented in this paper. The scheme is based on two insulated strings of PV panels, each one feeding the dc bus of a standard two-level three-phase voltage-source inverter (VSI). The inverters are connected to the grid by a three-phase transformer having open-end windings on the inverter side. The resulting conversion structure performs as a multilevel power active filter (equivalent to a three-level inverter), doubling the power capability of a single VSI with given voltage and current ratings. The multilevel voltage waveforms are generated by an improved space-vector-modulation algorithm, suitable for the implementation in industrial digital signal processors. An original control method has been introduced to regulate the dc-link voltages of each VSI, according to the voltage reference given by a single maximum power point tracking controller. The proposed regulation system has been verified by numerical simulations and experimental tests with reference to different operating conditions.     

A Simplified Control Method for the Grid-Connected Inverter With the Function of Islanding Detection

In this paper, a novel method for the voltage-controlled grid-connected inverter with the function of islanding detection is proposed for the distribution power generation system. The salient features of the proposed voltage-controlled grid-connected inverter are simple control circuit and fast transient response. Besides, an islanding detection method is proposed and incorporated into the controller of a voltage-controlled grid-connected inverter. The proposed islanding detection method will cause variation in amplitude and frequency of the load voltage when the utility is interrupted so as to immediately detect the islanding operation. A prototype is developed and tested to demonstrate the performance of the proposed voltage-controlled grid-connected inverter. The experimental results show that the performance of the proposed voltage-controlled grid-connected inverter is as expected.      

Reduced Switch Count DC-Link AC–AC Five-Leg Converter

This paper investigates a reduced switch count dc-link ac–ac five-leg converter for three-phase power conversion. The converter provides both an input rectifier and an output inverter by sharing a leg in order to reduce the number of power switches. Scalar and vector pulsewidth modulation techniques are presented and the concepts of local and global apportioning factors are introduced. A control technique that aims at maximizing the utilization of the dc-link voltage is proposed. A hysteresis current controller that allows operating with one leg being shared by the load and grid sides is developed. In addition, several relevant characteristics of the converter are addressed, such as voltage capability, harmonic distortion, shared-leg and capacitor currents, and power rating. The features of such a converter are compared to those of the six-leg and four-leg converters. Selected experimental results are presented.     

A low frequency AC to high frequency AC inverter with build-in power factor correction and soft-switching

This paper presents a full bridge AC-AC inverter for high frequency power distribution system with power factor correction stage controlled by a unified controller. The proposed inverter has the following features: 1) load independent output voltage with constant frequency and very low total harmonic distortion (THD); 2) soft switching of the full bridge switches for a wide range of input voltage and load conditions; 3) low DC bus voltage; 4) simple control and cost effectiveness for the power factor correction stage. Operating principles and performance characteristics are presented, and guidance to design the converter is given. Experimental results of a 90-265V/sub ac/ input, 30 V/sub ac/ output at 100 kHz, 250 W laboratory prototype are given to verify the theoretical and simulation results. The proposed ac-ac inverter is attractive for low power (up to 250 W) high frequency applications.     

An Integrated Approach to Digital Control of AC Motor Drives

The paper describes a high-performance microcomputer-based controller for inverter-fed ac motor drives. Both the implementation of high-level drive control policies and on-line computation of three-phase switching patterns for control of the inverter output frequency and voltage, are carried out by a single ?P. The selection of a pulsewidth modulation (PWM) strategy with limited processing requirements, has made the integration of these features possible without devising a multiprocessor architecture, or relying upon dedicated hardware to support specific functions. Peculiar facilities, like on-line reconfigurability of control parameters, real-time tracing of system behavior and diagnostics, have also been implemented to enhance the overall controller performance and flexibility. The validity of the integrated solution has been thoroughly verified by extensive experimental tests carried out with a prototype system composed of an 8085-based microcomputer, a 30-kVA three-phase transistor inverter, and a 20-kW induction motor.