Power quality improvement using fuzzy logic controller for five-level shunt active power filter under distorted voltage conditions

In this paper, a five-level inverter is used as a shunt active power filter (APF), taking advantages of the multilevel inverter such as low harmonic distortion and reduced switching losses. It is used to compensate reactive power and eliminate harmonics drawn from a thyristor rectifier feeding an inductive load (RL) under distorted voltage conditions. The APF control strategy is based on the use of self-tuning filters (STF) for reference current generation and a fuzzy logic current controller. The use of STF instead of classical extraction filters allows extracting directly the voltage and current fundamental components in the α-β axis without phase locked loop (PLL). The MATLAB fuzzy logic toolbox is used for implementing the fuzzy logic control algorithm. The obtained results show that the proposed shunt APF controller has produced a sinusoidal supply current with low harmonic distortion and in phase with the line voltage.     

A linear quadratic regulator control of a stand-alone PEM fuel cell power plant

This paper introduces a technique based on linear quadratic regulator (LQR) to control the output voltage at the load point versus load variation from a standalone proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell power plant (FCPP) for a group housing use. The controller modifies the optimal gains k _i by minimizing a cost function, and the phase angle of the AC output voltage to control the active and reactive power output from an FCPP to match the terminal load. The control actions are based on feedback signals from the terminal load, output voltage and fuel cell feedback current. The topology chosen for the simulation consists of a 45 kW proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), boost type DC/DC converter, a three-phase DC/AC inverter followed by an LC filter. Simulation results show that the proposed control strategy operated at low commutation frequency (2 kHz) offers good performances versus load variations with low total harmonic distortions (THD), which is very useful for high power applications.     

EFFECT OF CENTRIFUGAL FORCE ON THE AQUEOUS EXTRACTION OF SOLUTE FROM SUGAR BEET TISSUE PRETREATED BY A PULSED ELECTRIC FIELD

In this article, the centrifugal aqueous extraction of solute from sugar beet tissue is investigated at ambient temperature after a pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment. Two kinds of samples of fresh sugar beet were used: a sample with a determined discoid shape and gratings. Both samples were pretreated by a PEF with 250 rectangular pulses of 100 µS each. The PEF intensity was fixed at 940 V/cm for the disk samples and 670 V/cm for gratings. The pretreated samples were placed in distilled water at ambient temperature with a water‐to‐solid ratio equal to 3 and subjected to different centrifugal accelerations. The centrifugal field significantly enhanced the kinetics of extraction from the electrically pretreated tissues of sugar beet. However, the increase of centrifugal acceleration was only effective up to a certain value (5430 × g for disk samples and 600 × g for gratings). The centrifugal extraction can be assumed to proceed in two stages: a first rapid washing followed by a slow diffusion stage. A two‐exponential kinetics model taking into account these two stages was applied and correctly described the centrifugal extraction from beet samples (disks and gratings).