Multilevel inverters (MLIs) are being used in wide range of power electronic applications. These converters have attracted a lot of attention during recent years and exist in different topologies with similar basic concepts. This paper presents five main submodules (SMs) to be used as the basic structures of MLIs. The paper reviews the common MLI topologies from the structural point of view. The topologies are divided into the different SMs to show conventional MLI configurations and future topologies that can be created from the main SMs. A comparative study between different topologies is performed in detail. The MLIs are categorized and investigated with from different perspectives such as the number of components, the ability to create inherent negative voltage, working in regeneration mode and using single dc source.

A General Review of Multilevel Inverters Based on Main Submodules: Structural Point of View

One of the well-known methods to share active and reactive power in microgrids (MGs) is droop control. A disadvantage of this method is that in steady state the frequency of the MG deviates from the nominal value and has to be restored using a secondary control system (SCS). The signal obtained at the output of the SCS is transmitted using a communication channel to the generation sources in the MG, correcting the frequency. However, communication channels are prone to time delays, which should be considered in the design of the SCS; otherwise, the operation of the MG could be compromised. In this paper, two new SCSs control schemes are discussed to deal with this issue: 1) a model predictive controller (MPC); and 2) a Smith predictor-based controller. The performance of both control methodologies are compared with that obtained using a conventional proportional integral-based SCS using simulation work. Stability analysis based on small signal models and participation factors is also realized. It is concluded that in terms of robustness, the MPC has better performance.

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Secondary Control Strategies for Frequency Restoration in Islanded Microgrids With Consideration of Communication Delays

A cooperative distributed secondary/primary control paradigm for AC microgrids is proposed. This solution replaces the centralized secondary control and the primary-level droop mechanism of each inverter with three separate regulators: voltage, reactive power, and active power regulators. A sparse communication network is spanned across the microgrid to facilitate limited data exchange among inverter controllers. Each controller processes its local and neighbors' information to update its voltage magnitude and frequency (or, equivalently, phase angle) set points. A voltage estimator finds the average voltage across the microgrid, which is then compared to the rated voltage to produce the first-voltage correction term. The reactive power regulator at each inverter compares its normalized reactive power with those of its neighbors, and the difference is fed to a subsequent PI controller that generates the second-voltage correction term. The controller adds the voltage correction terms to the microgrid rated voltage (provided by the tertiary control) to generate the local voltage magnitude set point. The voltage regulators collectively adjust the average voltage of the microgrid at the rated voltage. The voltage regulators allow different set points for different bus voltages and, thus, account for the line impedance effects. Moreover, the reactive power regulators adjust the voltage to achieve proportional reactive load sharing. The third module, the active power regulator, compares the local normalized active power of each inverter with its neighbors' and uses the difference to update the frequency and, accordingly, the phase angle of that inverter. The global dynamic model of the microgrid, including distribution grid, regulator modules, and the communication network, is derived, and controller design guidelines are provided. Steady-state performance analysis shows that the proposed controller can accurately handle the global voltage regulation and proportional load sharing. An AC microgrid prototype is set up, where the controller performance, plug-and-play capability, and resiliency to the failure in the communication links are successfully verified.

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Droop-Free Distributed Control for AC Microgrids

Recently multilevel inverters (MLI) have attracted more attention in research and industry, as they are changing into a viable technology for several applications. The concept of MLI was introduced for high power and high/medium voltage applications as they can provide an effective interface with renewable energy sources. Developing of reduced switch MLI topology has been a rapid research topic since the past decade, which has not been reviewed so far. Therefore, this review article focuses on the different reduced switch MLI topologies under three categories such as symmetric, asymmetric and hybrid configurations. The important knowledge on these topologies is carefully tabulated based on the three categories in the comparison tables to understand the essential parameters of the MLI topologies. These configurations are not only generating higher voltage levels to improve the power quality but also to reduce the passive filter requirements. Also, this review includes a detailed perspective of various modulation techniques and control strategies for MLI topologies. In addition to that, the different performance parameters of MLI and its calculation methods are discussed with appropriate mathematical expression. This review will help in the selection of appropriate MLI topology for FACTS, motor drives and renewable applications.

A comprehensive review on reduced switch multilevel inverter topologies, modulation techniques and applications

Provided is an electric power converter. A First and second series circuits of switching devices and a series circuit of capacitors are connected in parallel. Between the connection point in the first series circuit of switching devices and the connection point in the series circuit of capacitors, a first bidirectional switch is connected and, between the connection point in the second series circuit of switching devices and the connection point in the series circuit of capacitors, a second bidirectional switch is connected. The connection point in the first series circuit of switching devices is connected through a reactor to an input-output common connection line connected to one end of an AC power supply and the other end of the AC power supply is connected to the connection point in the series circuit of capacitors.

Electric power converter

System modeling and stability analysis is one of the most important issues of inverter-dominated microgrids. It is useful to determine the system stability and optimize the control parameters. The complete small signal models for the inverter-dominated microgrids have been developed, which are very accurate and could be found in literature. However, the modeling procedure will become very complex when the number of inverters in microgrid is large. One possible solution is to use the reduced-order small signal models for the inverter-dominated microgrids. Unfortunately, the reduced-order small signal models fail to predict the system instabilities. In order to solve the problem, a new modeling approach for inverter-dominated microgrids by using dynamic phasors is presented in this paper. Our findings indicate that the proposed dynamic phasor model is able to predict accurately the stability margins of the system, while the conventional reduced-order small signal model fails. In addition, the virtual ${\boldsymbol{\omega }}$ -E frame power control method, which deals with the power coupling caused by the line impedance X/R characteristic, has also been chosen as an application example of the proposed modeling technique.

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Dynamic Phasors-Based Modeling and Stability Analysis of Droop-Controlled Inverters for Microgrid Applications

This paper proposes a dual-bridge (DB) LLC resonant converter for wide input applications. The topology is an integration of a half-bridge (HB) LLC circuit and a full-bridge (FB) LLC circuit. The fixed-frequency pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) control is employed and a range of twice the minimum input voltage can be covered. Compared with the traditional pulse frequency modulation (PFM) controlled HB/FB LLC resonant converter, the voltage gain range is independent of the quality factor, and the magnetizing inductor has little influence on the voltage gain, which can simplify the parameter selection process and benefit the design of magnetic components as well. Over the full load range, zero-voltage switching (ZVS) and zero-current switching (ZCS) can be achieved for primary switches and secondary rectifier diodes, respectively. Detailed analysis on the modulation schedule and operating principle of the proposed converter is presented along with the converter performance. Finally, all theoretical analysis and characteristics are verified by experimental results from a 120-V to 240-V input 24 V/20 A output converter prototype.

Dual-Bridge LLC Resonant Converter With Fixed-Frequency PWM Control for Wide Input Applications

In this paper, a novel cascaded seven-level inverter topology with a single input source integrating switched-capacitor techniques is presented. Compared with the traditional cascade multilevel inverter, the proposed topology replaces all the separate dc sources with capacitors, leaving only one H-bridge cell with a real dc voltage source and only adds two charging switches. The capacitor charging circuit contains only power switches, so that the capacitor charging time is independent of the load. The capacitor voltage can be controlled at a desired level without complex voltage control algorithm and only use the most common carrier phase-shifted sinusoidal pulse width modulation strategy. The operation principle and the charging–discharging characteristic analysis are discussed in detail. A 1-kW experimental prototype is built and tested to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed topology.

A Single DC Source Cascaded Seven-Level Inverter Integrating Switched-Capacitor Techniques

This letter presents a new control strategy of three-phase grid-connected inverter for the positive sequence voltage recovery and negative sequence voltage reduction under asymmetrical grid faults. Unlike the conventional control strategy based on an assumption that the network impedance is mainly inductive, the proposed control strategy is more flexible and effective by considering the network impedance impact, which is of great importance for the high penetration of grid-connected renewable energy systems into low-voltage grids. The experimental tests are carried out to validate the effectiveness of the proposed solution for the flexible voltage support in a low-voltage grid, where the network impedance is mainly resistive.

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Asymmetrical Grid Fault Ride-Through Strategy of Three-Phase Grid-Connected Inverter Considering Network Impedance Impact in Low-Voltage Grid

A multifunctional and wireless droop control method for distributed energy storage units (DESUs) in ac microgrids is presented in this paper. This paper achieves the state-of-charge (SoC) balancing by employing the SoC-based P-f droop control method locally for the purpose to prolong the service life of DESUs and effectively utilizing the available capability of the DESUs. Besides, inspired by the conventional P-f droop control, a $\int Qdt - V$ droop control is proposed in this paper to eliminate the reactive power sharing errors. The $\int {Qdt - V}$ droop control is realized by reducing the voltage proportional to the integration of the reactive power instead of the reactive power itself. Meanwhile, the voltage compensation term which is proportional to the integration of the accurately shared active power is added to this method in order to restore the voltage to the acceptable range. The control strategy is straightforward to implement and does not require communication links as well as the gain scheduling. This paper also presents the analysis of the corresponding small-signal stability of the proposed droop control method. Simulation and experimental results are provided to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Baocheng Wang

Papers

Dynamic Phasors-Based Modeling and Stability Analysis of Droop-Controlled Inverters for Microgrid Applications

Dual-Bridge LLC Resonant Converter With Fixed-Frequency PWM Control for Wide Input Applications

A Single DC Source Cascaded Seven-Level Inverter Integrating Switched-Capacitor Techniques

Asymmetrical Grid Fault Ride-Through Strategy of Three-Phase Grid-Connected Inverter Considering Network Impedance Impact in Low-Voltage Grid

A Multifunctional and Wireless Droop Control for Distributed Energy Storage Units in Islanded AC Microgrid Applications