Model predictive control (MPC) is a very attractive solution for controlling power electronic converters. The aim of this paper is to present and discuss the latest developments in MPC for power converters and drives, describing the current state of this control strategy and analyzing the new trends and challenges it presents when applied to power electronic systems. The paper revisits the operating principle of MPC and identifies three key elements in the MPC strategies, namely the prediction model, the cost function, and the optimization algorithm. This paper summarizes the most recent research concerning these elements, providing details about the different solutions proposed by the academic and industrial communities.

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Model Predictive Control for Power Converters and Drives: Advances and Trends

Modular multilevel converter (MMC) is one of the most promising topologies for medium to high-voltage high-power applications. The main features of MMC are modularity, voltage and power scalability, fault tolerant and transformer-less operation, and high-quality output waveforms. Over the past few years, several research studies are conducted to address the technical challenges associated with the operation and control of the MMC. This paper presents the development of MMC circuit topologies and their mathematical models over the years. Also, the evolution and technical challenges of the classical and model predictive control methods are discussed. Finally, the MMC applications and their future trends are presented.

Evolution of Topologies, Modeling, Control Schemes, and Applications of Modular Multilevel Converters

Grid-tied voltage source inverters using LCL filter have been widely adopted in distributed power generation systems (DPGSs). As high-order LCL filters contain multiple resonant frequencies, switching harmonics generated by the inverter and current harmonics generated by the active/passive loads would cause the system resonance, and thus the output current distortion and oscillation. Such phenomenon is particularly critical when the power grid is weak with the unknown grid impedance. In order to stabilize the operation of the DPGS and improve the waveform of the injected currents, many innovative damping methods have been proposed. A comprehensive overview on those contributions and their classification on the inverter- and grid-side damping measures are presented. Based on the concept of the impedance-based stability analysis, all damping methods can ensure the system stability by modifying the effective output impedance of the inverter or the effective grid impedance. Classical damping methods for industrial applications will be analyzed and compared. Finally, the future trends of the impedance-based stability analysis, as well as some promising damping methods, will be discussed.

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Damping Methods for Resonances Caused by LCL-Filter-Based Current-Controlled Grid-Tied Power Inverters: An Overview

In the last decade, the concept of grid-forming (GFM) converters has been introduced for microgrids and islanded power systems. Recently, the concept has been proposed for use in wider interconnected transmission networks, and several control structures have thus been developed, giving rise to discussions about the expected behaviour of such converters. In this paper, an overview of control schemes for GFM converters is provided. By identifying the main subsystems in respect to their functionalities, a generalized control structure is derived and different solutions for each of the main subsystems composing the controller are analyzed and compared. Subsequently, several selected open issues and challenges regarding GFM converters, i. e. angle stability, fault ride-through (FRT) capabilities, and transition from islanded to grid connected mode are discussed. Perspectives on challenges and future trends are lastly shared.

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Grid-Forming Converters: Control Approaches, Grid-Synchronization, and Future Trends—A Review

The higher voltage blocking capability and faster switching speed of silicon-carbide (SiC) mosfet s have the potential to replace Si insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) in medium-/low-voltage and high-power applications. In this paper, a state-of-the-art commercially available 325 A, 1700 V SiC mosfet module has been fully characterized under various load currents, bus voltages, and gate resistors to reveal their switching capability. Meanwhile, Si IGBT modules with similar power ratings are also tested under the same conditions. From the test results, several interesting points have been obtained: different to the Si IGBT module, the over-shoot current of the SiC mosfet module increases linearly with the increase of the load current and it has been explained by a model of the over-shoot current proposed in this paper; the induced negative gate voltage due to the complementary device turn- off (crosstalk effect) is more harmful to the SiC mosfet module than the induced positive gate voltage during turn- on when the gate off-voltage is –6 V; the maximum dv / dt and di / dt (electromagnetic interference) during switching transients of the SiC mosfet module are close to those of the Si IGBT module when the gate resistance is larger than 8 Ω but the switching loss of the SiC mosfet module is much smaller; the switching losses of the Si IGBT module are greater than those of the SiC mosfet module even when the gate resistance of the former is reduced to zero. An accurate power loss model, which is suitable for a three-phase two-level converter based on SiC mosfet modules considering the power loss of the parasitic capacitance, has been presented and verified in this paper. From the model, a 96.2% efficiency can be achieved at the switching frequency of 80 kHz and the power of 100 kW.

Performance Evaluation of High-Power SiC MOSFET Modules in Comparison to Si IGBT Modules

This paper has presented a stability analysis of a LCL -type grid-connected inverter in the discrete-time domain. It has been found that even though the system is stable when the resonance frequency $f_{r}$ is higher than one-sixth of the sampling frequency ( $f_{s}/6$ ), an effective damping scheme is still required due to the potential influence of the grid impedance. With a conventional proportional capacitor-current-feedback active damping (AD), the valid damping region is only up to $f_{s}/6$ . This however is not sufficient in the design process for obtaining a high quality output current and the system can easily become unstable due to the resonance frequency shifting. Considering the resonance frequency design rules of the LCL filter, this paper proposes an improved capacitor-current-feedback AD method. With a detailed analysis and proper parameter design, the upper limit of the damping region is extended to $f_{s}/4$ , which can cover all the possible resonance frequencies. Then, the damping performance of the proposed AD method is studied. It shows that the optimal damping is obtained when the actual resonance frequency is $(f_{r} + f_{s}/4)/2$ . Moreover, an approximate calculation for the optimal damping coefficient R is given. Finally, the experimental results have validated the effectiveness of the proposed AD method.

Wide Damping Region for LCL -Type Grid-Connected Inverter With an Improved Capacitor-Current-Feedback Method

In recent years, modular multilevel converters (MMCs) are very popular in medium/high-voltage motor drive systems and high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) applications. The conventional model predictive control (MPC) strategies for the MMC are not practical due to their substantial calculation requirements, especially under high number of voltage levels. To solve this problem, a fast MPC strategy combined with a submodule (SM)-voltage sorting balancing method is proposed based on the discrete mathematical model derived for the MMC in this paper. By optimizing the implementation of the control objectives and simplifying the rolling optimization, the proposed strategy is simpler to expand to a system with larger number of SMs, with the amount of calculation reduced and the advantages of the conventional MPC algorithm reserved. In addition, the proposed control can minimize the $dv/dt$ of the output voltages. Both steady-state and transient performances are evaluated by a down-scaled three-phase MMC prototype under various experimental conditions, which validates the proposed fast MPC strategy.

Design and Experimental Evaluation of Fast Model Predictive Control for Modular Multilevel Converters

LCL -filtered grid-connected converters are widely used for distributed generation systems. However, the current regulation of such converters is susceptible to weak grid conditions, e.g., grid impedance variation and background harmonics. Paralleling multiple harmonic compensators (HCs) is a commonly used method to suppress the current distortion caused by grid background harmonics, but the control bandwidth should be wide enough to ensure system stability. In order to enhance the adaptability of LCL -filtered grid-connected converters under weak grid operation, this paper proposes an improved capacitor-voltage-feedforward control with full delay compensation. When used with converter-side current feedback, the proposed control can keep system low-frequency characteristic independent of grid impedance and provide a high-harmonic rejection capability without using additional HCs. Moreover, it completely avoids the design constraints of an LCL filter, i.e., $\omega _{r} is required for single-loop converter-side current control. Therefore, a higher resonant frequency can be designed to achieve a wider control bandwidth and to lower the current distortion caused by the paralleled filter capacitor branch. Experimental results are finally presented to verify the proposed control, which are also in good agreement with theoretical analysis.

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Capacitor-Voltage Feedforward With Full Delay Compensation to Improve Weak Grids Adaptability of LCL-Filtered Grid-Connected Converters for Distributed Generation Systems

This paper proposes a virtual damping flux-based low-voltage ride through (LVRT) control strategy for a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG)-based wind turbine. During the transient states of grid voltage drop and recovery, the proposed virtual damping flux-based strategy can suppress rotor current with a smooth electromagnetic torque. During steady-state faults, a negative sequence current compensation strategy is adopted to smooth the electromagnetic torque and reactive power for asymmetrical grid faults, while the conventional vector control is used to inject reactive power into the grid to support grid voltage for symmetrical grid faults. The effectiveness of the proposed strategies is examined by the simulation with a 2-MW DFIG in MATLAB/Simulink and verified by the experimental results from a scaled-down 7.5-kW DFIG controlled by a DSPACE1006. In addition, the impacts of the magnetic nonlinearity characteristics of a practical DFIG are investigated under asymmetrical grid faults. Although the magnetic nonlinearity characteristics degrade the control effects, the proposed strategies can still improve the DFIG performances during asymmetrical grid faults. The results clearly demonstrate that the proposed strategies can effectively improve the DFIG transient behavior and achieve LVRT performances.

Xiaojie Wu

Papers

Performance Evaluation of High-Power SiC MOSFET Modules in Comparison to Si IGBT Modules

Wide Damping Region for LCL -Type Grid-Connected Inverter With an Improved Capacitor-Current-Feedback Method

Design and Experimental Evaluation of Fast Model Predictive Control for Modular Multilevel Converters

Capacitor-Voltage Feedforward With Full Delay Compensation to Improve Weak Grids Adaptability of LCL-Filtered Grid-Connected Converters for Distributed Generation Systems

Virtual Damping Flux-Based LVRT Control for DFIG-Based Wind Turbine