High Order Voltage and Current Harmonic Mitigation Using the Modular Multilevel Converter STATCOM

TLDR: This paper investigates the use of the multilevel modular converter (MMC) for harmonics mitigation due to its high bandwidth compared with conventional converters and proves the capability of the MMC to mitigate harmonics up to the thirteenth order, while maintaining a low effective switching frequency and thus, low switching losses.

Abstract: Due to the increase of power electronic-based loads, the maintenance of high power quality poses a challenge in modern power systems. To limit the total harmonic distortion in the line voltage and currents at the point of the common coupling (PCC), active power filters are commonly employed. This paper investigates the use of the multilevel modular converter (MMC) for harmonics mitigation due to its high bandwidth compared with conventional converters. A selective harmonics detection method and a harmonics controller are implemented, while the output current controller of the MMC is tuned to selectively inject the necessary harmonic currents. Unlike previous studies, focus is laid on the experimental verification of the active filtering capability of the MMC. For this reason an MMC-based double-star STATCOM is developed and tested for two representative case studies, i.e., for grid currents and PCC voltage harmonics. The results verify the capability of the MMC to mitigate harmonics up to the thirteenth order, while maintaining a low effective switching frequency and thus, low switching losses.