Showing papers on "AC power published in 2009"

Hierarchical control of droop-controlled DC and AC microgrids — a general approach towards standardization

Abstract: DC and AC Microgrids are key elements to integrate renewable and distributed energy resources as well as distributed energy storage systems. In the last years, efforts toward the standardization of these Microgrids have been made. In this sense, this paper present the hierarchical control derived from ISA-95 and electrical dispatching standards to endow smartness and flexibility to microgrids. The hierarchical control proposed consist of three levels: i) the primary control is based on the droop method, including an output impedance virtual loop; ii) the secondary control allows restoring the deviations produced by the primary control; and iii) the tertiary control manage the power flow between the microgrid and the external electrical distribution system. Results from a hierarchical-controlled microgrid are provided to show the feasibility of the proposed approach.

A Review of the State of the Art of Power Electronics for Wind Turbines

Abstract: This paper reviews the power electronic applications for wind energy systems. Various wind turbine systems with different generators and power electronic converters are described, and different technical features are compared. The electrical topologies of wind farms with different wind turbines are summarized and the possible uses of power electronic converters with wind farms are shown. Finally, the possible methods of using the power electronic technology for improving wind turbine performance in power systems to meet the main grid connection requirements are discussed.

An Accurate Power Control Strategy for Power-Electronics-Interfaced Distributed Generation Units Operating in a Low-Voltage Multibus Microgrid

Abstract: In this paper, a power control strategy is proposed for a low-voltage microgrid, where the mainly resistive line impedance, the unequal impedance among distributed generation (DG) units, and the microgrid load locations make the conventional frequency and voltage droop method unpractical. The proposed power control strategy contains a virtual inductor at the interfacing inverter output and an accurate power control and sharing algorithm with consideration of both impedance voltage drop effect and DG local load effect. Specifically, the virtual inductance can effectively prevent the coupling between the real and reactive powers by introducing a predominantly inductive impedance even in a low-voltage network with resistive line impedances. On the other hand, based on the predominantly inductive impedance, the proposed accurate reactive power sharing algorithm functions by estimating the impedance voltage drops and significantly improves the reactive power control and sharing accuracy. Finally, considering the different locations of loads in a multibus microgrid, the reactive power control accuracy is further improved by employing an online estimated reactive power offset to compensate the effects of DG local load power demands. The proposed power control strategy has been tested in simulation and experimentally on a low-voltage microgrid prototype.

Adaptive Droop Control Applied to Voltage-Source Inverters Operating in Grid-Connected and Islanded Modes

Abstract: This paper proposes a novel control for voltage-source inverters with the capability to flexibly operate in grid-connected and islanded modes. The control scheme is based on the droop method, which uses some estimated grid parameters such as the voltage and frequency and the magnitude and angle of the grid impedance. Hence, the inverter is able to inject independently active and reactive power to the grid. The controller provides a proper dynamics decoupled from the grid-impedance magnitude and phase. The system is also able to control active and reactive power flows independently for a large range of impedance grid values. Simulation and experimental results are provided in order to show the feasibility of the control proposed.

Seeker Optimization Algorithm for Optimal Reactive Power Dispatch

Abstract: Optimal reactive power dispatch problem in power systems has thrown a growing influence on secure and economical operation of power systems. However, this issue is well known as a nonlinear, multimodal and mixed-variable problem. In the last decades, computation intelligence-based techniques, such as genetic algorithms (GAs), differential evolution (DE) algorithms and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms, etc., have often been used for this aim. In this work, a seeker optimization algorithm (SOA)-based reactive power dispatch method is proposed. The SOA is based on the concept of simulating the act of human searching, where the search direction is based on the empirical gradient by evaluating the response to the position changes and the step length is based on uncertainty reasoning by using a simple Fuzzy rule. In this study, the algorithm's performance is evaluated on benchmark function optimization. Then, the SOA is applied to optimal reactive power dispatch on standard IEEE 57- and 118-bus power systems, and compared with conventional nonlinear programming method, two versions of GAs, three versions of DE algorithms and four versions of PSO algorithms. The simulation results show that the proposed approach is superior to the other listed algorithms and can be efficiently used for optimal reactive power dispatch.

A Comparison of Control Algorithms for DSTATCOM

Abstract: In this paper, a Distribution STATic COMpensator (DSTATCOM) is proposed for compensation of reactive power and unbalance caused by various loads in distribution system. An evaluation of three different methods is made to derive reference currents for a DSTATCOM. These methods are an instantaneous reactive power theory, a synchronous reference frame theory, and a new Adaline-based algorithm. The Adaline-based algorithm is an adaptive method for extracting reference current signals. These schemes are simulated under MATLAB environment using SIMULINK and PSB toolboxes. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate the performance of these schemes for the control of DSTATCOM.

Improved Control of DFIG Systems During Network Unbalance Using PI–R Current Regulators

Abstract: This paper presents a new control strategy for a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) under unbalanced network voltage conditions. Coordinated control of the grid- and rotor-side converters (GSC and RSC, respectively) during voltage unbalance is proposed. Under an unbalanced supply voltage, the RSC is controlled to eliminate the torque pulsation at double supply frequency. The oscillation of the stator output active power is then compensated by the active power output from the GSC, to ensure constant active power output from the overall DFIG generation system. In order to provide precise control of the positive- and negative-sequence currents of the GSC and RSC, a current control scheme consisting of a proportional integral (PI) controller and a resonant (R) compensator is presented. The PI plus R current regulator is implemented in the positive synchronous reference frame without the need to decompose the positive- and negative-sequence components. Simulations on a 1.5-MW DFIG system and experimental tests on a 1.5-kW prototype validate the proposed strategy. Precise control of both positive- and negative-sequence currents and simultaneous elimination of torque and total active power oscillations have been achieved.

Means of Eliminating Electrolytic Capacitor in AC/DC Power Supplies for LED Lightings

Abstract: This paper proposes two methods of reducing the storage capacitance in the ac/dc power supplies for light emitting diode (LED) lighting. In doing so, film capacitors can be adopted instead of electrolytic capacitors to achieve a long power suppliespsila lifetime. The voltage ripple of the storage capacitor is intentionally increased to reduce the storage capacitance. The method of determining the storage capacitance for ensuring that the boost power factor correction converter operates normally in the whole input voltage range is also discussed. For the purpose of further reducing the storage capacitance, a method of injecting the third harmonic current into the input current flow is proposed. While ensuring that the input power factor is always higher than 0.9 to comply with regulation standards such as ENERGY STAR, the storage capacitance can be reduced to 65.6% of that with an input power factor of 1. A 60-W experimental prototype is built to verify the proposed methods.

Ride Through of Wind Turbines With Doubly Fed Induction Generator Under Symmetrical Voltage Dips

Abstract: This paper deals with the grid fault ride-through capability of doubly fed induction generators. These machines are very sensitive to grid disturbances. To prevent the damages that voltage dips can cause on the converter, most machines are equipped nowadays with a crowbar that short circuits the rotor. However, during the crowbar activation, the rotor converter must be disconnected, hence the power generated with the turbine is no longer controlled. In doing so, the crowbar impedes the wind turbine from carrying out the voltage stabilization required by most new grid codes. This paper proposes a novel control strategy that notably reduces the crowbar activation time. As a result, the control of the turbine might shortly be resumed and the turbine can furthermore supply a reactive power fulfilling the newest grid regulations. Experimental results of a complete system are included, demonstrating the viability of the proposed control.

Frequency Response Analysis of Current Controllers for Selective Harmonic Compensation in Active Power Filters

Abstract: This paper compares four current control structures for selective harmonic compensation in active power filters. All controllers under scrutiny perform the harmonic compensation by using arrays of resonant controllers, one for the fundamental and one for each harmonic of interest, in order to achieve zero phase shift and unity gain in the closed-loop transfer function for selected harmonics. The complete current controller is the superposition of all individual harmonic controllers and may be implemented in various reference frames. The analysis is focused on the comparison of harmonic and total closed-loop transfer functions for each controller. Analytical similarities and differences between schemes in terms of frequency response characteristics are emphasized. It is concluded that three of them have identical harmonic behavior despite the fact that their implementation is significantly different. It emerges that the fourth one has superior behavior and robustness and can stably work at higher frequencies than the others. Theoretical findings and analysis are supported by comparative experimental results on a 7-kVA laboratory setup. The highest harmonic frequency that can be stably compensated with each control method has been determined, indicating significant differences in the control performance.

Voltage Support Provided by a Droop-Controlled Multifunctional Inverter

Abstract: This paper presents a single-phase multifunctional inverter for photovoltaic (PV) systems application. The converter provides active power to local loads and injects reactive power into the grid providing voltage support at fundamental frequency. The proposed topology is controlled by means of the droop-control technique. Hence, it allows the obtaining of voltage-sag-compensation capability, endowing voltage ride-through to the system. A model and analysis of the whole system is given to properly choose the control parameters. Simulation and experimental results validate the proposed control using a 5-kVA PV converter.

Operation of Grid-Connected DFIG Under Unbalanced Grid Voltage Condition

Abstract: Doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) still shares a large part in today's wind power market. It provides the benefits of variable speed operation cost-effectively, and can control its active and reactive power independently. Crowbar protection is often adopted to protect the rotor-side voltage source converter (VSC) from transient overcurrent during grid voltage dip. But under unbalanced grid voltage condition, the severe problems are not the transient overcurrent, but the electric torque pulsation and dc voltage ripple in the back-to-back VSCs. This paper develops dynamic models in MATLAB/Simulink, validates it through experiments, investigates the behavior of DFIG during unbalanced grid voltage condition, and proposes new controllers in separated positive and negative sequence. Methods to separate positive and negative sequence components in real time are also developed, and their responses to unsymmetrical voltage dip are compared. Simulation results prove that the separated positive and negative sequence controllers limit the torque pulsation and dc voltage ripple effectively.

Power management and power flow control with back-to-back converters in a utility connected microgrid

Abstract: This paper proposes a method for power flow control between utility and microgrid through back-to-back converters, which facilitates desired real and reactive power flow between utility and microgrid. In the proposed control strategy, the system can run in two different modes depending on the power requirement in the microgrid. In mode-1, specified amount of real and reactive power are shared between the utility and the microgrid through the back-to-back converters. Mode-2 is invoked when the power that can be supplied by the DGs in the microgrid reaches its maximum limit. In such a case, the rest of the power demand of the microgrid has to be supplied by the utility. An arrangement between DGs in the microgrid is proposed to achieve load sharing in both grid connected and islanded modes. The back-to-back converters also provide total frequency isolation between the utility and the microgrid. It is shown that the voltage or frequency fluctuation in the utility side has no impact on voltage or power in microgrid side. Proper relay-breaker operation coordination is proposed during fault along with the blocking of the back-to-back converters for seamless resynchronization. Both impedance and motor type loads are considered to verify the system stability. The impact of dc side voltage fluctuation of the DGs and DG tripping on power sharing is also investigated. The efficacy of the proposed control ar-rangement has been validated through simulation for various operating conditions. The model of the microgrid power system is simulated in PSCAD.

Stator-Flux-Oriented Vector Control for Brushless Doubly Fed Induction Generator

Abstract: Brushless doubly fed induction generators (BDFIGs) show commercial promise for wind-power generation due to their lower capital and operational costs and higher reliability as compared with doubly fed induction generators. This paper presents a vector-control scheme for a BDFIG operating as a variable-speed generator. The proposed vector controller is developed on the power-winding stator-flux frame and can be used to control both the speed and the reactive power. The machine model and the control system are developed in MATLAB. The test results show that the proposed controller has good dynamic performance when changes in speed and reactive power are applied.

Model Predictive Control of an Asymmetric Flying Capacitor Converter

Abstract: Multilevel converters and, in particular, flying capacitor (FC) converters are an attractive alternative for medium-voltage applications. FC converters do not need complex transformers to obtain the DC-link voltage and also present good robustness properties, when operating under internal fault conditions. Unfortunately, with standard modulation strategies, to increase the number of output voltage levels of FC converters, it is necessary to increase the number of cells and, hence, the number of capacitors and switches. In this paper, we develop a finite-state model predictive control strategy for FC converters. Our method controls output currents and voltages and also the FC voltage ratios. This allows one to increase the number of output voltage levels, even at high power factor load conditions and without having to increase the number of capacitors and switches. Experimental results illustrate that the proposed algorithm is capable of achieving good performance, despite possible parameter mismatch.

Wind Farms as Reactive Power Ancillary Service Providers—Technical and Economic Issues

Abstract: This paper examines the possibility of providing reactive power support to the grid from wind farms (WFs) as a part of the ancillary service provisions. Detailed analysis of the WF capability curve is carried out considering maximum hourly variation of wind power from the forecasted value. Different cost components are identified, and subsequently, a generalized reactive power cost model is developed for wind turbine generators that can help the independent system operator (ISO) in managing the system and the grid efficiently. Apart from the fixed cost and the cost of loss components, a new method is proposed to calculate the opportunity cost component for a WF considering hourly wind variations. The Cigre 32-bus test system is used to demonstrate a case study showing the implementation of the developed model in short-term system operations. A finding is that higher wind speed prediction errors (a site with high degree of wind fluctuations) may lead to increased payments to the WFs for this service, mainly due to the increased lost opportunity cost (LOC) component. In a demonstrated case, it is found that 2340 $/h is paid to the WF as the LOC payment only, when the wind prediction error is 0.5 per unit (p.u.), whereas 54 $/h is the expected total payment to the WF when the prediction error is 0.2 p.u. for its reactive power service.

Maximum Power Tracking Control for a Wind Turbine System Including a Matrix Converter

Abstract: This paper focuses on maximum wind power extraction for a wind energy conversion system composed of a wind turbine, a squirrel-cage induction generator, and a matrix converter (MC). At a given wind velocity, the mechanical power available from a wind turbine is a function of its shaft speed. In order to track maximum power, the MC adjusts the induction generator terminal frequency, and thus, the turbine shaft speed. The MC also adjusts the reactive power transfer at the grid interface toward voltage regulation or power factor correction. A maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm is included in the control system. Conclusions about the effectiveness of the proposed scheme are supported by analysis and simulation results.

Control of DFIG-Based Wind Generation to Improve Interarea Oscillation Damping

Abstract: Power systems with high penetration of wind power usually require long-distance transmission to export wind power to the market. Interarea oscillation is an issue faced in long-distance transmission. Can wind generation based on doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) help to damp oscillations and how? In this paper, a control scheme is developed for the DFIG with rotor-side converter to damp interarea oscillations. The DFIG is modeled in MATLABreg/Simulink utilizing its vector control scheme feature, and inner current control and outer active/reactive power control loops are modeled and designed. A two-area system that suffers from poor interarea oscillation damping along with a wind farm in the area that exports power is investigated. A damping controller is designed and time-domain simulations are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the controller. The major contributions of the paper are as follows: 1) built a wind farm interarea oscillation study system based on the classical two-area four-machine system, 2) established that in vector control scheme, active power modulation can best help to damp oscillations, 3) successfully designed a feedback controller using remote signals with good interarea oscillation observability.

Combined System for Harmonic Suppression and Reactive Power Compensation

Abstract: In this paper, a combined system of static Var compensator (SVC) and active power filter (APF) was proposed. The system has the function of power factor correction, voltage stability, and harmonic suppression. The SVC, which consists of delta-connected thyristor-controlled reactor (TCR) and Y-connected passive power filter (PPF), is mainly for voltage stability and power factor correction. The small rating APF is used to filter harmonics generated by the nonlinear load and the TCR in the SVC and to suppress possible resonance between the grid and the PPFs. The configuration and principle of the combined system were discussed first, and then, the control method of the combined system was presented. An optimal nonlinear proportional-integral control was proposed to improve the dynamic response and decrease the steady-state error of the SVC. Harmonic detection with precompensation method and improved generalized integrator control were proposed to improve the performance of APF. The new combined system is compared to classical SVC. It is implemented in a 200-kVA prototype in the laboratory. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed combined configuration can effectively stabilize system voltage, correct power factor, and suppress harmonic currents.

Control of a Cascade STATCOM With Star Configuration Under Unbalanced Conditions

Abstract: A control scheme for star-connected cascade static synchronous compensators (STATCOMs) operating under unbalanced conditions is proposed. The STATCOM is assumed to be connected to an equivalent three-phase star-connected power supply. By selecting the line-to-neutral voltages of the equivalent power supply, zero average active power in each phase can be obtained under unbalanced compensation currents or unbalanced supply voltages. Furthermore, to implement a separate control for the three-phase dc-link voltages, the average active power in each phase can also be adjusted to a target value determined by the dc-link voltage control loop. Then, by forcing the converter neutral voltage to be equal to the counterpart of the equivalent power supply, the STATCOM can be decoupled into three single-phase systems and the line-to-neutral voltage of the equivalent power supply can be used as the input voltage to the corresponding phase leg. Accordingly, reference current tracking and dc-link voltage maintaining can be simultaneously achieved under unbalanced conditions. The valid operating range of the star-connected cascade STATCOM under unbalanced conditions is also analyzed. The proposed control scheme has been tested using the power systems computer-aided design/electromagnetic transient in dc system (EMTDC) simulation results and the experimental results based on a 30-kVAr cascade STATCOM laboratory prototype are proposed.

Reactive Power and Voltage Control in Distribution Systems With Limited Switching Operations

Abstract: An algorithm based on a nonlinear interior-point method and discretization penalties is proposed in this paper for the solution of the mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem associated with reactive power and voltage control in distribution systems to minimize daily energy losses, with time-related constraints being considered. Some of these constraints represent limits on the number of switching operations of transformer load tap changers (LTCs) and capacitors, which are modeled as discrete control variables. The discrete variables are treated here as continuous variables during the solution process, thus transforming the MINLP problem into an NLP problem that can be more efficiently solved exploiting its highly sparse matrix structure; a strategy is developed to round these variables off to their nearest discrete values, so that daily switching operation limits are properly met. The proposed method is compared with respect to other well-known MINLP solution methods, namely, a genetic algorithm and the popular GAMS MINLP solvers BARON and DICOPT. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated in the well-known PG&E 69-bus distribution network and a real distribution system in the city of Guangzhou, China, where the proposed technique has been in operation since 2003.

An Implementation of an Adaptive Control Algorithm for a Three-Phase Shunt Active Filter

Abstract: This paper deals with the hardware implementation of a shunt active filter (SAF) for compensation of reactive power, unbalanced loading, and harmonic currents. SAF is controlled using an adaptive-linear-element (Adaline)-based current estimator to maintain sinusoidal and unity-power-factor source currents. Three-phase load currents are sensed, and using least mean square (LMS) algorithm-based Adaline, online calculation of weights is performed and these weights are multiplied by the unit vector templates, which give the fundamental-frequency real component of load currents. The dc bus voltage of voltage source converter (VSC) working as a SAF is maintained at constant value using a proportional-integral controller. The switching of VSC is performed using hysteresis-based pulsewidth-modulation indirect-current-control scheme, which controls the source currents to follow the derived reference source currents. The practical implementation of the SAF is realized using dSPACE DS1104 R&D controller having TMS320F240 as a slave DSP. The MATLAB-based simulation results and implementation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the SAF with Adaline-based control for load compensation.

Generalised single-phase p-q theory for active power filtering: simulation and DSP-based experimental investigation

Abstract: The single-phase p-q theory for the purpose of active power filtering in the case of single-phase loads is dealt with here. A simple modification is proposed to develop a generalised single-phase p-q theory that can be utilised under the condition of distorted utility voltage. A systematic study is presented by realising both direct and indirect current control techniques. The simulation as well as the digital signal processor (DSP) (DS1104 of dSPACE) based experimental results are discussed. The developed single-phase shunt active power filter (APF) prototype is tested under different operating conditions with different loads to evaluate the full capabilities of the proposed generalised theory for practical uses. The shunt APF reduces the source current total harmonics distortion (THD) from 27.2 to 3.4% under a distorted supply voltage with a THD of 16.2%.

Power Engineering Letters Nighttime Application of PV Solar Farm as STATCOM to Regulate Grid Voltage

Abstract: This letter presents a novel concept of utilizing pho- tovoltaic (PV) solar farm (SF) as a flexible ac transmission systems controller—static synchronous compensator, to regulate the point of common coupling voltage during nighttime when the SF is not producing any active power. This concept, although general, is pre- sented for the scenario of a distribution feeder, which has both PV solar and wind farms connected to it. The proposed control will en- able increased connections of renewable energy sources in the grid. A MATLAB/Simulink-based simulation study is presented under variable wind power generation and fault condition to validate the proposed concept. Index Terms—Distributed generation, flexible ac transmission systems (FACTS), solar energy, static synchronous compensator (STATCOM), voltage regulation, wind energy.

Improved Direct Power Control of Grid-Connected DC/AC Converters

Abstract: This paper proposes new direct power control (DPC) strategies for three-phase DC/AC converters with improved dynamic response and steady-state performance. As with an electrical machine, source and converter flux, which equal the integration of the respective source and converter voltage, are used to define active and reactive power flow. Optimization of the lookup table used in conventional DPC is outlined first so as to improve power control and reduce current distortion. Then, constant switching frequency DPC is developed where the required converter voltage vector within a fixed half switching period is calculated directly from the active and reactive power errors. Detailed angle compensation due to the finite sampling frequency and the use of an integral controller to further improve the power control accuracy are described. Both simulation and experimental results are used to compare conventional DPC and vector control, and to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed control strategies during active and reactive power steps, and line inductance variations.

Selective Harmonic-Compensation Control for Single-Phase Active Power Filter With High Harmonic Rejection

Abstract: This paper presents a linear current control scheme for single-phase active power filters. The approach is based on an outer voltage loop, an inner current loop, and a resonant selective harmonic compensator. The design of the control parameters is carried out using conventional linear techniques (analysis of loop gain and other disturbance-rejection transfer functions). The performance of the proposed controller is evaluated and compared with two reference controllers: a basic control and an advanced repetitive control. In comparison with these controllers, the proposed control scheme provides additional attenuation to the harmonics coming from the load current, the grid voltage, and the reference signal, resulting in a grid current with lower harmonic distortion. Experimental results are reported in order to validate this paper.

Static synchronous generators for distributed generation and renewable energy

Abstract: In this paper, the idea of operating an inverter as a synchronous generator is developed after establishing a model for synchronous generators to cover all dynamics without any assumptions on the signals. The inverters which are operated in this way are called static synchronous generators (SSG). This means that the well-established theory/device for synchronous generators can still be used for inverters, which will dominate the power generation in the future because of the increasing share of distributed generation sources and renewable energy sources utilised. The power of an SSG can be regulated using the well-known frequency and voltage drooping mechanism. SSGs can also be easily operated in grid-connected mode or island mode. Simulation results are given to verify the idea.

A Novel Structure for Three-Phase Four-Wire Distribution System Utilizing Unified Power Quality Conditioner (UPQC)

Abstract: This paper presents a novel structure for a three-phase four-wire (3P4W) distribution system utilizing unified power quality conditioner (UPQC). The 3P4W system is realized from a three-phase three-wire system where the neutral of series transformer used in series part UPQC is considered as the fourth wire for the 3P4W system. A new control strategy to balance the unbalanced load currents is also presented in this paper. The neutral current that may flow toward transformer neutral point is compensated by using a four-leg voltage source inverter topology for shunt part. Thus, the series transformer neutral will be at virtual zero potential during all operating conditions. The simulation results based on MATLAB/Simulink are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed UPQC-based 3P4W distribution system.