scholarly journals A DC-side fault-tolerant bidirectional AC/DC converter for power system in integration of low-voltage DC distribution systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikoo Kouchakipour

With the rising potential for the employment of low- and medium-voltage direct-current (dc) electric power distribution systems, most notably for a more efficient integration of plug-in electric vehicles and such other distributed energy resources as photovoltaic (PV) panels, there is a need for robust ac/dc electronic power converters that can interface such dc distribution systems with the legacy alternating current (ac) power system. Thus, this thesis proposes a new single-stage low-voltage three-phase ac-dc power converter that is simple structurally, en- ables a bidirectional power exchanges between the ac and dc distribution systems, and can handle short-circuit faults at its dc as well as ac sides. The proposed converter consists of three legs, corresponding to the three phases of the host ac grid, each of which hosting two full-bridge submodule (FBSM), in an architecture that can be regarded as a special case of the so-called modular multi-level converter (MMC). Thus, at the dc port each FBSM is connected in parallel with a corresponding capacitor, while the ac voltage of each phase is synthesized by the coordinated sinusoidal pulse-width modulation (SPWM) of the two corresponding FBSMs. This architecture allows the generation of low-distortion ac voltage while it also provides the converter with the very important dc fault current blocking capability since, upon the detection of a short circuit across the converter dc port, the switches of the FBSMs are turned off and disallow the flow of any dc current. The thesis also presents a mathematical model for the converter, for analysis and control design purposes. Thus, the control for the regulation of the overall dc-side voltage, as well as those for the regulation of the dc voltages of the FBSMs are devised based on the aforementioned mathematical model and presented with details. It is further shown that the voltage conversion ratio of the proposed converter is the same as that offered by a conventional voltage-sourced converter (VSC), whereas the VSC is vulnerable to dc- side shorts. The proposed converter can be extended to medium-voltage levels by multi- plying the number of FBSMs in each leg. The effectiveness of the proposed converter and its controls is demonstrated through time-domain simulation studies conducted on a topological model of the converter in PSCAD/EMTDC software environment.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikoo Kouchakipour

With the rising potential for the employment of low- and medium-voltage direct-current (dc) electric power distribution systems, most notably for a more efficient integration of plug-in electric vehicles and such other distributed energy resources as photovoltaic (PV) panels, there is a need for robust ac/dc electronic power converters that can interface such dc distribution systems with the legacy alternating current (ac) power system. Thus, this thesis proposes a new single-stage low-voltage three-phase ac-dc power converter that is simple structurally, en- ables a bidirectional power exchanges between the ac and dc distribution systems, and can handle short-circuit faults at its dc as well as ac sides. The proposed converter consists of three legs, corresponding to the three phases of the host ac grid, each of which hosting two full-bridge submodule (FBSM), in an architecture that can be regarded as a special case of the so-called modular multi-level converter (MMC). Thus, at the dc port each FBSM is connected in parallel with a corresponding capacitor, while the ac voltage of each phase is synthesized by the coordinated sinusoidal pulse-width modulation (SPWM) of the two corresponding FBSMs. This architecture allows the generation of low-distortion ac voltage while it also provides the converter with the very important dc fault current blocking capability since, upon the detection of a short circuit across the converter dc port, the switches of the FBSMs are turned off and disallow the flow of any dc current. The thesis also presents a mathematical model for the converter, for analysis and control design purposes. Thus, the control for the regulation of the overall dc-side voltage, as well as those for the regulation of the dc voltages of the FBSMs are devised based on the aforementioned mathematical model and presented with details. It is further shown that the voltage conversion ratio of the proposed converter is the same as that offered by a conventional voltage-sourced converter (VSC), whereas the VSC is vulnerable to dc- side shorts. The proposed converter can be extended to medium-voltage levels by multi- plying the number of FBSMs in each leg. The effectiveness of the proposed converter and its controls is demonstrated through time-domain simulation studies conducted on a topological model of the converter in PSCAD/EMTDC software environment.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 334
Author(s):  
Esteban Pulido ◽  
Luis Morán ◽  
Felipe Villarroel ◽  
José Silva

In this paper, a new concept of short-circuit current (SCC) reduction for power distribution systems is presented and analyzed. Conventional fault current limiters (FCLs) are connected in series with a circuit breaker (CB) that is required to limit the short-circuit current. Instead, the proposed scheme consisted of the parallel connection of a current-controlled power converter to the same bus intended to reduce the amplitude of the short-circuit current. This power converter was controlled to absorb a percentage of the short-circuit current from the bus to reduce the amplitude of the short-circuit current. The proposed active short-circuit current reduction scheme was implemented with a cascaded H-bridge power converter and tested by simulation in a 13.2 kV industrial power distribution system for three-phase faults, showing the effectiveness of the short-circuit current attenuation in reducing the maximum current requirement in all circuit breakers connected to the same bus. The paper also presents the design characteristics of the power converter and its associated control scheme.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 338
Author(s):  
Leslie Tracy ◽  
Praveen Kumar Sekhar

In this study, a low voltage solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) was implemented for a DC distribution system using commercially available components. The design process of the high-side static switch was enabled through a voltage bias. Detailed functional testing of the current sensor, high-side switch, thermal ratings, analog to digital conversion (ADC) techniques, and response times of the SSCB was evaluated. The designed SSCB was capable of low-end lighting protection applications and tested at 50 V. A 15 A continuous current rating was obtained, and the minimum response time of the SSCB was nearly 290 times faster than that of conventional AC protection methods. The SSCB was implemented to fill the gap where traditional AC protection schemes have failed. DC distribution systems are capable of extreme faults that can destroy sensitive power electronic equipment. However, continued research and development of the SSCB is helping to revolutionize the power industry and change the current power distribution methods to better utilize clean renewable energy systems.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 3917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Artale ◽  
Antonio Cataliotti ◽  
Valentina Cosentino ◽  
Dario Di Cara ◽  
Salvatore Guaiana ◽  
...  

The evolution of modern power distribution systems into smart grids requires the development of dedicated state estimation (SE) algorithms for real-time identification of the overall system state variables. This paper proposes a strategy to evaluate the minimum number and best position of power injection meters in radial distribution systems for SE purposes. Measurement points are identified with the aim of reducing uncertainty in branch power flow estimations. An incremental heuristic meter placement (IHMP) approach is proposed to select the locations and total number of power measurements. The meter placement procedure was implemented for a backward/forward load flow algorithm proposed by the authors, which allows the evaluation of medium-voltage power flows starting from low-voltage load measurements. This allows the reduction of the overall costs of measurement equipment and setup. The IHMP method was tested in the real 25-bus medium-voltage (MV) radial distribution network of the Island of Ustica (Mediterranean Sea). The proposed method is useful both for finding the best measurement configuration in a new distribution network and also for implementing an incremental enhancement of an existing measurement configuration, reaching a good tradeoff between instrumentation costs and measurement uncertainty.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 2517
Author(s):  
Diogo Rupolo ◽  
Benvindo Pereira Junior ◽  
Javier Contreras ◽  
José Mantovani

In this paper, a multiobjective approach to carry out the planning of medium-voltage (MV) and low-voltage (LV) distribution systems, considering renewable energy sources (RES) and robustness, is proposed. Due to the uncertainties associated with RES and demand, the proposed planning methodology takes into account a robust planning index (RPI). This RPI allows us to evaluate the robustness estimation associated with each planning solution. The objective function in the mathematical model considers the costs of investment and operation and the robustness of the planning proposals. Due to the computational complexity of this problem, which is difficult to solve by means of classical optimization techniques, MV/LV planning is solved by a decomposition search and a general variable neighborhood search (GVNS) algorithm. To demonstrate the efficiency and robustness of this methodology, tests are performed in an integrated distribution system with 50 MV nodes and 410 LV nodes. Our numerical results show that the proposed methodology makes it possible to minimize costs and improve robustness levels in distribution system planning.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 4883
Author(s):  
Álvaro Ojeda-Rodríguez ◽  
Pablo González-Vizuete ◽  
Joaquín Bernal-Méndez ◽  
María A. Martín-Prats

DC-DC isolated converters allowing a bidirectional flow of energy between High-Voltage DC and Low-Voltage DC networks have been proposed to be integrated in future on board power distribution systems. These converters must meet the specially stringent efficiency and power density requirements that are typical of the aeronautic industry. This makes it specially challenging to determine which converter topology is best suited for each particular application. This work presents a thorough review of several topologies of bidirectional DC-DC power converters that are considered good candidates to meet certain important aeronautic requirements, as those related with high efficiency and high power density. We perform simulations on virtual prototypes, constructed by using detailed component models, and optimized following design criteria that are in accordance with those typically imposed by aeronautic requirements. This comparative analysis is aimed to clearly identify the advantages and drawbacks of each topology, and to relate them with the required voltage and power levels. As an outcome, we point out the topologies that, for the required power level at the chosen switching frequencies, yield higher efficiency in the whole range of required operation points and that are expected to allow more important weight reductions.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 2288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Plesca

Copper busbar technology is widely used with the aim to achieve electrical connections with power distribution systems because of their flexibility and compactness. The thermal analysis takes into account the heat conduction and convection of a copper busbar system used to supply a test bench with high currents in order to check the electro-thermal behaviour of power circuit breakers during overload and short circuit conditions. This paper proposes a mathematical model for busbars used within a high current power supply. The obtained thermal model can be used to analyse the thermal behaviour of busbars in steady-state conditions at different values of the electric current, cross-section and length of the busbar. Also, the mathematical model allows to calculate the temperature distribution along the busbar at different values of the contact resistances at junction points with other conductors. There is a good correlation between calculated, simulated and experimental results.


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