Search for: All records

Proliferation of power electronics and distributed energy resources (DERs) into the electrical power system (EPS) enables improvements to the network’s resilience against sudden-inception short circuit electrical faults through redundant electrical pathways in meshed configurations and multiple possible distributed generation locations. However, successful operation of fault detection, isolation, and recovery in islanded mode is challenging as protection coordination must include not only the distribution equipment, but also the DERs. Assessment of resilience for candidate EPS architectures against short circuit faults must be performed to understand the trade-offs between network resilience and complexity. This paper proposes a design process, which can be used towards assessing microgrid resilience, by coordinating protection and ride-through settings to maximize the recoverability of a meshed islanded AC microgrid. The design process is demonstrated through a case-study.

This paper presents a unique Virtual Prototyping Process (VPP) that allows for metaheuristic optimization of the building block based Power Electronic Converter systems. The VPP allows for exploration of a range of design space variables, including voltage levels, power semiconductor device technology and thermal management approach against competing objectives such as power density, efficiency and specific cost given electrical and environmental constraints. A unique feature of proposed VPP is compilation of lower voltage building blocks into a much higher voltage rated system and inclusion of allocations for insulation systems, thermal management, accessibility, busing/interconnections and frame/structure/chassis. This approach enables understanding of these practical considerations on power density. This paper presents a use case of a Medium Voltage ac (MVac) to Low Voltage dc (LVdc) solid state transformer.

In this paper, a 10 kV SiC MOSFET-based solid-state transformer (SST) operating at 13 kV to 7.2 kV, 667 kW, and 20 kHz is modeled and optimized to reach maximum power density and efficiency. In order to reach optimum configuration, different core material/type/size, primary/secondary turns, insulation type/thickness, and cooling systems are considered; then based on a systematic approach the best solution is obtained. To reach this goal, the magnetic part of SST forced air-cooling, and the water-cooling system is modeled in ANSYS MAXWELL/Simplorer, ANSYS-ICEPAK, and ANSYS-FLUENT, respectively. The simulation results show a high efficient SST with an effectiveness of the cooling system.

In this study, a sliding mode control (SMC) scheme is proposed for the single-phase cascaded H-bridge (CHB) multilevel active front end (AFE) rectifier with LCL filter. A PI controller is employed to control the DC voltage of the rectifier modules and to obtain the amplitude for the reference grid current. The SMC based current control scheme uses the grid current and filter capacitor voltage feedbacks. The resonance of the LCL filter is damped using the voltage feedback of the capacitor. Therefore, the requirement for additional damping circuitry is removed. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the performance of the SMC for the CHB multilevel AFE rectifier. The overall proposed control scheme provides almost unity power factor and fast transient response. It is seen from the results that the current drawn from the grid is in sinusoidal waveform with low THD.

The increasing demand for electric vehicles, due to advantages such as higher energy efficiency, lower fuel costs, and less vehicle maintenance, is expected to drive the need for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Due to their reduced size and weight, high power and scalable compact solid state transformers (SST) are growing in popularity. This study presents the total loss analysis and control design for a direct grid connected single-phase SST for a fast charging station. A control strategy to achieve robust current control, DC voltage and power balancing, and power loss minimization (PLM) is implemented for this system. Detailed analyses and simulation results obtained from MATLAB/Simulink are given to prove the effectiveness of the proposed control techniques.

The increasing viability of wide band gap power semiconductors, widespread use of distributed power generations, and rise in power levels of these applications have increased interest and need for medium voltage converters. Understanding the definitions of insulation coordination and their relationship to applications and methodologies used in the test environment allows system engineers to select the correct insulation materials for the design and to calculate the required distances between the conductive surfaces, accessible parts and ground accurately. Although, design guidelines are well established for low voltage systems, there are some deficiencies in understanding and meeting the insulation coordination requirements in medium voltage, medium frequency applications. In this study, an overview on standards for insulation coordination and safety requirements is presented to guide researchers in the development of medium voltage power electronic converters and systems. In addition, an insulation coordination study is performed as a case study for a medium frequency isolated DC/DC converter that provides conversion from a 13.8kV AC system to a 4.16kV AC system.