Frequency-adjustable positive sequence detector for power conditioning applications

This paper proposes a novel and simple positive sequence detector (PSD), which is inherently self-adjustable to fundamental frequency deviations by means of a software-based PLL (Phase Locked Loop). Since the proposed positive sequence detector is not based on Fortescue's classical decomposition and no special input filtering is needed, its dynamic response may be as fast as one fundamental cycle. The digital PLL ensures that the positive sequence components can be calculated even under distorted waveform conditions and fundamental frequency deviations. For the purpose of validating the proposed models, the positive sequence detector has been implemented in a PC-based Power Quality Monitor and experimental results illustrate its good performance. The PSD algorithm has also been evaluated in the control loop of a Series Active Filter and simulation results demonstrate its effectiveness in a closed-loop system. Moreover, considering single-phase applications, this paper also proposes a general single-phase PLL and a Fundamental Wave Detector (FWD) immune to frequency variations and waveform distortions. © 2005 IEEE.

Analytical study and evaluation results of power optimizers for distributed power conditioning in PV arrays

The use of modular or ‘micro’ maximum power point tracking (MPPT) converters at module level in series association, commercially known as “power optimizers”, allows the individual adaptation of each panel to the load, solving part of the problems related to partial shadows and different tilt and/or orientation angles of the photovoltaic (PV) modules. This is particularly relevant in building integrated PV systems. This paper presents useful behavioural analytical studies of cascade MPPT converters and evaluation test results of a prototype developed under a Spanish national research project. On the one hand, this work focuses on the development of new useful expressions which can be used to identify the behaviour of individual MPPT converters applied to each module and connected in series, in a typical grid-connected PV system. On the other hand, a novel characterization method of MPPT converters is developed, and experimental results of the prototype are obtained: when individual partial shading is applied, and they are connected in a typical grid connected PV array

Technology assessment for power quality mitigation devices - Micro-DVR case study

This work presents a case study on technology assessment for power quality improvement devices. A system compatibility test protocol for power quality mitigation devices was developed in order to evaluate the functionality of three-phase voltage restoration devices. In order to validate this test protocol, the micro-DVR, a reduced power development platform for DVR (dynamic voltage restorer) devices, was tested and the results are discussed based on voltage disturbances standards. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Novel expert system for defining power quality compensators

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Power Converters and Electric Drives for Smart Grid Applications

The present dissertation aims to explore, theoretically and experimentally, the problems and the potential advantages of different types of power converters for “Smart Grid” applications, with particular emphasis on multi-level architectures, which are attracting a rising interest even for industrial requests. The models of the main multilevel architectures (Diode-Clamped and Cascaded) are shown. The best suited modulation strategies to function as a network interface are identified. In particular, the close correlation between PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) approach and SVM (Space Vector Modulation) approach is highlighted. An innovative multilevel topology called MMC (Modular Multilevel Converter) is investigated, and the single-phase, three-phase and "back to back" configurations are analyzed. Specific control techniques that can manage, in an appropriate way, the charge level of the numerous capacitors and handle the power flow in a flexible way are defined and experimentally validated. Another converter that is attracting interest in “Power Conditioning Systems” field is the “Matrix Converter”. Even in this architecture, the output voltage is multilevel. It offers an high quality input current, a bidirectional power flow and has the possibility to control the input power factor (i.e. possibility to participate to active and reactive power regulations). The implemented control system, that allows fast data acquisition for diagnostic purposes, is described and experimentally verified.

One-watt fiber-based power-by-light system for satellite applications

In this work, a fiber-based optical powering (or power-by-light) system capable of providing more than 1 W is developed. The prototype was used in order to power a shunt regulator for controlling the activation and deactivation of solar panels in satellites. The work involves the manufacture of a light receiver (a GaAs multiple photovoltaic converter (MPC)), a power conditioning block, and a regulator and the implementation and characterization of the whole system. The MPC, with an active area of just 3.1 mm2, was able to supply 1 W at 5 V with an efficiency of 30%. The maximum measured device efficiency was over 40% at an input power (Pin) of 0.5 W. Open circuit voltage over 7 V was measured for Pin over 0.5 W. A system optoelectronic efficiency (including the optical fiber, connectors, and MPC) of 27% was measured at an output power (Pout) of 1 W. At Pout = 0.2 W, the efficiency was as high as 36%. The power conditioning block and the regulator were successfully powered with the system. The maximum supplied power in steady state was 0.2 W, whereas in transient state, it reached 0.44 W. The paper also describes the characterization of the system within the temperature range going from -70 to +100?°C.

Hybrid power system intelligent operation and protection involving distributed architectures and pulsed loads

Efficient and reliable techniques for power delivery and utilization are needed to account for the increased penetration of renewable energy sources in electric power systems. Such methods are also required for current and future demands of plug-in electric vehicles and high-power electronic loads. Distributed control and optimal power network architectures will lead to viable solutions to the energy management issue with high level of reliability and security. This dissertation is aimed at developing and verifying new techniques for distributed control by deploying DC microgrids, involving distributed renewable generation and energy storage, through the operating AC power system. To achieve the findings of this dissertation, an energy system architecture was developed involving AC and DC networks, both with distributed generations and demands. The various components of the DC microgrid were designed and built including DC-DC converters, voltage source inverters (VSI) and AC-DC rectifiers featuring novel designs developed by the candidate. New control techniques were developed and implemented to maximize the operating range of the power conditioning units used for integrating renewable energy into the DC bus. The control and operation of the DC microgrids in the hybrid AC/DC system involve intelligent energy management. Real-time energy management algorithms were developed and experimentally verified. These algorithms are based on intelligent decision-making elements along with an optimization process. This was aimed at enhancing the overall performance of the power system and mitigating the effect of heavy non-linear loads with variable intensity and duration. The developed algorithms were also used for managing the charging/discharging process of plug-in electric vehicle emulators. The protection of the proposed hybrid AC/DC power system was studied. Fault analysis and protection scheme and coordination, in addition to ideas on how to retrofit currently available protection concepts and devices for AC systems in a DC network, were presented. A study was also conducted on the effect of changing the distribution architecture and distributing the storage assets on the various zones of the network on the system's dynamic security and stability. A practical shipboard power system was studied as an example of a hybrid AC/DC power system involving pulsed loads. Generally, the proposed hybrid AC/DC power system, besides most of the ideas, controls and algorithms presented in this dissertation, were experimentally verified at the Smart Grid Testbed, Energy Systems Research Laboratory. All the developments in this dissertation were experimentally verified at the Smart Grid Testbed.

Hybrid Power System Intelligent Operation and Protection Involving Distributed Architectures and Pulsed Loads

Efficient and reliable techniques for power delivery and utilization are needed to account for the increased penetration of renewable energy sources in electric power systems. Such methods are also required for current and future demands of plug-in electric vehicles and high-power electronic loads. Distributed control and optimal power network architectures will lead to viable solutions to the energy management issue with high level of reliability and security. This dissertation is aimed at developing and verifying new techniques for distributed control by deploying DC microgrids, involving distributed renewable generation and energy storage, through the operating AC power system. To achieve the findings of this dissertation, an energy system architecture was developed involving AC and DC networks, both with distributed generations and demands. The various components of the DC microgrid were designed and built including DC-DC converters, voltage source inverters (VSI) and AC-DC rectifiers featuring novel designs developed by the candidate. New control techniques were developed and implemented to maximize the operating range of the power conditioning units used for integrating renewable energy into the DC bus. The control and operation of the DC microgrids in the hybrid AC/DC system involve intelligent energy management. Real-time energy management algorithms were developed and experimentally verified. These algorithms are based on intelligent decision-making elements along with an optimization process. This was aimed at enhancing the overall performance of the power system and mitigating the effect of heavy non-linear loads with variable intensity and duration. The developed algorithms were also used for managing the charging/discharging process of plug-in electric vehicle emulators. The protection of the proposed hybrid AC/DC power system was studied. Fault analysis and protection scheme and coordination, in addition to ideas on how to retrofit currently available protection concepts and devices for AC systems in a DC network, were presented. A study was also conducted on the effect of changing the distribution architecture and distributing the storage assets on the various zones of the network on the system’s dynamic security and stability. A practical shipboard power system was studied as an example of a hybrid AC/DC power system involving pulsed loads. Generally, the proposed hybrid AC/DC power system, besides most of the ideas, controls and algorithms presented in this dissertation, were experimentally verified at the Smart Grid Testbed, Energy Systems Research Laboratory. All the developments in this dissertation were experimentally verified at the Smart Grid Testbed.

Cascade multilevel static synchronous compensator configuration for wind farms

Modulation and control of a cascade multilevel static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) configuration to improve the quality of voltage generated by wind power systems are presented. The proposed STATCOM configuration needs only four dc-link capacitors and 24 switches to synthesise nine-level operation. In addition to that, switching losses are further reduced by splitting the voltage source inverter of the STATCOM into two units called the `bulk inverter` and the `conditioning inverter`. The high-power bulk inverter is operated at low frequency whereas the low-power conditioning inverter is operated at high frequency to suppress harmonics produced by the bulk inverter. Fluctuations at the point of common coupling voltage, caused by sudden wind changes, are suppressed by controlling reactive power of the STATCOM. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the efficacy of the proposed modulation and control techniques used in the STATCOM.

Space vector modulated cascade multi-level inverter for PMSG wind generation systems

Modulation and control of a cascade multilevel inverter, which has a high potential in future wind generation applications, are presented. The inverter is a combination of a high power, three level “bulk inverter” and a low power “conditioning inverter”. To minimize switching losses, the bulk inverter operates at a low frequency producing square wave outputs while high frequency conditioning inverter is used to suppress harmonic content produced by the bulk inverter output. This paper proposes an improved Space Vector Modulation (SVM) algorithm and a neutral point potential balancing technique for the inverter. Furthermore, a maximum power tracking controller for the Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG) is described in detail. The proposed SVM technique eliminates most of the computational burdens on the digital controller and renders a greater controllability under varying DC-link voltage conditions. The DC-link capacitor voltage balancing of both bulk and conditioning inverters is carried out using Redundant State Selection (RSS) method and is explained in detail. Experimental results are presented to verify the proposed modulation and control techniques.

Design strategies for ultra-high efficiency photovoltaics

While concentrator photovoltaic cells have shown significant improvements in efficiency in the past ten years, once these cells are integrated into concentrating optics, connected to a power conditioning system and deployed in the field, the overall module efficiency drops to only 34 to 36%. This efficiency is impressive compared to conventional flat plate modules, but it is far short of the theoretical limits for solar energy conversion. Designing a system capable of achieving ultra high efficiency of 50% or greater cannot be achieved by refinement and iteration of current design approaches.

This thesis takes a systems approach to designing a photovoltaic system capable of 50% efficient performance using conventional diode-based solar cells. The effort began with an exploration of the limiting efficiency of spectrum splitting ensembles with 2 to 20 sub cells in different electrical configurations. Incorporating realistic non-ideal performance with the computationally simple detailed balance approach resulted in practical limits that are useful to identify specific cell performance requirements. This effort quantified the relative benefit of additional cells and concentration for system efficiency, which will help in designing practical optical systems.

Efforts to improve the quality of the solar cells themselves focused on the development of tunable lattice constant epitaxial templates. Initially intended to enable lattice matched multijunction solar cells, these templates would enable increased flexibility in band gap selection for spectrum splitting ensembles and enhanced radiative quality relative to metamorphic growth. The III-V material family is commonly used for multijunction solar cells both for its high radiative quality and for the ease of integrating multiple band gaps into one monolithic growth. The band gap flexibility is limited by the lattice constant of available growth templates. The virtual substrate consists of a thin III-V film with the desired lattice constant. The film is grown strained on an available wafer substrate, but the thickness is below the dislocation nucleation threshold. By removing the film from the growth substrate, allowing the strain to relax elastically, and bonding it to a supportive handle, a template with the desired lattice constant is formed. Experimental efforts towards this structure and initial proof of concept are presented.

Cells with high radiative quality present the opportunity to recover a large amount of their radiative losses if they are incorporated in an ensemble that couples emission from one cell to another. This effect is well known, but has been explored previously in the context of sub cells that independently operate at their maximum power point. This analysis explicitly accounts for the system interaction and identifies ways to enhance overall performance by operating some cells in an ensemble at voltages that reduce the power converted in the individual cell. Series connected multijunctions, which by their nature facilitate strong optical coupling between sub-cells, are reoptimized with substantial performance benefit.

Photovoltaic efficiency is usually measured relative to a standard incident spectrum to allow comparison between systems. Deployed in the field systems may differ in energy production due to sensitivity to changes in the spectrum. The series connection constraint in particular causes system efficiency to decrease as the incident spectrum deviates from the standard spectral composition. This thesis performs a case study comparing performance of systems over a year at a particular location to identify the energy production penalty caused by series connection relative to independent electrical connection.

Wave energy emulator and AC/DC rectifiers for direct drive wave energy converters

This paper describes a solid state electrical emulator devised for laboratory testing of power conditioning electronics for direct drive linear wave energy converters (DDLWEC). Two rectification strategies are considered; a uni-directional boost topology, and an H-bridge which may be controlled in either uni- or bidirectional modes.

Lyapunov's stability and operational margin of grid-connected photovoltaic modules

Analyses of photovoltaic power generation based on Lyapunov's theorems are presented. The characteristics of the photovoltaic module and the power conditioning unit are analyzed in order to establish energy functions that assess the stability of solutions and define safe regions of operation. Furthermore, it is shown that grid-connected photovoltaic modules driven at maximum power may become unstable under normal grid transients. In such cases, stability can be maintained by allowing an operational margin defined as the energy difference between the stable and the unstable solutions of the system. Simulations show that modules cope well with grid transients when a sufficiently large margin is used.

A biosignal embedded system for physiological computing

Thesis submitted in the fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master in Electronic and Telecomunications Engineering