IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications

This review focuses on inverter technologies for connecting photovoltaic (PV) modules to a single-phase grid. The inverters are categorized into four classifications: 1) the number of power processing stages in cascade; 2) the type of power decoupling between the PV module(s) and the single-phase grid; 3) whether they utilizes a transformer (either line or high frequency) or not; and 4) the type o... View full abstract»

This paper presents an impedance-source (or impedance-fed) power converter (abbreviated as Z-source converter) and its control method for implementing DC-to-AC, AC-to-DC, AC-to-AC, and DC-to-DC power conversion. The Z-source converter employs a unique impedance network (or circuit) to couple the converter main circuit to the power source, thus providing unique features that cannot be obtained in t... View full abstract»

Renewable energy becomes a key contributor to our modern society, but their integration to power grid poses significant technical challenges. Power quality is an important aspect of renewable energy integration. The major power quality concerns are: 1) Voltage and frequency fluctuations, which are caused by noncontrollable variability of renewable energy resources. The intermittent nature of renew... View full abstract»

In the present work, behavior of corona discharges on the polymeric insulating sample, generated from a multiple needle electrode in the presence of normal air and fog (mist) condition, is studied with the aid of an image processing technique. The development of streamers is closely monitored using the high-resolution digital single lens reflection camera. The corona streamers were found to be con... View full abstract»

This paper proposes a step-by-step procedure for designing the LCL filter of a front-end three-phase active rectifier. The primary goal is to reduce the switching frequency ripple at a reasonable cost, while at the same time achieving a high-performance front-end rectifier (as characterized by a rapid dynamic response and good stability margin). An example LCL filter design is reported and a filte... View full abstract»

DC-link capacitors are an important part in the majority of power electronic converters which contribute to cost, size and failure rate on a considerable scale. From capacitor users' viewpoint, this paper presents a review on the improvement of reliability of dc link in power electronic converters from two aspects: 1) reliability-oriented dc-link design solutions; 2) conditioning monitoring of dc-... View full abstract»

A new neutral-point-clamped pulsewidth modulation (PWM) inverter composed of main switching devices which operate as switches for PWM and auxiliary switching devices to clamp the output terminal potential to the neutral point potential has been developed. This inverter output contains less harmonic content as compared with that of a conventional type. Two inverters are compared analytically and ex... View full abstract»

Modular multilevel converter (MMC) is believed the most competitive solution for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission using voltage source converters. Circulating current suppressing strategies based on proportional resonant (PR) controllers are widely used in MMC. This kind of strategies can effectively eliminate all the circulating current components in MMC-HVDC. Unfortunately, it can... View full abstract»

This paper proposes a novel single-switch dc/dc converter for the future renewable electric energy delivery and management system to implement the distributed renewable energy resources (DRER). The DRER is responsible for the maximum power point tracking of the photovoltaic panel (PV) module and also for the control of central energy storage device. Due to the characteristics of the PV module and ... View full abstract»

Three DC/DC converter topologies suitable for high-power-density high-power applications are presented. All three circuits operate in a soft-switched manner, making possible a reduction in device switching losses and an increase in switching frequency. The three-phase dual-bridge converter proposed is shown to have the most favorable characteristics. This converter consists of two three-phase inve... View full abstract»

Utility company standards for power quality are making it difficult for industrial users to start large induction and synchronous motors due to high inrush current. This paper will present a large oil company's challenges in starting large motors driven by the utility company in a relatively weak power system in East Texas while not violating the utility company's standards. A workable solution is... View full abstract»

Motivated by concerns about the environment and energy shortages, considerable progress has recently been made in the development of photovoltaic (PV) and other forms of distributed generation. These developments have contributed greatly to awareness of the importance of renewable energy and governmental policies to revise energy priorities to ensure the adoption and significant growth of renewabl... View full abstract»

Variability in the solar irradiance level and ambient temperature of photovoltaic (PV) systems necessitates the use of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) of PV systems to ensure continuous harvesting of maximum power. This paper presents a sensorless current (SC) MPPT algorithm using model predictive control (MPC). The main contribution of this paper is the use of model-based predictive control p... View full abstract»

This paper presents a virtual impedance design and implementation approach for power electronics interfaced distributed generation (DG) units. To improve system stability and prevent power couplings, the virtual impedances can be placed between interfacing converter outputs and the main grid. However, optimal design of the impedance value, robust implementation of the virtual impedance, and proper... View full abstract»

The performance of a high-power, high-power-density DC-to-DC converter based on the single-phase dual active bridge (DAB) topology is described. The dual active bridge converter has been shown to have very attractive features in terms of low device and component stresses, small filter components, low switching losses, high power density and high efficiency, bidirectional power flow, buck-boost ope... View full abstract»

This paper presents a theoretical study with experimental validation of a circulating-current suppression method for parallel operation of three-phase voltage-source inverters (VSI), which may be suitable for modular parallel uninterruptible power supply systems or hybrid ac/dc microgrid applications. The basic concept of the proposed circulating-current suppression method is to modify the origina... View full abstract»

A comprehensive control of a wind turbine system connected to an industrial plant is discussed in this paper, where an algorithm has been developed allowing a control structure that utilizes a four-leg inverter connected to the grid side to inject the available energy, as well as to work as an active power filter mitigating load current disturbances and enhancing power quality. A four-wire system ... View full abstract»

Bearing is one of the most critical components in most electrical and power drives. Effective bearing fault diagnosis is important for keeping the electrical and power drives safe and operating normally. In the age of Internet of Things and Industrial 4.0, massive real-time data are collected from bearing health monitoring systems. Mechanical big data have the characteristics of large volume, dive... View full abstract»

Solving a short mileage and a long charging time is indispensable in putting electrical vehicles (EVs) on the full-scale market. A dynamic wireless power transfer (WPT) system is one of the effective solutions, because it can feed electric power to moving EVs. This paper proposes a dynamic WPT system consisting of several stationary ground-side (primary) coils and a moving vehicle-side (secondary)... View full abstract»

Recent developments in smart metering applications have led to the conceptualization and construction of a new type of energy meter, operating on the basis of event-driven principles. The event-driven metering concepts are applied to represent the information on the electrical load patterns, which have an integral value. This paper explains why these concepts are different from the ones used for e... View full abstract»

Model-predictive current control (MPCC) is widely recognized as a high-performance control strategy of permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) drives due to its quick response and simple principle. It uses a cost function to select the best voltage vector minimizing the current error between the reference value and the feedback value. However, as only one voltage vector is applied during one c... View full abstract»

Permanent-magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) are considered a very promising machine type for high-speed (HS) applications. As permanent-magnet (PM) materials are generally fragile, a high-strength sleeve is required to protect the PMs from damage due to the extreme centrifugal forces. The rotor sleeve occupies space of the effective airgap of the PMSMs; therefore, it is difficult to perform the ... View full abstract»

The steady growth of installed wind power together with the upscaling of the single wind turbine power capability has pushed the research and development of power converters toward full-scale power conversion, lowered cost pr kW, increased power density, and also the need for higher reliability. In this paper, power converter technologies are reviewed with focus on existing ones and on those that ... View full abstract»

Multilevel voltage source converters are emerging as a new breed of power converter options for high-power applications. The multilevel voltage source converters typically synthesize the staircase voltage wave from several levels of DC capacitor voltages. One of the major limitations of the multilevel converters is the voltage unbalance between different levels. The techniques to balance the volta... View full abstract»

This paper contributes to the analysis and development of a new power electronics system for bidirectional wireless power transfer (WPT). The major focus is the analysis and implementation of a new current-fed resonant topology with current-sharing and voltage-doubling features. A new bidirectional WPT system with current-fed half-bridge voltage-doubler circuit is proposed and analyzed with series... View full abstract»

This paper proposes and analyzes a new power electronics circuit topology for wireless inductive power transfer application using current-fed half-bridge converter with CCL-LC resonant network. The major focus is analysis and implementation of a new current-fed resonant topology with current-sharing and voltage doubling features. Generally, inductive power transfer circuits with current fed conver... View full abstract»

In LLC-based onboard battery charging architectures used in plug-in electric vehicles (PEV), the dc link voltage can be actively regulated to follow the battery pack voltage so that the LLC converter can operate in proximity of resonant frequency and achieve high efficiencies over the wide range of battery pack voltage. However, conventional boost-type power factor correction (PFC) converters are ... View full abstract»

The application of vector control to the PMSM (permanent-magnet synchronous motor) is described, and complete modeling, simulation, and analysis of the drive system are presented. State-space models of the motor and speed controller and real-time models of the inverter switches and vector controller are included. Performance differences due to the use of pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) and hysteresis ... View full abstract»

This paper presents a modular cascaded H-bridge multilevel photovoltaic (PV) inverter for single- or three-phase grid-connected applications. The modular cascaded multilevel topology helps to improve the efficiency and flexibility of PV systems. To realize better utilization of PV modules and maximize the solar energy extraction, a distributed maximum power point tracking control scheme is applied... View full abstract»

The lithium-ion batteries are commonly used in electric vehicle (EV) applications due to their better performances as compared with other batteries. However, lithium-ion battery has some drawbacks such as the overcharged cell which has a risk of explosion, the undercharged cell eventually reduces the life cycle of the battery, and unbalanced charge in series battery gradually reduces overall charg... View full abstract»

In this paper, a supertwisting algorithm based secondorder sliding-mode observer (STA-SMO) with online stator resistance (Rs) estimation for sensorless control of a nonsalient permanent magnet synchronous machine is proposed. A stator current observer is designed based on an STA to estimate the back electromotive force. A discontinuous sign function in the conventional SMO is replaced b... View full abstract»

Energy storage systems provide viable solutions for improving efficiency and power quality as well as reliability issues in dc/ac power systems including power grid with considerable penetrations of renewable energy. The storage systems are also essential for aircraft powertrains, shipboard power systems, electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles to meet the peak load economically and improv... View full abstract»

Because of their characteristics, which have been continuously improved during the last years, Lithium-ion batteries have been proposed as an alternative viable solution to present fast-reacting conventional generating units to deliver the primary frequency regulation service. However, even though there are worldwide demonstration projects, where energy storage systems based on Lithium-ion batteri... View full abstract»

When direct torque control (DTC) is applied to permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drives, the relationship between the torque and stator flux linkage is important for high-efficiency drives because DTC requires them as references. In the stator flux linkage synchronous frame (M-T frame), the torque is described by a simple equation using the T-axis current. However, the M-axis current is ne... View full abstract»

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) has become one of the most promising converter technologies for medium/high-power applications, specifically for highvoltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems. One of the technical challenges associated with the operation and control of the MMC-based system is to precharge the submodule (SM) capacitors to their nominal voltage during the startup proc... View full abstract»

Nowadays, most double fed induction generators (DFIGs)-based wind turbines are equipped with a rotor crowbar connected in parallel with the rotor side converter (RSC). The parallel rotor side crowbar (PRSC) is used to protect the RSC and dc-link capacitor by dissipating the rotor energy during grid fault condition. In this paper, two types of crowbar protections are used, one in the rotor winding ... View full abstract»

The paper proposes the concepts of integrators for sinusoidal signals. A proportional-integral (PI) current controller using stationary-frame generalized integrators is applied for current control of active power filters. Zero steady-state error for the concerned current harmonics is realized, with reduced computation, under unbalanced utility or load conditions. Designing of the PI constants, dig... View full abstract»

This paper proposes a communication-assisted fault localization, isolation, and restoration method for microgrids based on a multi-agent system. The proposed system comprises distributed agents, located in the middle and at the two ends of a protection section, which will detect a fault through phase angle comparison of current signals at both sides of a given distribution line. The agents then se... View full abstract»

For pt.I see ibid., vol.25, no.2, p.265-73 (1989). The authors develop a phase variable model of the BDCM (brushless DC motor) and use it to examine the performance of a BDCM speed servo drive system when fed by hysteresis and pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) current controllers. Particular attention was paid to the motor large-signal and small-signal dynamics and motor torque pulsations. The simulation... View full abstract»

A scheme for controlling parallel-connected inverters in a standalone AC supply system is presented. This scheme is suitable for control of inverters in distributed source environments such as in isolated AC systems, large and distributed uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, photovoltaic systems connected to AC grids, and low-voltage DC power transmission meshes. A key feature of the contro... View full abstract»

The higher penetration of wind energy poses increasing demand for grid support and power management functions of a wind energy conversion system (WECS). This paper investigates a medium-voltage solid-state transformer (SST)-interfaced permanent magnet synchronous generator system with integrated active power management and reactive power compensation functions. Specifically, a WECS consisting of w... View full abstract»

The coexistence of ac and dc subgrids in a hybrid microgrid is likely given that modern distributed sources can either be ac or dc. Linking these subgrids is a power converter, whose topology should preferably be not too unconventional. This is to avoid unnecessary compromises to reliability, simplicity, and industry relevance of the converter. The desired operating features of the hybrid microgri... View full abstract»

With a still increasing penetration level of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems, more advanced active power control functionalities have been introduced in certain grid regulations. A delta power constraint, where a portion of the active power from the PV panels is reserved during operation, is required for grid support (e.g., during frequency deviation). In this paper, a cost-effective solu... View full abstract»

Stationary frame proportional plus integral (PI) current-regulated voltage-source inverters are conventionally regarded as unsatisfactory for AC systems because they cannot eliminate steady-state errors. This paper presents a technique for interpreting the stationary/rotating frame transformations as modulation processes in the Laplace domain, which move the control function from one part of the f... View full abstract»

The conventional reactive power in single-phase or three- phase circuits has been defined on the basis of the average value concept for sinusoidal voltage and current waveforms in steady states. The instantaneous reactive power in three-phase circuits is defined on the basis of the instantaneous value concept for arbitrary voltage and current waveforms, including transient states. A new instantane... View full abstract»

This paper aims at the design and development of an efficient photovoltaic (PV) array powered switched reluctance motor (SRM) driven pump utilizing a dual supply buck-boost converter. The buck-boost converter having dual supply, is used as an intermediate DC-DC power conditioning stage between PV array and SRM-pump. The power optimization of PV array and to provide soft-starting to SRM drive, are ... View full abstract»

This paper proposes a sensorless direct flux vector control scheme for synchronous reluctance motor drives. Torque is controlled at constant switching frequency, via the closed loop regulation of the stator flux linkage vector and of the current component in quadrature with it, using the stator flux oriented reference frame. A hybrid flux and position observer combines back-electromotive force (EM... View full abstract»

A questionnaire survey was carried out to determine the industrial requirements and expectations of reliability in power electronic converters. The survey was subjective and conducted with a number of high-profile semiconductor manufacturers, integrators, and users in the aerospace, automation, motor drive, utility power, and other industry sectors. According to the survey, power semiconductor dev... View full abstract»

In more electric aircraft (MEA) system, both ac and dc electric power with multiple voltage levels are required for various aircraft loads. This paper presents an induction generator-based ac/dc hybrid electric power generation system for MEA. In the proposed system architecure, a high-speed induction starter/generator and a low-speed induction generator are installed on the high pressure (HP) and... View full abstract»

Harmonic instability is threatening the operation of renewable energy based power plants where multiple grid connected voltage source inverters (VSIs) are connected in parallel. To analyze and improve the stability of the grid-connected VSIs, the real part of the output admittance of the VSIs is first investigated in this paper. It has been shown that the negative real part of the output admittanc... View full abstract»