Brushless permanent magnet (PM) drive systems offer a high efficiency over a wide power/torque-speed operating envelope, however, there are a number of problems that may limit, or complicate, their operation particularly in automotive and aerospace vehicular applications, i.e. the loss of control of the power silicon gate drive circuitry during fluxweakening operation, control of high-speed low-inductance machines and the presence of large electrolytic capacitors on the inverter DC link. Current Source Inverters (CSIs) could potentially address some or all of the above issues. However, they have found little application to date due to the wide use of the Voltage Source Inverter (VSI) circuit topology.This thesis investigates feasibility of utilising Current Source Inverters (CSIs) to control permanent magnet synchronous machines in automotive and aerospace actuation systems. CSIs, switching at the fundamental frequency, were used in some of the first semiconductor based, electronic variable speed drive systems that utilised the simple, low maintenance AC induction motor. However, the rapid progress of semiconductors and discovery of Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) techniques soon resulted in the Voltage Source Inverter (VSI) replacing the CSI in all but the highest power applications. Modern power electronics and (micro-processor based) control systems mean that the advantages of VSI systems may no longer be significant and combined with the unique environmental conditions that automotive and aerospace applications present, could allow the CSI to offer advantages over VSIs in these applications.The thesis presents the switching and control logic for CSIs and mapping to the more conventional VSI logic. Analysis is made of the various loss mechanisms in VSI and CSI power circuitary. Simulation models of the VSI and CSI structures are presented and representative drive systems designed, built and tested to validate the model developed. Comparisons are made of the two inverter topologies based on power conversions and loss audits of the test validation hardware.

The electrification of transportation is increasingly of interest to governments around the world as a means of contributing to the achievement of climate change goals. Transportation is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, but it is also the backbone of the global economy and local mobility. Electrification is widely seen as a promising pathway to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation while continuing to support economic growth. Multiphase machines have distinctive features that draw attention in the transportation electrification domain due to their features. Recently, powertrains based on the current-source inverter (CSI) are getting more attention to be a more reliable structure for Electric Vehicles (EVs) by replacing the dc-link capacitor with a choke inductor. This thesis combines these two technologies to develop a more reliable, compact powertrain for heavy-duty electric vehicles. First, a survey covers the recent advances in several aspects such as topology, control, and performance to evaluate the possibility and the future of exploiting them more in EV applications. The six-phase drives are extensively covered here because of their inherent structure as a dual three-phase system which eases the production process. The survey presents the different topologies used in dual three-phase drives, the modulation techniques used to operate them, the status of using multiphase drives in traction applications industrially, and the upcoming trends toward promoting this technology. New powertrain configurations for heavy-duty electric vehicles (HDEV) are proposed based on current-source inverters (CSI) and asymmetrical six-phase electric machines. Since the six-phase CSI comprises two three-phase CSIs, multiple configurations can arise based on the connection between the two CSIs. In this context, the proposed powertrain configurations are based on parallel, cascaded, and standalone six-phase CSIs. The standalone topology is based on separating the two three-phase converters by supplying each converter with a dedicated dc-dc converter. A new and straightforward method is proposed to extend the six-phase standalone CSI. The proposed technique employs the vector space decomposition (VSD) to mitigate the inverter current harmonics and extend the linear modulation region by about 8%. For motor drive applications, increasing the fundamental output component can reflect higher torque production capability for the same drive size, given that thermal limits are not exceeded. Moreover, to increase the drive's reliability, space vector modulation (SVM) techniques are developed to operate the six-phase CSI while reducing the common-mode voltage (CMV) content associated with the switching of semiconductors. The SVM techniques select the switching states associated with the minimum CMV value offline to eliminate the need for measurements. Experimental validation of the proposed algorithms is presented to operate a scaled-down six-phase PMSM fed by the proposed powertrain configuration. These proposed techniques make the CSI- based powertrain a promising solution for future HDEVs in terms of cost, performance, and reliability. / Thesis / Candidate in Philosophy

abstract: This dissertation presents a novel current source converter topology that is primarily intended for single-phase photovoltaic (PV) applications. In comparison with the existing PV inverter technology, the salient features of the proposed topology are: a) the low frequency (double of line frequency) ripple that is common to single-phase inverters is greatly reduced; b) the absence of low frequency ripple enables significantly reduced size pass components to achieve necessary DC-link stiffness and c) improved maximum power point tracking (MPPT) performance is readily achieved due to the tightened current ripple even with reduced-size passive components. The proposed topology does not utilize any electrolytic capacitors. Instead an inductor is used as the DC-link filter and reliable AC film capacitors are utilized for the filter and auxiliary capacitor. The proposed topology has a life expectancy on par with PV panels. The proposed modulation technique can be used for any current source inverter where an unbalanced three-phase operation is desires such as active filters and power controllers. The proposed topology is ready for the next phase of microgrid and power system controllers in that it accepts reactive power commands. This work presents the proposed topology and its working principle supported by with numerical verifications and hardware results. Conclusions and future work are also presented. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Electrical Engineering 2013

This thesis deals with modeling, simulation and implementation of Load Commutated SCR based current source Inverter (LCI) fed squirrel cage induction motor drive with sinusoidal voltage and sinusoidal current. In the proposed system, the induction motor is fed by an LCI. A three level diode clamped voltage source inverter (VSI) is connected at the motor terminal with ac chokes connected in series with it. The VSI currents are controlled in such a manner that it injects the reactive current demanded by the induction motor and the LCI for successful commutation of the SCRs in the LCI. Additionally, it absorbs the harmonic frequency currents to ensure that the induction motor draws sinusoidal current. As a result, the nature of the motor terminal voltage is also sinusoidal. The concept of load commutation of the SCRs in the LCI feeding an induction motor load is explained with necessary waveforms and phasor diagrams. The necessity of reactive compensation by the active filter connected at the motor terminal for the load commutation of the thyristors, is elaborated with the help of analytical equations and phasor diagrams. The requirement of harmonic compensation by the same active filter to achieve sinusoidal motor current and motor voltage, is also described. Finally, to achieve the aforementioned induction motor drive, the VA ratings of the active filter (VSI) and the CSI with respect to VA rating of the motor, are determined theoretically. The proposed drive scheme is simulated under idealized condition. Simulation results show good steady state and dynamic response of the drive system. Load commutation of the SCRs in the LCI and the sinusoidal profile of motor current and voltage, have been demonstrated. As in LCI fed synchronous motor drives, a special mode of operation is required to run up the induction motor from standstill. As the SCRs of the LCI are load commutated, they need motor terminal voltages for commutation. At standstill these voltages are zero. So, a starting strategy has been proposed and adopted to start the motor with the aid of the current controlled VSI to accelerate until the motor terminal voltages are high enough for the commutation of the SCRs in the LCI. The proposed drive is implemented on an experimental setup in the laboratory. The IGBT based three level diode clamped VSI has been fabricated following the design of the standard module in the laboratory. A generalized digital control platform is also developed using a TMS320F2407A DSP. Two, three phase thyristor bridges with necessary firing pulse circuits have been used as the phase controlled rectifier and the LCI respectively. Appropriate protection scheme for such a drive is developed and adopted to operate the drive. Relevant experimental results are presented. They are observed to be in good agreement with the simulation results. The effect of capacitors connected at the output of the LCI in the commutation process of the SCRs in the LCI is studied and analyzed. From the analysis, it is understood that the capacitors form a parallel resonating pair with filter inductor and the motor leakage inductance, which results in an undesired oscillation in the terminal voltage during each of the commutation intervals leading to commutation failure. So, in the final system, the capacitors are removed to eliminate any chance of commutation failure of the SCRs in the LCI. It is shown by experiment that the commutation of the SCRs takes place reliably in the absence of the capacitors also. The commutation process is studied and analyzed without the capacitors to understand the motor terminal voltage waveform of the experimental results.

Η επιβάρυνση του φυσικού περιβάλλοντος από τους συμβατικούς τρόπους ηλεκτροπαραγωγής έστρεψε τα τελευταία χρόνια την παγκόσμια ενεργειακή πολιτική στην ανάπτυξη και βελτίωση μεθόδων ηλεκτροπαραγωγής βασισμένων σε Ανανεώσιμες Πηγές Ενέργειας (ΑΠΕ). Αν και η ενσωμάτωση των ΑΠΕ στο δίκτυο μέσης τάσης δε συνοδεύεται από ιδιαίτερες πρακτικές δυσκολίες, δεν συμβαίνει το ίδιο και με το ηλεκτρικό δίκτυο των αστικών περιοχών, εξαιτίας της δομής των σύγχρονων μεγάλων αστικών κέντρων. Λαμβάνοντας υπόψη ότι οι μεγάλοι καταναλωτές (εργοστάσια και βιομηχανίες) θεωρούνται κατά κοινή πρακτική ως σταθερά φορτία, γίνεται κατανοητό πως ο βαθμός ανάπτυξης των αστικών κέντρων διαδραματίζει πολύ σημαντικό ρόλο τόσο στη ζήτηση ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας όσο και στη διαμόρφωση της αιχμής της καταναλισκόμενης ισχύος. Στο Ελληνικό Σύστημα Ηλεκτρικής Ενέργειας οι μήνες κατά τους οποίους βάλλεται περισσότερο η επάρκεια του ηλεκτρικού συστήματος επικεντρώνονται στη διάρκεια της θερινής περιόδου. Από την άλλη πλευρά, η μέγιστη παραγωγή ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας από την ηλιακή συμπίπτει χρονικά με τις ημερήσιες αιχμές ζήτησης των καλοκαιρινών μηνών. Συνεπώς, η χρήση μικρών ευέλικτων φωτοβολταϊκών (Φ/Β) συστημάτων, που μπορούν να εγκατασταθούν τόσο σε κατοικίες, όσο και σε εμπορικά ή δημοσία κτίρια (Διασυνδεδεμένα κτιριακά Φ/Β συστήματα) μπορεί να συμβάλει τόσο στην εξομάλυνση των αιχμών φορτίου όσο και στη μείωση του συνολικού κόστους ηλεκτροπαραγωγής. Η τελευταία και νεώτερη τεχνολογική τάση στα διασυνδεδεμένα κτιριακά φωτοβολταϊκά συστήματα είναι γνωστή με τον όρο Φωτοβολταϊκά Πλαίσια Εναλλασσομένου Ρεύματος (Φ/Β Πλαίσια Ε.Ρ). Πρόκειται για Φ/Β διατάξεις μικρής ισχύος (έως 300W), οι οποίες δημιουργούνται από την ενσωμάτωση ενός μόνο Φ/Β πλαισίου και ενός μονοφασικού αντιστροφέα σε μια αυτοτελή ηλεκτρονική διάταξη. Σκοπός της παρούσας εργασίας είναι η συμβολή της στον τομέα των Φ/Β μονάδων διεσπαρμένης παραγωγής, με την αναζήτηση μιας διάταξης διασύνδεσης φωτοβολταϊκών γεννητριών μικρής ισχύος με το ηλεκτρικό δίκτυο των αστικών περιοχών. Συγκεκριμένα, διερευνάται η δυνατότητα ανάπτυξης μιας ηλεκτρονικής διάταξης με απομόνωση, η οποία αφ’ ενός μεν θα εξασφαλίζει υψηλό συντελεστή ισχύος και υψηλό βαθμό απόδοσης για ευρύ φάσμα λειτουργίας, αφ’ ετέρου δε θα διέπεται από μικρό βαθμό πολυπλοκότητας στο κύκλωμα ισχύος της προκειμένου να εξασφαλίζεται υψηλή αξιοπιστία. Επιπρόσθετα, ιδιαίτερα χαρακτηριστικά αυτής της διάταξης θα πρέπει να είναι ο μικρός όγκος και το μικρό βάρος, ιδιότητες πολύ σημαντικές εάν αναλογιστούμε τις εφαρμογές για τις οποίες προορίζεται (ενσωμάτωση σε Φ/Β γεννήτριες που θα τοποθετηθούν σε όψεις ή οροφές κτιρίων). Το ενδιαφέρον της εργασίας εστιάσθηκε στον υψίσυχνο αντιστροφέα ρεύματος τοπολογίας Flyback. Για τη διάταξη αυτή διερευνήθηκαν δύο διαφορετικές τεχνικές ελέγχου (οι οποίες οδηγούν σε διαφορετικές καταστάσεις λειτουργίας) και ελέγχθηκε η καταλληλότητα τους για διαφορετικά επίπεδα ισχύος. Για τις δύο αυτές τεχνικές ελέγχου αναπτύχθηκαν μαθηματικά μοντέλα που συνδέουν τη μεταφερόμενη στο δίκτυο ισχύ με τις κατασκευαστικές παραμέτρους του αντιστροφέα και εξήχθησαν κριτήρια για τα ασφαλή όρια λειτουργίας του αντιστροφέα, με γνώμονα την καταπόνηση των ημιαγωγικών στοιχείων ισχύος. Επιπλέον, προτάθηκε η συνδυασμένη εφαρμογή των δύο τεχνικών ελέγχου και παρουσιάστηκε μια στρατηγική σχεδιασμού του αντιστροφέα, ώστε να γίνεται βέλτιστη επιλογή όλων των επιμέρους λειτουργικών του στοιχείων με ταυτόχρονη ελαχιστοποίηση του όγκου του, επίτευξη υψηλού συντελεστή ισχύος καθώς και υψηλού βαθμού απόδοσης, για ευρύ φάσμα της παραγόμενης ισχύος. Τέλος, διερευνήθηκε η δυνατότητα ανάπτυξης ενός ενεργού φίλτρου, για την αποτελεσματική εξομάλυνση της έντονης κυμάτωσης του ρεύματος εισόδου του προτεινόμενου αντιστροφέα. Η κυμάτωση αυτή είναι αποτέλεσμα της τροφοδότηση του μονοφασικού ηλεκτρικού δικτύου Ε.Ρ. από τη συνεχή τάση και το συνεχές ρεύμα που παράγουν οι φωτογεννήτριες και ο περιορισμός της είναι ιδιάζουσας σημασίας προκειμένου να καταστεί δυνατή η αποδοτική λειτουργία της όλης διάταξης. Η λειτουργία του προτεινόμενου ενεργού φίλτρου είναι ανεξάρτητη τόσο των καταστάσεων λειτουργίας του αντιστροφέα τύπου Flyback, όσο και γενικότερα της τοπολογίας του αντιστροφέα, καθιστώντας την έτσι ως μια ελκυστική λύση και για διαφορετικές τοπολογίες μετατροπέων. Η ακρίβεια των μαθηματικών μοντέλων, η ορθότητα της προτεινόμενης στρατηγικής σχεδιασμού και η αποτελεσματικότητα του προτεινόμενου ενεργού φίλτρου επιβεβαιώθηκαν μέσω προσομοίωσης και πειραματικών δοκιμών, ενώ τέλος παρατίθενται τα συμπεράσματα από το σύνολο της εργασίας. Η εργασία αυτή συγχρηματοδοτείται κατά: 80% της Δημόσιας Δαπάνης από την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση – Ευρωπαϊκό Κοινωνικό Ταμείο, 20% της Δημόσιας Δαπάνης από το Ελληνικό Δημόσιο – Υπουργείο Ανάπτυξης – Γενική Γραμματεία Έρευνας και Τεχνολογίας και από τον Ιδιωτικό Τομέα, στο πλαίσιο του Μέτρου 8.3 του Ε.Π. Ανταγωνιστικότητα – Γ΄ Κοινοτικό Πλαίσιο Στήριξης. / The aggravation of natural environment from the conventional ways of electricity generation turned during past few years the worldwide energy policy to the development and the improvement of electricity generation methods based on Renewable Energy Sources (RES). Although the interconnection of RES in the medium voltage network is not accompanied by particular practical difficulties, this is not the case for the electric network of urban regions, by reason of the structure of modern big urban centres. Taking into consideration that in common practice the big consumers (factories and industries) are considered as constant loads, it becomes comprehensible that the growth of urban centres plays very important role both in the demand of electrical energy and the formation of peak electricity power consumption. Τhe time period where the sufficiency of the Greek Electric Energy System is threatened is during the aestival period. On the other hand, the peak electricity production from solar energy coincides with the daily peak consumption of summer months. Consequently, the use of small flexible photovoltaic (PV) systems, installed in residences or in commercial and public buildings (BIPV – Building Integrated Photovoltaic’s), can contribute to the normalisation of electrical energy consumption as well as to the reduction of electricity generation total cost. The latest technology on small scale grid-connected residential PV systems is the Alternative Current Photovoltaic Modules (AC-PV Modules) where the power production varies under 0.3kW. An AC-PV Module is the combination of a single PV module and a single-phase power electronic inverter in a single electrical device. The scope of the present work is to contribute in the sector of the Dispersed Power Generation PV systems, with the development of an inverter that will be used for the interconnection of small PV generators with the electric network of urban regions. In more details, the development of an inverter with electrical isolation is investigated, which on the one hand it will ensure high power factor regulation and high efficiency for wide power range and on the other hand it will be characterised by simple power electronic circuit structure in order to ensure high reliability. Moreover, particular characteristics of this inverter should be the small volume and the small weight, attributes very important considering its applications (incorporation in PV generators that will be placed in aspects or roofs of buildings). The interest of present work is focused in the high frequency current source Flyback inverter. For this topology two different control techniques were investigated, leading to different operation modes. Moreover, their suitability is studied for different power levels. For both control techniques mathematic models were developed, connecting the transferred power in the public grid with the inverter operational parameters, as well as criteria for the inverter safe operation area were exported, considering the acceptable peak voltage and current values for the semiconductor switches. Moreover, the combined application of two control techniques is proposed and an optimum inverter design strategy is presented, aiming to the development of an inverter with the smallest possible volume, as well as to the achievement of high power factor regulation and high efficiency for wide power range. Last but not least, a current pulsation smoothing active filter is investigated and developed, which permits the elimination of the low frequency inverter input current. The current pulsation is a result of the power pulsation, due to the single-phase power generation, and its elimination is of great importance in order to exploit the maximum PV generated electricity power. The active filter configuration is independent from the inverter topology and its operation mode and hence it can be applied for various single stage topologies. The precision of the mathematic models, the correctness of the proposed design strategy and the effectiveness of the proposed active filter are validated via simulation and experimental results. Finally, the conclusions of whole study are exhibited. This thesis is part of the 03ED300 research project, implemented within the framework of the “Reinforcement Programme of Human Research Manpower” (PENED) and cofinanced by National and Community Funds (20% from the Greek Ministry of Development-General Secretariat of Research and Technology and 80% from E.U.- European Social Fund).