In the past two decades the core aircraft technology is going through a drastic change. The traditional technologies that is almost half a century old, is going through a complete revamp. In the new “More Electric Aircraft” technology many mechanical, pneumatic and hydraulic systems are being replaced by electrical and power electronic systems. Airbus-A380, Boeing B-787 are the pioneers in the family of these new breed of aircrafts. As the aircraft technology is moving towards “More Electric”, more and more electric motors and motor controllers are being used in new aircrafts. Number of electric motor drive systems has increased by about ten times in more electric aircrafts compared to traditional aircrafts. Weight of any electric component that goes into aircraft needs to be low to reduce the overall weight of aircraft so as to improve the fuel efficiency of the aircraft. Hence there is an increased need to reduce weight of motors and motor controllers in commercial aircraft. High speed ironless axial flux permanent magnet brushless dc motors are becoming popular in the new more-electric aircrafts because of their ability to meet the demand of light weight, high power density, high efficiency and high reliability. However, these motors come with very low inductance, which poses a big challenge to the motor controllers in controlling the ripple current in motor windings. Multilevel inverters can solve this problem. Three-level inverters are proposed in this thesis for driving axial flux BLDC motors in aircraft. Majority of the motors in new more electric aircrafts are in the power range of 2kW to 20kW, while a few motor applications being in the range of 100kW to 150kW. Motor controllers in these applications run from 270Vdc or 540Vdc bus which is the standard in new more electric aircraft architecture. Multilevel Inverter is popular in the industry for high power and high voltage applications, where high-voltage power switching devices like IGBT, GTO are popularly used. However multilevel inverters have not been tried in the low power range which is appropriate for aircraft applications. A detail analysis of practical feasibility of constructing three-level inverter in lower power and voltage level is presented in this thesis. Analysis is presented that verify the advantages of driving low voltage and low power (300Vdc to 600Vdc and less than 100kW) motors with multilevel inverters. Practical considerations for design of MOSFET based three-level inverter are investigated and topological modifications are suggested. The effect of clamping diodes in the diode clamped multilevel inverters play an important role in determining its efficiency. SiC diodes are proposed to be used as clamping diodes. Further, it is realised that power loss introduced by reverse recovery of MOSFET body diode prohibits use of MOSFET in hard switched inverter legs. Hence, a technique of avoiding the reverse recovery losses of MOSFET body diode in three-level NPC inverter is conceived. The use of proposed multilevel inverter topology enables operation at high switching frequency without sacrificing efficiency. High switching frequency of operation reduces the output filter requirement, which in turn helps reducing size of the inverter. In this research work elaborate trade-off analysis is done to quantify the suitability of multilevel inverters in the low power applications. For successful operation of three-level NPC inverter in aircraft electrical system, it is important for the DC bus structure in aircraft electric primary distribution system to be compatible to drive NPC inverters. Hence a detail study of AC to DC power conversion system as applied to commercial aircraft electrical system is done. Multi-pulse rectifiers using autotransformers are used in aircrafts. Investigation is done to improve these rectifiers for future aircrafts, such that they can support new technologies of future generation motor controllers. A new 24-pulse isolated transformer rectifier topology is proposed. From two 15º displaced 6-phase systems feeding two 12-pulse rectifiers that are series connected, a 24-pulse rectifier topology is obtained. Though, windings of each 12-pulse rectifiers are isolated from primary, the 6-phase generation is done without any isolation of the transformer windings. The new 24-pulse transformer topology has lower VA rating compared to standard 12-pulse rectifiers. Though the new 24-pulse transformer-rectifier solution is robust and simple, it adds to the weight of the overall system, as compared to the present architecture as the proposed topology uses isolated transformer. Non-isolated autotransformer cannot provide split voltage at the dc-link that creates a stable mid-point voltage as required by the three-level NPC inverter. Hence, a new front-end AC-DC power conversion system with switched capacitor is conceived that can support motor controllers driven by three-level inverters. Laboratory experimental results are presented to validate the new proposed topology. In this proposed topology, the inverter dc-link voltage is double the input dc-link voltage. An intense research work is performed to understand the operation of Trapezoidal Back EMF BLDC motor driven by three-Level NPC inverter. Operation of BLDC motor from three-Level inverter is primarily advantageous for low inductance motors, like ironless axial flux motors. For low inductance BLDC motor, very high switching frequency is required to limit the magnitude of ripple current in motor winding. Three-level inverters help limiting the magnitude of motor ripple current without increasing the switching frequency to very high value. Further, it is analysed that dc link mid-point current in three-level NPC inverter for driving trapezoidal BLDC motor has a zero average current with fundamental frequency same as switching frequency. Because of this, trapezoidal BLDC motors can easily be operated from three-level NPC inverter without any special attention given to mid-point voltage unbalance. One non-ideal condition arrives in practical implementation of the inverter that leads to non-zero average mid point current. Unequal gate drive dead time delays from one leg to other leg of inverter introduce dc-link mid-point voltage unbalance. For the motoring mode operation of trapezoidal BLDC motor drive, simple gate drive logic is researched that eliminates need of the gate drive dead-time, and hence solves the mid-point voltage unbalance issue. Simple closed loop control scheme for mid-point voltage balancing also is also proposed. This control scheme may be used in applications where very precise control of speed and torque ripple is warranted. All the investigations reported in this thesis are simulated extensively on MATHCAD and MATLAB platform using SIMULINK toolbox. A laboratory experimental set-up of three-Level inverter driving axial flux BLDC motor is built. The three-level inverter, operating from 300Vdc bus is built using 500V MOSFETs and 600V SiC diodes. All the control schemes are implemented digitally on digital signal processor TMS320F2812 DSP platform and GAL22V10B platforms. Experimental results are collected to validate the theoretical propositions made in the present research work. At the end, in chapter 5, some future works are proposed. A new external voltage balance circuit is proposed where the inverter dc-link voltage is same as the input dc-link voltage. This topology is based on the resonant converter principle and uses a lighter resonant inductor than prior arts available in literature. Detail simulation and experimentation of this topology may be carried out to validate the industrial benefits of this circuit. It is also thought that current source inverters may work as an alternative to voltage source inverters for driving BLDC motors. Current source inverters eliminate use of bulky DC-link capacitors. Long term reliability of current source inverters is higher than voltage source inverters due to the absence of possibility of shoot-through. Further, in voltage source inverters, the voltage at the motor terminal is limited by the source voltage (dc-link voltage). This issue is eliminated in current source inverters. An interface circuit is conceived to reduce the size of dc-link inductors in current source inverters, pending detail analysis and experimental verification. The interface circuit bases its fundamentals on the principles of operation of multilevel inverters for BLDC motors that is presented in this thesis.

With limited enhancement or expansion of the transmission infrastructure, the contemporary power systems are operating under more stressed conditions. It becomes important to fully utilize the existing transmission system to supply load demand as much as possible, thus eliminating or reducing the need for new transmission investment. Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) technology provides an alternative to fully utilize the existing transmission lines as well as new and upgraded lines, by controlling power and also enhancing the power transfer capability of transmission lines. However, the implementation of FACTS controllers in the transmission system has introduced new power system dynamics that must be addressed in the area of power system protection, such as rapid changes in line impedance, power angle, line currents, transients introduced by the occurrence of fault and associated control action of the FACTS controller. Therefore, the performance of the protection system must be carefully analyzed in the presence of FACTS controllers. The thesis aims at evaluating the performance of distance relays when different types of FACTS controllers, in particular Voltage Source Converter (VSC) based FACTS controllers, are incorporated at the midpoint of the transmission system to achieve voltage profile improvement and power transfer capability. The detailed models of these controllers and their control strategies are described. The presence of FACTS controllers in the loop affects both steady state and transient components of voltage and current signals. The rapid response of FACTS controllers to different power system configurations significantly affects the apparent impedance seen by distance relays. The apparent impedance seen by distance relays would be different from that of the system without FACTS controller. Due to this, the distance relay may malfunction, resulting in unreliable operation of the power system during faults. Furthermore, the effect of FACTS controllers on distance relay operation depends on the type of FACTS controller used, the application for which it has been installed and its location in the power system. The distance relay is evaluated for different loading conditions and for various fault conditions. Simulation studies are carried out using PSCAD/EMTDC based transient simulation package.

Analysis of the dead-time effect and other nonlinearities of the voltage source inverter was carried out in the introduction of the doctoral thesis. Three compensation strategies for vector controlled PMSM were proposed based on the analysis. The voltage disturbance observer with cost function of current errors is based on the model of PMSM, known machine parameters and easily measurable quantities. The second observer which estimates the dq- axes currents and the value of the voltage error with one parameter only is designed based on the harmonic analysis and Kalman filter algorithm. The third method combines an adaptive approach with feedback and voltage disturbance observer that is based on the PMSM model. Furthermore, the two compensation methods for vector controlled induction motor were proposed. In the first case, the standard compensation strategy is extended by a harmonic compensator that suppresses the residual 6th harmonic component in dq- axes currents. The last strategy detects the polarity of the estimated phase currents that are obtained by the Kalman filter. All compensation strategies have been verified by MATLAB/Simulink simulations and by experiments on real drives.

The installation of wind power plant has significantly increased since several years due to the recent necessity of creating renewable and clean energy sources. Before the accomplishment of a wind power project many pre-studies are required in order to verify the possibility of integrating a wind power plant in the electrical network. The creation of models in different software and their simulation can bring the insurance of a secure operation that meets the numerous requirements imposed by the electrical system. Hence, this Master thesis work consists in the creation of a wind turbine model. This model represents the turbines installed at Lillgrund wind farm, the biggest wind power plant in Sweden. The objectives of this project are to first develop an accurate model of the wind turbines installed at Lillgrund wind farm and further to use it in different kinds of simulations. Those simulations test the wind turbine operating according to different control modes. Also, a power quality analysis is carried out studying in particular two power quality phenomena, namely, the response to voltage sags and the harmonic distortion. The model is created in the software PSCAD that enables the dynamic and static simulations of electromagnetic and electromechanical systems. The model of the wind turbine contains the electrical machine, the power electronics (converters), and the controls of the wind turbine. Especially, three different control modes, e.g., voltage control, reactive power control and power factor control, are implemented, tested and compared. The model is tested according to different cases of voltage sag and the study verifies the fault-ride through capability of the turbine. Moreover, a harmonics analysis is done. Eventually the work concludes about two power quality parameters.

This project deals with voltage source converters with energy storage capability. The main objective is to study the possible benefits of energy storage to a power system with a VSC as the interface between them. First of all, a converter control system is proposed for a two level VSC. In the conventional converter control, the control system usually takes the voltage measured at the point where the converter is connected and calculates the reference voltage for the converter; with a modulation system the converter then produces the required 'average voltage'. In this project, a novel flux modulation scheme, combined with the deadbeat current control strategy, is proposed. The current controller is capable of controlling both positive and negative sequence current components. With flux modulation, the control system measures the bus flux and commands the converter to generate the required flux. Based on the proposed control strategies, several application studies have been carried out. The first application study investigates the effect of energy storage on the power quality at the point of common coupling when a system is subject to load disturbances. The voltage at PCC in a weak network is very sensitive to load changes. A sudden change in active load will cause both a phase jump and a magnitude fluctuation in the bus voltage, whereas reactive load changes mainly affect the voltage magnitude. With the addition of energy storage to a StatCom, it is possible to compensate for the active power change as well as providing reactive power support. In this thesis, some effective active power compensation schemes are proposed. Simulations and experiments have been performed to verify the compensation schemes. The results show that a StatCom with energy storage can significantly reduce phase jumps and magnitude deviations of the bus voltage. pact of the energy storage on the performance of weak systems under fault conditions has been investigated. The investigation was done by studying an example system. The system model was established based on a real system, in which some induction motors driving pumps along a pipeline are fed from a radial transmission line. Studies show that for a weak system with induction motor loads, a StatCom with certain energy storage capacity will effectively improve the system recovery after faults. Although this incurs extra cost for the increasing dc voltage rating and size of the dc side capacitor, the overall rating of the converter can be reduced by utilization of the proposed active power compensation scheme. The last case study investigates the possible use of a StatCom with energy storage to improve the power quality at the point of common coupling where a cyclic load is connected. Studies show that by providing both fast reactive and fast active power support to the network, not only the voltage magnitude can be well controlled, but also the voltage phase jump can be reduced significantly. / QC 20101124

In order to identify the weakest bus in a power system so that the Unified Power Flow Controller could be connected, an investigation of static and dynamic voltage stability is presented. Two stability indices, static and dynamic, have been proposed in the thesis. Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) analysis has been used for the dynamic stability analysis. Results based on the Western System Coordinate Council (WSCC) 3-machine, 9-bus test system and IEEE 14 bus Reliability Test System (RTS) shows that these indices detect with the degree of accuracy the weakest bus, the weakest line and the voltage stability margin in the test system before suffering from voltage collapse. Recently, Flexible Alternating Current Transmission systems (FACTs) have become significant due to the need to strengthen existing power systems. The UPFC has been identified in literature as the most comprehensive and complex FACTs equipment that has emerged for the control and optimization of power flow in AC transmission systems. Significant research has been done on the UPFC. However, the extent of UPFC capability, connected to the weakest bus in maintaining the power flows under fault conditions, not only in the line where it is installed, but also in adjacent parallel lines, remains to be studied. In the literature, it has normally been assumed the UPFC is disconnected during a fault period. In this investigation it has been shown that fault conditions can affect the UPFC significantly, even if it occurred on far buses of the power system. This forms the main contribution presented in this thesis. The impact of UPFC in minimizing the disturbances in voltages, currents and power flows under fault conditions are investigated. The WSCC 3-machine, 9-bus test system is used to investigate the effect of an unsymmetrical fault type and position on the operation of UPFC controller in accordance to the G59 protection, stability and regulation. Results show that it is necessary to disconnect the UPFC controller from the power system during unsymmetrical fault conditions. / Libyan Government

Στα πλαίσια της διδακτορικής διατριβής μελετήθηκε η αποτελεσματικότητα διαφόρων κυκλωμάτων ελέγχου που βασίζονται στην υπολογιστική νοημοσύνη με σκοπό την αντιμετώπιση βραχυκυκλωμάτων σε δίκτυα διασύνδεσης ανεμογεννητριών με το δίκτυο. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, τα προτεινόμενα συστήματα ελέγχου έχουν σκοπό τη διαμόρφωση κατάλληλων συνθηκών ώστε οι ανεμογεννήτριες να καταφέρουν να συνεχίσουν να είναι συνδεδεμένες στο δίκτυο κατά τη διάρκεια και αμέσως μετά τα βραχυκυκλώματα, συνεισφέροντας στη γρήγορη επαναφορά της τάσης στο Σημείο Κοινής Σύνδεσης με το Δίκτυο (ΣΚΣΔ). Στο πρώτο μέρος της διατριβής μελετήθηκε ένα προσαρμοζόμενο ασαφές σύστημα ελέγχου με σκοπό τη βελτιωμένη απόκριση Αιολικού Πάρκου (ΑΠ) με επαγωγικές γεννήτριες που τροφοδοτεί ένα ασθενές σύστημα ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας μέσω διασύνδεσης ΕΡ/ΣΡ/ΕΡ με Μετατροπείς Πηγής Τάσης (ΜΠΤ). Το σύστημα αυτό εντοπίζει τη σοβαρότητα του σφάλματος και διαμορφώνει ανάλογα την παλμοδότηση των βαλβίδων των ΜΠΤ κατά τη διάρκεια του σφάλματος. Επίσης, έχει την ιδιότητα να αυτορυθμίζεται κατά τη διάρκεια της μετασφαλματικής περιόδου, επιτυγχάνοντας εξασθένηση της ταλαντωτικής συμπεριφοράς του συστήματος που προκαλείται από τα βραχυκύκλωμα και την παραμονή των ανεμογεννητριών στο δίκτυο. Το ηλεκτρικό σύστημα που μελετήθηκε στο δεύτερο μέρος της διδακτορικής διατριβής περιλαμβάνει μια επαγωγική ανεμογεννήτρια διπλής τροφοδότησης (γνωστή με την ονομασία double-fed induction machine) η οποία τροφοδοτεί ένα δίκτυο ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας. Στη βιβλιογραφία που έχει δημοσιευθεί μέχρι σήμερα, για την αντιμετώπιση των βραχυκυκλωμάτων σε ανάλογα ηλεκτρικά συστήματα, προτείνονται διατάξεις οι οποίες βασίζονται είτε σε κατάλληλο μηχανικό εξοπλισμό όπως μπάρες βραχυκύκλωσης (crowbars) είτε σε κατάλληλο προγραμματισμό των ελεγκτών. Σε αυτό το μέρος της διατριβής προτείνεται ένα εναλλακτικό σύστημα ελέγχου που βασίζεται στον κατάλληλο προγραμματισμό των ελεγκτών, χωρίς να χρησιμοποιεί κάποιον εξοπλισμό προστασίας. Το σύστημα ελέγχου, το οποίο βασίζεται στους γενετικούς αλγορίθμους, συμβάλει στη βέλτιστη «συνεργασία» των δύο ΜΠΤ της γεννήτριας, επιτυγχάνοντας την εξασθένιση των διακυμάνσεων της τάσης στο ΣΚΣΔ και τη διατήρηση της σύνδεσης της γεννήτριας στο ηλεκτρικό δίκτυο. / This thesis studies the implementation of intelligent control techniques in the Fault Ride-Through (FRT) of grid connected Wind Turbines (WTs). The first part of the dissertation studies the issue of the fault ride-through capability of a wind farm of induction generators, which is connected to an ac grid through an HVDC link based on Voltage Sourced Converters (VSCs). This work proposes a control strategy which is implemented with adaptive fuzzy controllers and deals with every different type of fault with a corresponding appropriate action, blocking the converter valves for a time interval which depends on the severity of the fault. In addition, after the deblocking of the valves, the proposed control system activates a special controller, which alleviates the oscillations at the electrical system caused by the blocking of the valves. In this way, the overcurrents are limited, the wind turbines manage to remain connected and the ac voltage recovers quickly, as it is imposed by national grid codes. The second part of the dissertation proposes a Computational Intelligence–based control strategy, to enhance the low voltage ride-through capability of grid-connected WTs with doubly fed induction generators (DFIGs). The conventional crowbar-based systems that were initially applied in order to protect the rotor-side converter at the occurrence of grid faults, do not fulfill the recent requirement of the national GCs that the WTs should supply reactive power to the grid during and after the fault, in order to support the grid voltage. In order to conform to the above mentioned requirement, this work proposes a control scheme, which contributes to the optimal coordination of the two converters, aiming to attenuate the disturbances to the system caused by the fault and ensure system stability. Aiming to encounter the difficulties met due to the uncertainties of the system modeling and considering the non linearity of the system, the controllers were designed based on fuzzy logic and genetic algorithms, which are more efficient in such cases. By this concept the overcurrents at the rotor windings and the dc side overvoltages are effectively eliminated. In addition, the FRT requirement concerning the reactive power supply is fulfilled.

Electrical energy is used at approximately the rate of 15 Terawatts world-wide. Generating this much energy has become a primary concern for all nations. There are many ways of generating energy among which the most commonly used are non-renewable and will extinct much sooner than expected. Very active research is going on both to increase the use of renewable energy sources and to use the available energy with more efficiency. Among these sources, solar energy is being considered as the most abundant and has received high attention. The mobile phone has become one of the basic needs of modern life, with almost every human being having one.Individually a mobile phone consumes little power but collectively this becomes very large. This consideration motivated the research undertaken in this masters thesis. The objective of this thesis is to design a model for solar power based charging circuits for mobile phone using Simulink(R). This thesis explains a design procedure of solar power based mobile charger circuit using Simulink(R) which includes the models for the photo-voltaic array, maximum power point tracker, pulse width modulator, DC-DC converter and a battery. The first part of the thesis concentrates on electron level behavior of a solar cell, its structure and its electrical model.The second part is to design an array of solar cells to generate the desired output. Finally, the third part is to design a DC-DC converter which can stabilize and provide the required input to the battery with the help of the maximum power point tracker and pulse width modulation. The obtained DC-DC converter is adjustable to meet the requirements of the battery. This design is aimed at charging a lithium ion battery with nominal voltage of 3.7 V, which can be taken as baseline to charge different types of batteries with different nominal voltages.

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.

This thesis describes the flexible voltage control of a multi-level-voltage-reinjection voltage source converter. The main purposes are to achieve reactive power generation flexibility when applied for HVdc transmission systems, reduce dynamic voltage balancing for direct series connected switches and an improvement of high power converter efficiency and reliability. Waveform shapes and the impact on ac harmonics caused by the modulation process are studied in detail. A configuration is proposed embracing concepts of multi level, soft-switching and harmonic cancellation. For the configuration, the firing sequence, waveform analysis, steady-state and dynamic performances and close-loop control strategies are presented. In order not to severely compromise the original advantages of the converter, the modulated waveforms are proposed based on the restrictions imposed mathematically by the harmonic cancellation concept and practically by the synthesis circuit complexity and high switching losses. The harmonic impact on the ac power system prompted by the modulation process is studied from idealistic and practical aspects. The circuit topology being proposed in this thesis is developed from a 12-pulse bridge and a converter used classically for inverting power from separated dc sources. Switching functions are deduced and current paths through the converter are analysed. Safe and steady-state operating regions of the converter are studied in phasor diagrams to facilitate the design of simple controllers for active power transfer and reactive power generations. An investigation into the application of this topology to the back-to-back VSC HVdc interconnection is preformed via EMTDC simulations.