abstract: In recent years, wide bandgap (WBG) devices enable power converters with higher power density and higher efficiency. On the other hand, smart grid technologies are getting mature due to new battery technology and computer technology. In the near future, the two technologies will form the next generation of smart grid enabled by WBG devices. This dissertation deals with two applications: silicon carbide (SiC) device used for medium voltage level interface (7.2 kV to 240 V) and gallium nitride (GaN) device used for low voltage level interface (240 V/120 V). A 20 kW solid state transformer (SST) is designed with 6 kHz switching frequency SiC rectifier. Then three robust control design methods are proposed for each of its smart grid operation modes. In grid connected mode, a new LCL filter design method is proposed considering grid voltage THD, grid current THD and current regulation loop robust stability with respect to the grid impedance change. In grid islanded mode, µ synthesis method combined with variable structure control is used to design a robust controller for grid voltage regulation. For grid emergency mode, multivariable controller designed using H infinity synthesis method is proposed for accurate power sharing. Controller-hardware-in-the-loop (CHIL) testbed considering 7-SST system is setup with Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS). The real TMS320F28335 DSP and Spartan 6 FPGA control board is used to interface a switching model SST in RTDS. And the proposed control methods are tested. For low voltage level application, a 3.3 kW smart grid hardware is built with 3 GaN inverters. The inverters are designed with the GaN device characterized using the proposed multi-function double pulse tester. The inverter is controlled by onboard TMS320F28379D dual core DSP with 200 kHz sampling frequency. Each inverter is tested to process 2.2 kW power with overall efficiency of 96.5 % at room temperature. The smart grid monitor system and fault interrupt devices (FID) based on Arduino Mega2560 are built and tested. The smart grid cooperates with GaN inverters through CAN bus communication. At last, the three GaN inverters smart grid achieved the function of grid connected to islanded mode smooth transition / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 2017

This thesis advances the state of the art in modeling electric machines in electro-magnetic transient simulation programs, particularly in real-time digital simulators. A new tool, developed in this thesis, expands the application of real-time digital simulators to closed-loop testing of protection relays designed to protect synchronous machines during internal faults. To evaluate the inductances of synchronous machines, a winding function approach was developed in this thesis which is capable of taking into account both the actual distribution of windings and the shape of the pole-arc. Factors such as MMF drop in the iron and effects of slots are compensated by evaluating the effective permeance function of the machine using experimentally measured values of d-, q- and 0- axis inductances. In this winding function approach, the effects of magnetic saturation are also included by considering the actual distribution of magneto-motive force in each loading condition of the machine. The inductances of an experimental machine are evaluated using this approach and validated using the finite-element method and laboratory measurements. This thesis also proposes an embedded phase-domain approach for time-domain simulation of the machine model in electromagnetic transients programs. The approach significantly improves the numerical stability of the simulations. Special numerical techniques are introduced, which speed up the execution of the algorithm as needed for real-time simulation. The machine model is validated in healthy and faulted conditions using simulations and laboratory experiments. Effects of damper grid representation on simulating turn-to-turn faults are investigated. The capability of this new real-time synchronous machine model in closed-loop testing of synchronous machines ground- faults protection relays is clearly demonstrated.

This thesis advances the state of the art in modeling electric machines in electro-magnetic transient simulation programs, particularly in real-time digital simulators. A new tool, developed in this thesis, expands the application of real-time digital simulators to closed-loop testing of protection relays designed to protect synchronous machines during internal faults. To evaluate the inductances of synchronous machines, a winding function approach was developed in this thesis which is capable of taking into account both the actual distribution of windings and the shape of the pole-arc. Factors such as MMF drop in the iron and effects of slots are compensated by evaluating the effective permeance function of the machine using experimentally measured values of d-, q- and 0- axis inductances. In this winding function approach, the effects of magnetic saturation are also included by considering the actual distribution of magneto-motive force in each loading condition of the machine. The inductances of an experimental machine are evaluated using this approach and validated using the finite-element method and laboratory measurements. This thesis also proposes an embedded phase-domain approach for time-domain simulation of the machine model in electromagnetic transients programs. The approach significantly improves the numerical stability of the simulations. Special numerical techniques are introduced, which speed up the execution of the algorithm as needed for real-time simulation. The machine model is validated in healthy and faulted conditions using simulations and laboratory experiments. Effects of damper grid representation on simulating turn-to-turn faults are investigated. The capability of this new real-time synchronous machine model in closed-loop testing of synchronous machines ground- faults protection relays is clearly demonstrated.

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