This dissertation presents work conducted at the Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES) at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Chapter 1 introduces the concept of impedance measurement, and discusses previous work on this topic. This chapter also addresses issues associated with impedance measurement. Chapter 2 introduces the analyzer architecture and the proposed algorithm. The algorithm involves locking on to the voltage vector at the point of common coupling between the analyzer and the system via a PLL to establish a D-Q frame. A series of sweeps are performed, injecting at least two independent angles in the D-Q plane, acquiring D- and Q-axis voltages and currents for each axis of injection at the point of interest. Chapter 3 discusses the analyzer hardware and the criteria for selection. The hardware built ranges from large-scale power level hardware to communication hardware implementing a universal serial bus. An eight-layer PCB was constructed implementing analog signal conditioning and conversion to and from digital signals with high resolution. The PCB interfaces with the existing Universal Controller hardware. Chapter 4 discusses the analyzer software. Software was written in C++, VHDL, and Matlab to implement the measurement process. This chapter also provides a description of the software architecture and individual components. Chapter 5 discusses the application of the analyzer to various examples. A dynamic model of the analyzer is constructed, considering all components of the measurement system. Congruence with predicted results is demonstrated for three-phase balanced linear impedance networks, which can be directly derived based on stationary impedance measurements. Other impedances measured include a voltage source inverter, Vienna rectifier, six-pulse rectifier and an autotransformer-rectifier unit. / Ph. D.

Over the last two decades there has been an increased use of three-phase AC power systems that may not be connected to the main power grid, such as the power systems on more-electric airplane and all-electric ships. Power-electronic converters are usually a significant part of these systems, which provide excellent performance. But their negative incremental impedance nature increases the possibility of system instability. A small-signal analysis that uses interface impedances defined in the synchronous frame is developed by Belkhayat at Purdue in the mid-90s to access the system stability. The system impedance varies with the operating point. Thus the impedance has to be obtained online at the desired operating point, on even in situ. Literature investigates its use with system models, but the lack of equipment to measure such impedance prevents its use in practical systems. Measurement of impedances of each component enables the prediction of system stability before building the real system. The impedance data can also be used to investigate the instability in the system after it is built. The capability of impedance measurement can save the cost and time of system integrators. After reviewing the state-of-the-art development of impedance measurement systems, the dissertation analyzes several systematical error sources in the system, which includes the signal processing and sampling circuits, the phase estimation for coordinate transformation and the injection device connection, and proposes the solution to reduce their influence. Improved algorithm and system architecture are proposed to increase the measurement speed and accuracy. Chirp signal is used as an excitation signal to extract impedances at a group of frequencies at one time. The use of both shunt current injection and series voltage injection improves the SNR of measured signal. Oversampling, cross-correlation and frequency domain averaging technique are used to further reduce the influence of noise. An instrument is built based on the proposed solution. A voltage source inverter is used to generate the perturbation. A PXI computer is used for real-time signal processing. A PC is used for data post processing and measurement process control. Software is developed to fully automate the measurement. The designed unit is tested with various linear and nonlinear load. The test result shows the validity of the proposed solution. / Ph. D.

Silicon carbide (SiC) power switching devices promise to be a major breakthrough for new generation ac three-phase power converters, offering increased junction temperature, low specific on-resistance, fast switching, and low switching loss. These characteristics are desirable for increasing power density, providing faster system dynamics, and improving power quality. At present, the normally-on SiC JFET prototypes available from SiCED are the first SiC power switches close to commercialization. The objective of this work is to characterize the switching behavior of the prototype SiC JFET devices, as well as demonstrate the feasibility of achieving high switching frequency for a 2 kVA three-phase converter. The switching characterization of the 1200 V SiC JFET prototypes is shown for a wide range of operating conditions such as switched voltage, switched current, and junction temperature. The SiC JFET is shown to be a fast-switching, low-loss device offering performance benefits compared to traditional silicon (Si) power devices of similar ratings. Utilizing the SiC JFET, a three-phase ac buck rectifier is then demonstrated with a 150 kHz switching frequency and a rated power of 2 kVA. Additionally, improvements are made to the charge control scheme for the buck rectifier allowing power factor compensation and reduction of input current transients. / Master of Science