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Title: The Fault Detection, Localization, and Tolerant Operation of Modular Multilevel Converters with an Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) Open Circuit Fault

Journal Article · · Energies
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/en11040837· OSTI ID:1474568
 [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3]; ORCiD logo [3];  [4]
  1. North China Electric Power Univ., Beijing (China). State Key Lab. of Alternate Electrical Power System with Renewable Energy Sources
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Power Electronics and Electric Machine Group
  3. Univ. of Liverpool (United Kingdom). Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Electronics
  4. Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool Univ., Suzhou (China). Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Reliability is one of the critical issues for a modular multilevel converter (MMC) since it consists of a large number of series-connected power electronics submodules (SMs). Here in this paper, a complete control strategy including fault detection, localization, and tolerant operation is proposed for the MMC under an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) open circuit fault. According to the output characteristics of the SM with the open-circuit fault of IGBT, a fault detection method based on the circulating current and output current observation is used. In order to further precisely locate the position of the faulty SM, a fault localization method based on the SM capacitor voltage observation is developed. After the faulty SM is isolated, the continuous operation of the converter is ensured by adopting the fault-tolerant strategy based on the use of redundant modules. To verify the proposed fault detection, fault localization, and fault-tolerant operation strategies, a 900 kVA MMC system under the conditions of an IGBT open circuit is developed in the Matlab/Simulink platform. The capabilities of rapid detection, precise positioning, and fault-tolerant operation of the investigated detection and control algorithms are also demonstrated.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1474568
Journal Information:
Energies, Vol. 11, Issue 4; ISSN 1996-1073
Publisher:
MDPI AGCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 7 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (27)

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Circulating Current Control in MMC Under the Unbalanced Voltage journal July 2013
Survey on Fault-Tolerant Techniques for Power Electronic Converters journal December 2014
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Energy-balancing Control Strategy for Modular Multilevel Converters Under Submodule Fault Conditions journal September 2014
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Reduced Switching-Frequency Modulation and Circulating Current Suppression for Modular Multilevel Converters journal July 2011
Fault-Tolerant Approach for Modular Multilevel Converters Under Submodule Faults journal November 2016
Short-Circuit and Ground Fault Analyses and Location in VSC-Based DC Network Cables journal October 2012
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Reliable Modular Multilevel Converter Fault Detection With Redundant Voltage Sensor journal January 2017
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Fast fault detection method for modular multilevel converter semiconductor power switches journal February 2016
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Online Fault Identification Based on an Adaptive Observer for Modular Multilevel Converters Applied to Wind Power Generation Systems journal July 2015
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