Open Access
High frequency power transformers with foil windings: maximum interleaving and optimal design
(IEEE, 2015) Barrios Rípodas, Ernesto; Urtasun Erburu, Andoni; Ursúa Rubio, Alfredo; Marroyo Palomo, Luis; Sanchis Gúrpide, Pablo; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Foil conductors and primary and secondary interleaving are normally used to minimize winding losses in high frequency transformers used for high-current power applications. However, winding interleaving complicates the transformer assembly, since taps are required to connect the winding sections, and also complicates the transformer design, since it introduces a new tradeoff between minimizing losses and reducing the construction difficulty. This paper presents a novel interleaving technique, named maximum interleaving, that makes it possible to minimize the winding losses as well as the construction difficulty. An analytical design methodology is also proposed in order to obtain free cooled transformers with a high efficiency, low volume and, therefore, a high power density. For the purpose of evaluating the advantages of the proposed maximum interleaving technique, the methodology is applied to design a transformer positioned in the 5 kW 50 kHz intermediate high frequency resonant stage of a commercial PV inverter. The proposed design achieves a transformer power density of 28 W/cm3 with an efficiency of 99.8%. Finally, a prototype of the maximum-interleaved transformer is assembled and validated satisfactorily through experimental tests.
Open Access
DC capacitance reduction in three-phase photovoltaic inverters by using virtual impedance emulation
(IEEE, 2019) Urtasun Erburu, Andoni; Sanchis Gúrpide, Pablo; Marroyo Palomo, Luis; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación
DC voltage regulation in grid-connected three-phase PV inverters is a fundamental requirement. In order to reduce the influence of the PV non-linear behavior and ensure stability in the whole operating range, the input capacitance in high-power inverters is currently oversized, thus increasing the converter cost. This paper proposes a control method which emulates a virtual impedance in parallel with the PV generator, making it possible to reduce the capacitance by a factor of 5. Simulation results confirm that the proposed control is stable and fast enough in the whole operating range with such a small capacitor.
Open Access
High-dynamics P-E and Q-f control of PV inverters for strong and weak grids
(IEEE, 2023-08-31) Urtasun Salinas, Ibai; Urtasun Erburu, Andoni; Marroyo Palomo, Luis; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoa eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritza; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC
The increase of power electronic-based generators is causing the replacement of synchronous generators, which poses new challenges to electrical grid stability. In particular, when grid-following inverters are connected to weak grids, stability problems related to the PLL used for synchronization arise. To address this issue, grid-forming controls are widely proposed. However, the conventional implementations, such as droop control or virtual synchronous generator, lead to slow power controls, which are not suitable for photovoltaic systems with no storage. Thus, to improve the control dynamics, this paper proposes a new P-E and Q-f control. This control uses the reactive power for grid synchronization, avoiding the use of a PLL, and is valid for both inductive and resistive lines. Furthermore, thanks to the controller design developed in the paper, the control remains rapid and stable for very weak grids. Simulation results validates the control design and shows that the proposed control is much faster than the droop control for all types of grids.
Open Access
Power angle-frequency droop control to enhance transient stability of grid-forming inverters under voltage dips
(IEEE, 2022) Erdocia Zabala, Ioseba; Urtasun Erburu, Andoni; Marroyo Palomo, Luis; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren
Due to the replacement of synchronous generators, grid operators are currently demanding to control grid-connected inverters in grid–forming mode to make them participate in the maintenance of the grid. To carry this out, the traditional droop controls based on the active and reactive powers are usually adopted, achieving a satisfactory performance in normal operation. Nevertheless, the power-frequency (P-ω) droop may become transiently unstable under voltage dips. This is because of the modification of the active power response caused by the inverter current limitation together with the voltage reduction. To enhance this, the power angle-frequency (δinv-ω) droop is proposed, consisting in employing an estimation of the inverter power angle as input to obtain the inverter frequency. The proposed method provides the inverter with the same performance as the P-ω droop in normal operation, while enhancing considerably the transient stability margins under current limitation. This is thanks to the higher variation of the inverter power angle with the phase difference between the inverter and the grid. Simulation results show the transient stability problems of the P-ω droop as well as the superior performance of the proposed δinv-ω droop control, which has also been verified by means of HIL results.
Open Access
Control strategy for an integrated photovoltaic-battery system
(IEEE, 2017) Urtasun Erburu, Andoni; Sanchis Gúrpide, Pablo; Marroyo Palomo, Luis; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica
In photovoltaic-battery systems, more attention is usually paid to the MPPT control while the battery management is put aside. This paper proposes two control strategies for an integrated PV-battery system, both of them making it possible to perform MPPT or regulate the battery voltage to its maximum value in order to prevent it from overcharging. Simulation results prove the feasibility of both controls.
Open Access
Dynamic analysis of the conductance-frequency droop control during current limitation
(IEEE, 2024-08-30) Urtasun Erburu, Andoni; Erdocia Zabala, Ioseba; Marroyo Palomo, Luis; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoa eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritza; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, PJUPNA2024-11695
In inverter-based stand-alone microgrids, the P-f and O-V droop methods are frequently used to keep control of the microgrid voltage. However, in the presence of overloads or short-circuits, in which the inverter must perform a current- limiting strategy, the P-f droop becomes prone to transient instability. In order to remain stable under any possible overload or fault, the conductance-frequency $({G-f})$ droop is a promising alternative, however no analysis about its dynamic response has been carried out so far. This paper proposes a small-signal model of the system during current limitation, proving that the ${G-f}$ droop is also superior to the existing droop methods in terms of rapidity. Simulation results validate the theoretical analysis.
Open Access
Effect of the inner current loop on the voltage regulation for three-phase photovoltaic inverters
(IEEE, 2020) Urtasun Erburu, Andoni; Sanchis Gúrpide, Pablo; Marroyo Palomo, Luis; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación
In three-phase grid-connected PV inverters, regulating the input voltage is a fundamental requirement. In order to reduce the influence of the PV non-linear behavior and ensure stability in the whole operating range, the input capacitance is currently oversized. This paper reveals the important effect of the inner current loop in the voltage stability and proposes to use a Proportional (P) controller instead of a PI controller. If tuned following the guidelines provided in this paper, the P controller makes it possible to design a stable voltage loop without increasing the input capacitance, thus reducing the converter cost.
Open Access
Control of a photovoltaic array interfacing current-mode-controlled boost converter based on virtual impedance emulation
(IEEE, 2019) Urtasun Erburu, Andoni; Samanes Pascual, Javier; Barrios Rípodas, Ernesto; Sanchis Gúrpide, Pablo; Marroyo Palomo, Luis; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren
Due to the nonlinear characteristics of a photovoltaic (PV) array, its regulation is highly dependent on the operating point. Focusing on a dc-dc boost converter, this paper first shows how the PV voltage and inductor current controls are affected by the PV array. It then proposes to emulate an impedance virtually connected to the PV array, making it possible to greatly improve the control robustness. Thanks to the proposed strategy, the crossover frequency variation for the whole operating range is reduced from 42 times for the traditional control to 3.5 times when emulating parallel resistance or to 1.4 times when emulating series and parallel resistances, all with simple implementation. Experimental results with a commercial PV inverter and a 4-kWp PV array validate the theoretical analysis and demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed control.
Open Access
State-of-charge-based droop control for stand-alone AC supply systems with distributed energy storage
(Elsevier, 2015) Urtasun Erburu, Andoni; Sanchis Gúrpide, Pablo; Marroyo Palomo, Luis; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
The droop method is an advantageous technique for stand-alone AC supply systems, allowing for power sharing among various inverters with no need for communication cables. However, in stand-alone systems with multiple distributed energy storage units, the conventional droop methods are unable to control the storage unit state-of-charge (SOC) in order to change simultaneously. Existing techniques endeavor to solve this problem by changing the slope of the P – f curve however this solution compromises the power response performance. As an alternative, this paper proposes a new SOC-based droop control, whereby the P – f curve is shifted either upwards or downwards according to the battery SOC. The proposed technique makes it possible to select the time constant for the battery SOC convergence and, at the same time, to optimize the power response performance. The paper also shows how the SOC changes when the ratios between the battery capacity and the inverter rated power are different and how the proposed technique can limit the SOC imbalance. Simulation and experimental results corroborate the theoretical analysis.
Open Access
Enhancement of the voltage control response in three-phase photovoltaic inverters with small dc capacitors
(IEEE, 2023) Urtasun Erburu, Andoni; Sanchis Gúrpide, Pablo; Marroyo Palomo, Luis; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren
In the case of photovoltaic (PV) inverters, an adequate dc voltage regulation is fundamental to maximize or limit the power injected into the grid. However, the traditional control requires a large dc capacitance to ensure stability in the whole operating range while the existing alternatives, despite achieving a stable control with a small capacitance, become too slow in the open-circuit area. This paper proposes two control methods to improve this performance. Firstly, a new voltage control with virtual impedance emulation is presented, showing that the response becomes faster in all operating points. Secondly, the control with impedance emulation is combined with a feed-forward compensation, further improving the dynamic response. Both methods are very simple to implement and their superior performance when using a small dc capacitance is verified by means of simulation results.