Series Chain-link Modular Multilevel AC/DC Converter (SCC) for HVDC Applications

Tardelli, Francesco; Costabeber, Alessandro; Trainer, David; Clare, Jon

Abstract

Introduction of the Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) has enabled the exploitation of Voltage Source Converters (VSCs) in an increasing number of High Voltage Direct Current (HVdc) applications. Subsequently, some new topologies and solutions have been presented to tailor the MMC concept to specific uses. Particular attention has been paid to reduction of the converter footprint for applications where plant size is a critical economic aspect, for example, in off-shore installations. This paper introduces a new series connected modular multilevel AC/DC converter, the Series Chain-link Converter (SCC), which gives a significant reduction in the required number of submodules (SMs) and a more compact distribution of the energy storage, compared to an MMC. In the paper, the operating principle of the converter and its design are discussed in detail; the sub-module count and energy storage requirement are also given. The basic control loops required for the practical operation of the converter are presented and designed. The SCC concept has been experimentally validated on a small-scale 450V DC, 415V ac, 4.5kVA laboratory prototype, confirming the practical viability of the topology.

Citation

Tardelli, F., Costabeber, A., Trainer, D., & Clare, J. (2020). Series Chain-link Modular Multilevel AC/DC Converter (SCC) for HVDC Applications. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 35(6), 5714-5728. https://doi.org/10.1109/tpel.2019.2952194

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 25, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Nov 8, 2019
• Publication Date: 2020-06
• Deposit Date: Nov 21, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 16, 2020
• Journal: IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics
• Print ISSN: 0885-8993
• Electronic ISSN: 1941-0107
• Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 35
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 5714-5728
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/tpel.2019.2952194
• Keywords: HVDC, Modular multilevel converter, Series chain-link converter
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3351597
• Publisher URL: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8894407
• Additional Information: © 2019 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.