Active thermal loading control of the modular multilevel converter by a multi-objective optimization method

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) has become the most attractive converter topology for medium/high-power applications. However, uneven power loss distribution and thermal loading among the semiconductor devices of each submodule (SM) compromise the reliability and lifetime of the converter. In...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IECON 2017 - 43rd Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society pp. 4482 - 4487
Main Authors: Qichen Yang, Saeedifard, Maryam
Format: Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Published: IEEE 01.10.2017
Subjects:
Capacitors
Current control
Integrated circuits
Junctions
Modulation
Voltage control
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The modular multilevel converter (MMC) has become the most attractive converter topology for medium/high-power applications. However, uneven power loss distribution and thermal loading among the semiconductor devices of each submodule (SM) compromise the reliability and lifetime of the converter. In this paper, an active thermal loading control method for the MMC is proposed to simultaneously (i) minimize the total semiconductor power loss and (ii) balance the thermal loading of the semiconductor devices within each submodule. In the proposed method, a multi-objective optimization problem is formulated and solved to establish a trade-off between the total power loss and the power loss of the semiconductor devices with the highest thermal loading. Subsequently, the Pareto optimal solutions for circulating currents, output common-mode voltage, and capacitor voltages are explored. Performance and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified by simulation and experimental studies.
DOI:10.1109/IECON.2017.8216772