Internal Model-Based Active Resonance Damping Current Control of a Grid-Connected Voltage-Sourced Converter With an LCL Filter

Abstract

Three-phase passive harmonic filters (e.g., LCL filters) are often utilized to attenuate harmonic currents caused by pulsewidth modulation of voltage-sourced converters (VSC) to achieve high power quality. However, LCL filters may jeopardize the system stability due to their inherent susceptibility to resonance. This paper proposes an active damping current controller based on the internal model principle for a grid-connected VSC equipped with an LCL filter. This controller can be considered a high-order multi-input multi-output transfer function, implemented in the $dq$ reference frame, including decoupling terms for improved transient behavior. Simulation case studies are performed in the PSCAD/EMTDC environment to evaluate the transient behavior of the controller and test its robustness against parameter variations and unbalanced and distorted grid conditions. Experimental results verify the performance of the proposed controller and confirm its ability to operate at low switching frequencies. The results are compared with two existing active damping strategies (virtual RC and notch filter methods), confirming that the proposed controller shows significantly improved robustness with no degradation of transient behavior, has the ability to operate at low switching frequencies, and does not need additional sensors.