Abstract
The modular multilevel converter (MMC) is currently one of the power converter topologies which has attracted more research and development worldwide. Its features, such as high quality of voltages and currents, high modularity and high voltage rating, have made the MMC a very good option for several applications including high-voltage dc (HVdc) transmission, static compensators (STATCOMs), and motor drives. However, its unique features such as the large number of submodules, floating capacitor voltages, and circulating currents require a dedicated control system able to manage the terminal variables, as well as the internal variables with high dynamical performance. In this paper, a review of the research and development achieved during the last years on MMCs is shown, focusing on the challenges and proposed solutions for this power converter still faces in terms of modeling, control, reliability, power topologies, and new applications.
Highlights
The modular multilevel converter (MMC) was originally proposed in 2001 in a German patent by Prof
A review of the research and development achieved during the last years on MMCs is shown, focusing on the challenges and proposed solutions for this power converter still faces in terms of modeling, control, reliability, power topologies, and new applications
The MMC is an interesting power converter topology currently used in several industrial applications and commercial products
Summary
The modular multilevel converter (MMC) was originally proposed in 2001 in a German patent by Prof. Publications introduced several topology variations, including a single-phase to single-phase MMC [2] and a single-phase to three-phase MMC [3] Both converters were proposed for traction applications transforming the lowfrequency voltage from the catenary to a medium-frequency voltage required to power the machine drives. There are several issues that are still under research, and they have not been completely solved yet Some of these issues, or challenges, are required to improve the performance of the control system, managing faults inside and outside the converter, optimize its size in terms of capacitance and cooling requirements, adapt the topology of the converter, and submodule for emerging applications in medium voltage distribution power systems, motor drives and other areas, to name a few [16]. Future trends regarding these challenges which allow widening the use of MMC in HVdc and motor drives, and pushing the development of MVdc grids and enabling its use in emerging applications, are given
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