Multi-Sampled Grid-Connected VSCs: A Path Toward Inherent Admittance Passivity

Abstract

This article investigates the capability of multi-sampled pulsewidth modulator (MS-PWM) control to improve the input admittance properties of voltage source converters (VSCs). Due to delays found in digital control systems, the VSC admittance features a negative real part above a certain frequency, which may result in lowly damped or even unstable grid dynamics. To prevent the occurrence of harmonic instability, recent standards require the admittance of every grid-connected VSC to behave as a passive network. In this article, it is shown that the MS-PWM control significantly improves passivity measures by reducing the overall system delay. The passive behavior is achieved effortlessly, using a single-stage control loop. This avoids the need for passive or active damping techniques, which are associated with increased losses and number of sensors, sensitivity to noisy measurements, ambiguity of damping filter design, and overall system complexity. The experimental verification, performed on a two-level single-phase VSC, shows a very good match between admittance measurements and analytic modeling even above the switching frequency. Grid-connected operation is tested to demonstrate the improvement of resonance damping obtained with MS-PWM control.