Repetitive Signal Generator Based Detection Method for Faulty Arm With Switch Open-Circuit Failure in High-Voltage Modular Multilevel Converters

Abstract

Modular multilevel converters (MMCs) in high- voltage applications contain large numbers of power switches, which increases the fault probability inside MMCs. This paper proposes a detection method for the faulty arm containing switch open-circuit failures in high-voltage MMCs to improve the reliable operations of MMCs. The proposed method uses the periodicity of the deviation between the maximum and minimum capacitor voltages to provide the detection reference. To yield a reliable reference, the repetitive signal generator is employed. Then, the fault is identified by the difference between the referenced and measured capacitor voltage deviations. An auxiliary criterion is also designated to avoid the false detection caused by the mutations in MMCs. The proposed method can reduce the difficulty in the selection of thresholds. Moreover, the proposed method is robust in high-voltage MMCs with inferior capacitor voltage balancing performance, which ensures detection rapidity and accuracy. Finally, the feasibility of the method is verified by simulation results in Matlab/Simulink.