Simplified Hybrid AC–DC Microgrid With a Novel Interlinking Converter

Abstract

Hybrid ac–dc microgrids (HMG) have become more popular recently because of their superior features in comparison with pure ac and dc microgrids (MGs). HMGs have fewer power converters and are more flexible than pure ac and dc MGs, but the number of converters in HMG is still significant, especially when the dc part of HMG has several voltage levels. A new simplified and more flexible architecture for HMGs that features a new multiport interlinking converter (IC) is proposed in this article. Using the proposed IC, the number of power electronic converters in an HMG with several dc bus voltages can be reduced without increasing the number of active switches in the IC or the complexity of its control system. In this article, the new simplified HMG architecture is presented, and the operation of the proposed IC as a single unit and as a part of a simplified HMG are explained, along with its features. Experimental results obtained from a scaled-down prototype are also presented to confirm the feasibility of the multiport interlinking converter. Simulation results that show the effect of load variations in the intermediate bus architecture dc bus on the operation of the HMG are also presented as well.