Active decoupling control of the three-phase voltage source converter under nonlinear AC current

Abstract

The low-harmonic (LOH) voltage of the DC link of three-phase voltage source converter (VSC) requires a large aluminum electrolytic capacitor for suppression under nonlinear AC current. Consequently, this work proposes an active decoupling control method combining DC-link LOH voltage closed loop and LOH current feedforward based on a DC–DC converter. This methodology effectively transfers the DC-link LOH voltage to the smaller-sized decoupling capacitor in the DC–DC converter, thereby reducing the number of capacitors required to stabilize of the VSC DC-link voltage. This work first investigates the relationship between the DC-link LOH voltage and the VSC nonlinear current. Second, a mathematical model for the decoupling capacitor voltage is derived, indicating that its voltage form is complex under nonlinear AC current, making direct voltage control arduous. Subsequently, the principle and design process of the proposed active decoupling control strategy are analyzed in detail. A dedicated fast-response filter structure is also utilized to extract the feedback LOH voltage and feedforward LOH current in the DC link. Meanwhile, a simple control strategy for the DC component of the decoupling capacitor voltage is proposed to improve the utilization of the decoupling capacitor. Finally, the effectiveness and correctness of the method are experimentally verified.