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At least 487 records · Page 27
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Stacked Low-Inertia Converter or Solid-State Transformer: Modeling and Model Predictive Priority-Shifting Control for Voltage Balance

This paper presents control challenges of stacked low-inertia converter (SLIC) or cascaded reduced dc-link solid-state transformer (SST) and proposes a novel model predictive priority-shifting (MPPS) control with implicit modulator and a discrete-time large-signal model for voltage balancing and dc-link regulation. Low-inertia converters, featuring small electrolytic capacitor-less dc links, dramatically reduce cost, size, and weight compared to conventional solutions. However, without a large dc-link buffer, the input and output are tightly coupled, leading to significant control challenges. The control becomes even more challenging with these converters stacked input-series output-parallel (ISOP) for medium-voltage (MV) grid, which causes coupling between the modules besides the coupling within each module. This paper analyzes the multi-objective, multi-degree of freedom control problem, using the modular soft-switching solid-state transformer (M-S4T) as an example of the SLIC. First, distribution of control efforts under controller saturation is critical because multiple control objectives can be conflicting, especially when the module voltages are unbalanced and are being restored. The MPPS can shift the priorities to address this issue. Second, due to the low inertia and high dc-link ripple, classic space vector pulse-width modulation (SVPWM), average model with small-ripple assumption, and control design based on small-signal model cannot accurately modulate, model, and control the nonlinear reduced dc link. Therefore, a discrete-time large-signal model of the M-S4T is established to derive the predictive control in the MPPS. The MPPS and the PI control are compared in MV simulations to show the issue of applying the PI to the SLIC and the effectiveness of the MPPS for voltage balancing and dc-link regulation in a deadbeat manner. Finally, the proposed control is tested on a 5 kV ISOP SiC SST prototype to verify priority shifting to address controller saturation issue and fast and robust voltage balancing.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Adaptive Hierarchical Voltage Control of a DFIG-Based Wind Power Plant for a Grid Fault

This paper proposes an adaptive hierarchical voltage control scheme of a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG)-based wind power plant (WPP) that can secure more reserve of reactive power (Q) in the WPP against a grid fault. To achieve this, each DFIG controller employs an adaptive reactive power to voltage (Q-V) characteristic. The proposed adaptive Q-V characteristic is temporally modified depending on the available Q capability of a DFIG; it is dependent on the distance from a DFIG to the point of common coupling (PCC). The proposed characteristic secures more Q reserve in the WPP than the fixed one. Furthermore, it allows DFIGs to promptly inject up to the Q limit, thereby improving the PCC voltage support. To avert an overvoltage after the fault clearance, washout filters are implemented in the WPP and DFIG controllers; they can prevent a surplus Q injection after the fault clearance by eliminating the accumulated values in the proportional-integral controllers of both controllers during the fault. Test results demonstrate that the scheme can improve the voltage support capability during the fault and suppress transient overvoltage after the fault clearance under scenarios of various system and fault conditions; therefore, it helps ensure grid resilience by supporting the voltage stability.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2018

Optimal Structures for Voltage Controllers in Inverters: Preprint

Output voltage regulation is a primary performance objective in power electronics systems which are not supported by a stiff voltage source. In this paper, we pose an optimal voltage control problem for ac inverter systems and study the structure of the resulting feedback laws. Here, it is demonstrated that the solution to the optimal voltage regulation control problem exhibits an inner current-controller structure even though there are no explicit objectives on tracking current which are targeted. Furthermore, the outer-loop voltage control and inner-loop current control structure is insensitive to the weighting transfer functions used in the optimal control problem. Although the inner-outer structure has been used in prior works, the optimal nature of such a structure was not known. In deriving the optimal controller, we also present a systematic design framework which is cognizant of the physical properties of inverters. Case studies are used to study the optimal controller and its performance.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2018

The Effect of Voltage Charging on the Transport Properties of Gold Nanotube Membranes

Porous membranes are typically used in chemical separations and in many electrochemical processes and devices. Research on the transport properties of a unique class of porous membranes that contain monodisperse gold nanotubes traversing the entire membrane thickness is reviewed here. These gold nanotubes can act as conduits for ionic and molecular transports through the membrane. Because the tubes are electronically conductive, they can be electrochemically charged by applying a voltage to the membrane. How this “voltage charging” works with the transport properties of gold nanotube membranes is the subject of this Review. Experiments demonstrating that voltage charging can be used to reversibly switch the membrane between ideally cation- and anion-transporting states are reviewed. Voltage charging can also be used to enhance the ionic conductivity of gold nanotube membranes. Finally, voltage charging to accomplish electroporation of living bacteria as they pass through gold nanotube membranes is reviewed.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Voltage regulation in distribution grids: A survey

Environmental and sustainability concerns have caused a recent surge in the penetration of distributed energy resources into the power grid. This may lead to voltage violations in the distribution systems making voltage regulation more relevant than ever. Owing to this and rapid advancements in sensing, communication, and computation technologies, the literature on voltage control techniques is growing at a rapid pace in distribution networks. In particular, there is a paradigm shift from traditional offline centralized approaches to distributed ones leveraging increased and varied types of actuators, real-time sensing, fast and efficient computations, and an overall distributed situational awareness. This paper reviews state-of-the-art voltage control algorithms, summarizes the underlying methods, and classifies their coordination mechanisms into local, centralized, distributed, and decentralized. The underlying solution methodologies are further classified into two categories, open-loop and feedback-based. Two specific example workflows are provided to illustrate these solutions for voltage regulation.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

A data-driven sensor placement approach for detecting voltage violations in distribution systems

Stochastic fluctuations in power injections from distributed energy resources (DERs) combined with load variability can cause constraint violations (e.g., exceeded voltage limits) in electric distribution systems. To monitor grid operations, sensors are placed to measure important quantities such as the voltage magnitudes. Here, in this paper, we consider a sensor placement problem which seeks to identify locations for installing sensors that can capture all possible violations of voltage magnitude limits. We formulate a bilevel optimization problem that minimizes the number of sensors and avoids false sensor alarms in the upper level while ensuring detection of any voltage violations in the lower level. This problem is challenging due to the nonlinearity of the power flow equations and the presence of binary variables. Accordingly, we employ recently developed conservative linear approximations of the power flow equations that overestimate or underestimate the voltage magnitudes. By replacing the nonlinear power flow equations with conservative linear approximations, we can ensure that the resulting sensor locations and thresholds are sufficient to identify any constraint violations. Additionally, we apply various problem reformulations to significantly improve computational tractability while simultaneously ensuring an appropriate placement of sensors. Lastly, we improve the quality of the results via an approximate gradient descent method that adjusts the sensor thresholds. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method for several test cases, including a system with multiple switching configurations.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

A novel framework for hosting capacity analysis with spatio-temporal probabilistic voltage sensitivity analysis

Smart grids are envisioned to accommodate high penetration of distributed photovoltaic (PV) generation, which may cause adverse grid impacts in terms of voltage violations. Therefore, PV Hosting capacity is being used as a planning tool to determine the maximum PV installation capacity that causes the first voltage violation and above which would require infrastructure upgrades. Additionally, traditional methods of Hosting capacity analysis are scenario based and computationally complex as they rely on iterative load flow algorithms that require investigating a large number of scenarios for accurate assessment of PV impacts. Therefore, this paper presents a computationally efficient analytical approach to compute the probability distribution of voltage change due to random behavior of randomly located multiple distributed PVs. The proposed approach is based on Spatio-temporal probabilistic voltage sensitivity analysis that exploits both spatial and temporal uncertainties associated with PV injections. Thereafter, the derived distribution is used to quantify voltage violations for various PV penetration levels and subsequently determine the hosting capacity of the system without the need to examine large number of scenarios. Results of the proposed framework are validated via conventional load flow based simulation approach on the IEEE 37 and IEEE 123 node test systems.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Limiter-aware adaptive excitation control for hydropower generators with legacy voltage regulation systems

Hydropower units often rely on legacy excitation systems with fixed automatic voltage regulator (AVR) settings, but parameter drift, changing operating conditions, and evolving grid-service demands can degrade terminal-voltage regulation over time. This problem should be addressed because poor voltage regulation affects reactive-power support, system stability, and reliable plant operation, and replacing installed AVR and limiter logic is costly and disruptive in practice. To address this issue, this paper proposes a retrofit-friendly enhancement for hydropower generator excitation systems that combines adaptive tuning of the AVR middle lead–lag branch with a small proportional-integral correction for removing steady bias and slow drift. The adaptive laws are normalized, projection-bounded, and equipped with leakage, while adaptation is enabled only in the middle branch. Thus, the intent of the underexcitation and overexcitation limiters, as well as legacy current and rate limits, remains unchanged. Stability is analyzed under incremental performance assumptions, yielding boundedness and asymptotic tracking in the absence of saturation. The method is evaluated using real operational data from a utility-scale hydropower unit at Rocky Reach Dam, Unit C-8. Compared with the fixed AVR baseline, the proposed method reduces terminal-voltage mean squared error by about 70%, removes long periods of steady-state bias, and improves transient tracking while coexisting with limiter actions. These results show that substantial voltage-control improvement can be achieved on existing hydropower units with minimal integration effort and without replacing the installed AVR structure.

ESST5B model↗
DOE OSTI2019

Comparing smoothing techniques for extracting MOSFET threshold voltage

Measurement noise acts as a barrier to the accurate calculation of threshold voltage by derivative-based extraction methods. We examined several smoothing techniques and their effects on measurement noise in threshold voltage extracted by the linear extrapolation method and the g m /I d method. We applied these techniques on a set of SiC power MOSFET devices before and after they had undergone accelerated thermal testing. The smoothing methods examined are least-squares polynomial fitting, low-pass filtering using Butterworth and Chebyshev fillers, and differential smoothing. These methods are compared by their shift in threshold voltage compared to unsmoothed data and their standard deviation among the measurements of each device. All methods performed poorly at smoothing when extracting via the g m /I d due to the large amounts of high-magnitude subthreshold noise, mostly tending to extract threshold voltages far below the expected value. Differential smoothing provided results closest to the expected value with an absolute shift of 1.2 V on average. The smoothing methods performed better with the LE method. On a failed device, all smoothing methods except polynomial smoothing preserved the large threshold voltage anomaly for four out of five measurements. These results show that choice of smoothing method, if used must be evaluated based on the device and extraction method.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Fluorinated High-Voltage Electrolytes To Stabilize Nickel-Rich Lithium Batteries

As state-of-the-art (SOA) lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries approach their specific energy limit (~250 Wh kg -1 ), layer-structured, nickel-rich (Ni-rich) lithium transition metal oxide-based cathode materials, e. g., LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O 2 (NMC811), have attracted great interest owing to their practical high specific capacities (>200 mAhg -1 ). Coupled with their high average discharge voltages (~4 V vs Li/Li + ), Ni-rich cathode-based lithium batteries possess a great potential to achieve much higher specific energies (>350 Wh kg -1 at the cell level) than the SOA Li-ion counterparts. In addition, Ni-rich oxides are low-cost battery cathode materials due to their low cobalt contents. However, Ni-rich cathode-based lithium batteries suffer quick capacity degradations upon cycling, particularly at high upper cutoff voltages (e.g., ≥= 4.5 V vs Li/Li + ), due to crystal structure changes of the active cathode materials and parasitic side reactions at the electrolyte/electrode interfaces. In this study, a fluorinated-solvent-based, high-voltage stable electrolyte (HVE), i.e., 1 M Li bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) in fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC), bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) carbonate (FDEC), and methyl (2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) carbonate (FEMC) with Li difluoro(oxalate)borate (LiDFOB) additive, was formulated and evaluated in Li/NMC811 battery cells. Further, to the best of our knowledge, this class of electrolyte has not been investigated for Ni-rich cathode-based lithium batteries. Li/NMC811 cells with HVE exhibited a superior long-term cycle performance stability, maintaining ~80% capacity after ~500 cycles at a high cutoff voltage of 4.5 V (vs Li/Li + ) than a baseline carbonate-solvent-based electrolyte (BE). The superior cycle stability of the Li/NMC811 cells is attributed to the inherently high-voltage stability of HVE, supported by the physical and electrochemical analyses. This conclusion is supported by our density functional theory (DFT) modeling where HVE shows a less tendency of deprotonation/oxidation than BE, leading to the observed cycle stability. The findings in this study are important to help tackle the technical challenges facing Ni-rich cathode-based lithium batteries to realize their high energy density potentials with a long cycle life.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Unraveling the Voltage-Fade Mechanism in High-Energy-Density Lithium-Ion Batteries: Origin of the Tetrahedral Cations for Spinel Conversion

Discovery of high-voltage layered lithium-and manganese-rich (LMR) composite oxide electrode has dramatically enhanced the energy density of current Li-ion energy storage systems. However, practical usage of these materials is currently not viable because of their inability to maintain a consistent voltage profile (voltage fading) during subsequent charge-discharge cycles. This report rationalizes the cause of this voltage fade by providing the evidence of layer to spinel-like (LSL) structural evolution pathways in the host Li 1.2 Mn 0.55 Ni 0.15 Co 0.1 O 2 LMR composite oxide. By employing neutron powder diffraction, and temperature dependent magnetic susceptibility, we show that LSL structural rearrangement in LMR oxide occurs through a tetrahedral cation intermediate via: i) diffusion of lithium atoms from octahedral to tetrahedral sites of the lithium layer [(Li Li oct →Li Li tet] which is followed by the dispersal of the lithium ions from the adjacent octahedral site of the metal layer to the tetrahedral sites of lithium layer [Li TM oct → Li Li tet]; and ii) migration of Mn from the octahedral sites of the transition metal layer to the permanent octahedral site of lithium layer via tetrahedral site of lithium layer [Mn TM oct Mn Li tet Mn Li oct)]. The findings opens the door to the potential routes to mitigate this atomic restructuring in the high-voltage LMR composite oxide cathodes by manipulating the composition/structure for practical use in high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Local Phasor-Based Control of DER Inverters for Voltage Regulation on Distribution Feeders

We introduce a new control paradigm termed Phasor-Based Control (PBC) to coordinate Distributed Energy Resources (DER) for improved voltage regulation and other objectives. PBC is a multi-layer control framework where the state of the distribution grid is represented by voltage phasors, and Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) measure the state at critical points in the distribution grid. In the PBC paradigm, a supervisory controller (S-PBC) sets phasor targets which local controllers track. In this paper, we propose a Proportional Integral (PI) implementation for the local control layer (LPBC), to regulate real and reactive power output of distributed inverters to track a voltage phasor target computed by the supervisory layer. We tune the PI controller gains offline with a genetic algorithm that yields better performance than the Ziegler-Nichols method. We benchmark the proposed L-PBC controller against droop volt-var control (DVVC) and observe improved voltage regulation in simulation on the IEEE 13 node unbalanced test feeder (IEEE 13NF). Furthermore, by means of numerical simulation we observe the response of the L-PBC controllers to small and large grid disturbances. Simulations on larger feeders, IEEE 123-node and 647-node, demonstrate challenges with tuning controllers in setups with different amounts of power-voltage coupling.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Machine Learning-based Cyber-Physical Anomaly Detection in Wide Area Voltage Control Systems

Wide-area voltage control systems (WAVCS) are widely deployed in power grid to improve the voltage stability in transmission system using Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) devices. The WAVCS relies on wide-area measurement and control signals for closed-loop control of FACTS devices to improve the transient voltage stability in power grid in real-time. Since the WAVCS utilizes a cyber-layer communication during its normal operation, they are susceptible to cyber attacks from adversaries which can lead to a voltage collapse if the attacks go undetected and unmitigated. This paper proposes a supervised machine learning (ML)-based anomaly detection algorithm for detecting various stealthy cyber attacks in the context of WAVCS cybersecurity. In particular, a fuzzy logic-based wide-area controller, as proposed by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), is implemented on the Kundur’s four machine two-area system that is integrated with a static var compensator (SVC) to improve voltage profile on sensitive buses. Later, different types of data integrity attacks, including pulse and ramp attacks, are considered on the wide-area measurement and control signals to analyze the performance of the proposed anomaly detector. Our experimental evaluation shows a promising performance with a high true-positive rate (more than 99%) and low false-negative rate (less than 1%) while exhibiting a small prediction time.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Multiagent-Based Dynamic Voltage Support of Power Converters During Fault Ride-Through

Reference point of applicability (RPA) is a predefined point in a distribution network that performance requirements shall apply. As RPA is not directly controlled by a dedicated distributed energy resource (DER), it requires an aggregate response of multiple DERs over a complex meshed network. Here, this article presents a multiagent-based distributed dynamic voltage support (DDVS) method for coordinated aggregate response of multiple DER units to support RPA voltage profile during and after fault ride-through. DDVS implements a multiagent-based leader target tracking scheme with velocity matching and flock centering features to avoid uncoordinated current injections of cooperative DERs. The DDVS is an event-based approach based on RPA requirements. Two-dimensional voltage support objective is handled: 1) coordinated positive sequence current injection for voltage magnitude boosting and 2) coordinated negative sequence current injection for unbalance voltage mitigation. The results demonstrate that the proposed DDVS algorithm addresses emerging coordinated DVS requirement of DERs.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Mitigation of fault related voltage swell on distribution feeders using DER-based advanced inverter controls

Unbalanced faults in distribution feeders can impact voltages on the non-faulted phases. This paper models a real-life feeder with a high penetration level of solar photovoltaic (PV) units in detail including the secondary circuits, and shows a large voltage swell in one of the non-faulted phases of the feeder during a single line to ground fault. The voltages seen during this swell are more than 1.2 p.u., which can have detrimental impacts on the connected equipment and can also lead to loss of connected generation. The reason for this voltage swell is found to be the equivalent impedance at the fault location resulting from the ratio of zero and positive sequence cable impedances. It is seen that the connected solar PV units with appropriate control are able to reduce the severity of the voltage swell, especially for higher penetration levels of solar PV considered, but not entirely eliminate it.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Model-Free Probabilistic Forecasting of Nodal Voltages in Distribution Systems

As the penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs) into distribution systems increases, so does the interest in forecasting relevant system variables to help mitigate the associated challenges. One such challenge is the more frequent occurrence of excessive voltages in distribution systems with higher shares of DERs. Accurate and reliable estimates together with forecasts of system states (i.e., nodal voltages) will therefore play a key role in improving the utilization of these variable and uncertain sources while mitigating potential operational risks. Whilst recent literature has explored machine learning (ML) methods for voltage estimation and their extrapolation for a short-time period into the future, few have taken uncertainty quantification into account, and these methods have not yet been translated into operations. This paper discusses the advantages offered by probabilistic voltage forecasts and proposes a non-parametric Bayesian method suitable for forecasting nodal voltages at short-term time horizons while accounting for uncertainties in load and distributed photovoltaic (PV) generation. We demonstrate the value of the proposed Gaussian process (GP) model for a case study using historical forecasts and observation data.

distribution system↗
DOE OSTI2016

Voltage Support Study of Smart PV Inverters on a High-Photovoltaic Penetration Utility Distribution Feeder

This paper reports on tools and methodologies developed to study the impact of adding rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems, with and without the ability to provide voltage support, on the voltage profile of distribution feeders. Simulation results are provided from a study of a specific utility feeder. The simulation model of the utility distribution feeder was built in OpenDSS and verified by comparing the simulated voltages to field measurements. First, we set all PV systems to operate at unity power factor and analyzed the impact on feeder voltages. Then we conducted multiple simulations with voltage support activated for all the smart PV inverters. These included different constant power factor settings and volt/VAR controls.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Reverse and Forward Engineering of Local Voltage Control in Distribution Networks

The increasing penetration of renewable and distributed energy resources in distribution networks calls for real-time and distributed voltage control. As such, in this paper we investigate local Volt/VAR control with a general class of control functions, and show that the power system dynamics with non-incremental local voltage control can be seen as a distributed algorithm for solving a well-defined optimization problem (reverse engineering). The reverse engineering further reveals a fundamental limitation of the non-incremental voltage control: the convergence condition is restrictive and prevents better voltage regulation at equilibrium. This motivates us to design two incremental local voltage control schemes based on the subgradient and pseudo-gradient algorithms respectively for solving the same optimization problem (forward engineering). The new control schemes decouple the dynamical property from the equilibrium property, and have much less restrictive convergence conditions. This work presents another step towards developing a new foundation—network dynamics as optimization algorithms—for distributed real-time control and optimization of future power networks.

42 ENGINEERING↗