A control strategy for modular multilevel converter based HVDC of unbalanced AC systems

The power fluctuation under asymmetric AC voltages caused the sub-module energy unbalance for modular multilevel converters, which thereby affected the dynamic characteristics of the MMC-HVDC system. By analyzing the arm instantaneous power of MMC, the control targets of the sub-module capacitor voltage and the circulating current were determined. On this basis, a control strategy composing of the sub-module capacitor voltage predicted based the nearest level modulation and circulating current predicted based direct circulating current control was presented. Whether the AC system is symmetrical or not, under the proposed control strategy, the voltages of sub-module capacitor each arm were kept balanced relatively, and the fundamental frequency and the second harmonic of the circulating current were suppressed. A MMC-HVDC simulation model of two ends was established based on PSCAD/EMTDC. The simulations under the asymmetric AC grid for the active power and the DC voltage control station were conducted respectively. Simulation results show that the proposed control strategy could keep the average value of the sub-module capacitor voltage remain constant during the AC system asymmetric fault, and avoid the DC voltage fluctuation caused by the zero sequence instantaneous power, which thereby improves the fault ride-through capability of the system.