Circulating current suppression for MMC-HVDC under unbalanced grid conditions

Modular multilevel converter (MMC) is believed the most competitive solution for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission using voltage source converters (VSCs). Circulating current suppressing strategies based on proportional resonant (PR) controllers are widely used in MMC. This kind of strategies can effectively eliminate all the circulating current components in MMC-HVDC. Unfortunately, it can result in dc-line voltage ripples under unbalanced grid conditions and thus deteriorates system performance and stability. Moreover, its existing control model may not exactly reveal the inherent characteristic of MMC and consequently blocks the further understanding and application. To solve these two problems, firstly, this paper builds a new and effective control model for this strategy. Secondly, based on the new model, this paper studies the relationship between circulating current reference value and submodule (SM) capacitor voltage, modulation index and arm current to correct and improve the current understanding of this control strategy. Lastly, three improved strategies based on PR controllers are proposed. These improved control strategies can eliminate both circulating current and dc-line voltage ripples, which greatly enhance the fault ride-through capability of MMC-HVDC without adding extra control cost or the number of controllers.