Power Electronics and Drive Systems (MMH623585) TriA 2022-2023

Coursework 1- PART1

Matlab/Simulink simulation case studies- Power Electronics Theme

Deadline for submission: By 11.59 pm Friday 25th November 2022
This brief provides details of PART1 ONLY of CW1 which consists of TWO mandatory parts:
 PART1- Power Electronics Theme (50 marks)
 PART2- Drive Systems Theme (50 marks)

This is an individual-based assessment.

Weighting and pass mark:

This part of CW1 contributes 50 marks, out of 100 marks allocated for CW1.

Further instructions:

1- No extensions will be given other than for very exceptional circumstances and only if
requested and agreed in advance from the Module Leader.
2- Use the CW cover sheet provided separately as the main cover sheet on your submission
and include all your details on it.
3- You do not need to write a full structured report (i.e. Abstract, Introduction, main body
conclusion, references….etc). Simply answer the questions.

Plagiarism

Please note the following School statement on Plagiarism: “The deliberate and substantial
unacknowledged incorporation in your submission of material derived from work (published or
unpublished) of another is prohibited. In such cases the work submitted is classified as illegal and
will result in further action being taken by the University which may include recording a failure.”

Submission is through online Turnitin dropbox on GCU Learn. This will

be setup closer to submission date
ATTEMPT ALL QUESTIONS

Question 1: [30 marks]

Load the following Simulink-ready example by typing power_hvdc in the MATLAB command
window then pressing Enter.

The model shows a HVDC Transmission system using AC/DC 6-pulse thyristor-based rectifier as
shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: 6-pulse HVDC Transmission System

You are a Power Electronics Engineer working at this substation and you are part of a team tasked
with upgrading the system design to a 12-pulse rectifier to improve the substation performance.

You are required to produce a full design specification for this upgrade, given that all system
current and voltage rated values are to remain unchanged. When you are performing this design
upgrade, you should consider:
 Rectifier connection and control
 Transformer design/connection
 AC line filter and AC side harmonics
 DC side ripple content and DC side inductor

Your answer should include:

 New Simulink model with detailed diagrams of any sub-blocks or sub-systems. [5]
 Detailed account of design calculations, mathematical analysis and reasoning behind all
choices. [10]
 Results comparing 6-pulse and 12-pulse systems to validate your design. Results should
include time-domain waveforms from scopes, DC side ripple content calculations and FFT
analysis of AC side line currents (with the old and new AC line filter designs). Discuss the
comparative system performance highlighting advantages of each of the two designs. [15]
Question 2: [20 marks]
This question is about a three-level NPC inverter, and will be based on the Simulink-ready
Example circuit titled “Neutral Point Clamp Inverter and Dead Time”. To load this example,
type power_3level in the MATLAB command window and press enter. When the model opens:
 Delete circuit 2, as you will not be using it.
 Keep the switch at the top of the model to the “no dead time” option, as you will not be
required to demonstrate the effect of dead time.

This model represents a 50kW, 380V, 50Hz, three-phase, three-level inverter. The IGBT inverter
uses SPWM technique, (8kHz carrier frequency) to convert DC power from a +/-200Vdc source to
220V AC, 50Hz. The inverter feeds a 50kW resistive load through a 75kVA, 220/380V
transformer. L-C filters are used at the converter output to filter out harmonic frequencies Fh
generated mainly around multiples of the 8kHz switching frequency (Fh=n x 8000 +/-k x 50Hz).
The 12 inverter pulses required by the inverter are generated by the PWM Generator block (PWM
Generator 3-Level). The system operates in open loop at a constant modulation index of 0.9163.

Run the model, and record the scope results in the “Scopes” box in your report. Also, run the “FFT
Analysis” tool in the powergui block and record the results for the harmonic analysis of the
inverter output line voltage and load line voltage including spectrum, magnitude of fundamental
component and THD.
Note: Any labelled signals with subscript 2, belong to circuit 2 which you have deleted, so you
can discard these results completely. You should not demonstrate any of those results.

You are now required to carry out the following tasks:

(a) Replace the 3-Level bridge with a 2-Level bridge from the Simulink Library to create a
three-phase two-level inverter instead. You can use the Universal Bridge block and select
your devices as IGBTs/Diode. Also replace the PWM Generator 3-Level block with a
PWM Generator 2-Level Block from Simulink Library. Use all the same PWM
parameters as in the 3-Level block. The DC voltage input to the two-level bridge will be
the total 400V (no neutral point).
Run the “FFT Analysis” tool in the powergui block, and demonstrate the harmonic
analysis for the inverter output line voltage and load line voltage. Compare your results
with those of the three-level inverter and discuss in detail supporting your answer with
appropriate analysis and calculations. [10]

(b) Replace the two DC supplies of 200V with two split capacitors being fed from one DC
supply of 400V. This is the more practical topology of NPC inverter in a real-life scenario.
Re-run, the model twice, once with the 2-Level bridge (the capacitor’s mid-point will be
floating) and once with the 3-Level bridge (the capacitor’s mid-point connected to the
neutral point of the NPC inverter). Using a capacitance value of 1000µF for each of the
two DC capacitors:
Demonstrate time-domain and FFT analysis results for both inverter types including the
voltage across each DC link capacitor. Compare you results, and discuss the reasons for
differences in the capacitor voltages, and the impact of this on the load voltage. [10]

END OF COURSEWORK 1 (PART1)