AC-Side Impedance-Based Stability Assessment in Grid-Forming Modular Multilevel Converters

Abstract

Grid-forming converters can emulate the behavior of a synchronous generator through frequency droop control. The stability of grid-forming modular multilevel converters can be studied via the impedance-based stability criterion. This paper presents an ac-side impedance model of a grid-forming modular multilevel converter which includes a complete grid-forming control structure. The impact of different control schemes and parameters on the closed-loop output impedance of the converter is thoroughly analyzed and the learnings have been used in mitigating undesired control interactions with the grid. The results are verified through simulations in time- and frequency-domains along with experiments on a down-scaled laboratory prototype.

Keywords

• Control interaction
• frequency-domain analysis
• grid-forming control
• harmonic linearization
• impedance modeling
• modular multilevel converter (MMC)