0% found this document useful (0 votes)
28 views10 pages

A Modified Circulating Current Suppression Control Based On MMC Grid Connected Using NLM

This paper presents a modified circulating current suppression control technique for modular multilevel converters (MMC) using a nearest level modulation (NLM) strategy. The proposed method effectively reduces total harmonic distortion (THD) in arm currents, achieving a THD of 2.79% under stable grid conditions, which is lower than traditional methods. Simulations conducted in MATLAB/Simulink demonstrate the technique's ability to enhance power quality by eliminating bridge arm circulating current and improving overall system performance.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
28 views10 pages

A Modified Circulating Current Suppression Control Based On MMC Grid Connected Using NLM

This paper presents a modified circulating current suppression control technique for modular multilevel converters (MMC) using a nearest level modulation (NLM) strategy. The proposed method effectively reduces total harmonic distortion (THD) in arm currents, achieving a THD of 2.79% under stable grid conditions, which is lower than traditional methods. Simulations conducted in MATLAB/Simulink demonstrate the technique's ability to enhance power quality by eliminating bridge arm circulating current and improving overall system performance.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

International Journal of Power Electronics and Drive System (IJPEDS)

Vol. 16, No. 2, June 2025, pp. 1051~1060


ISSN: 2088-8694, DOI: 10.11591/ijpeds.v16.i2.pp1051-1060  1051

A modified circulating current suppression control based on


MMC grid connected using NLM

H. A. Hasan1, Riyadh Kamil Chillab2, Ahmed K. Hannan1, Abdelrahman Farghly3


1
Council Affairs, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
2
Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
3
Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt

Article Info ABSTRACT


Article history: High total harmonic distortion (THD) occurs when conventional circulating
current suppression and modulation strategies fail to control arm circulating
Received Nov 15, 2024 current in a modular multilevel converter (MMC) controlled by a virtual
Revised Apr 22, 2025 synchronous generator. This paper proposed a joint circulating current
Accepted May 6, 2025 suppression technique that improves the proportional resonant controller's
control mode and introduces the nearest level approach modulation (NLM)
strategy for arm circulating current rectification. The MATLAB/Simulink
Keywords: program is used to conduct the simulations. The results show that: when the
grid frequency does not fluctuate, the joint suppression strategy's arm current
Circulating current suppressor THD is 2.79%, 0.92% lower than the quasi-proportional resonant controller's
Quasi-proportional resonant (QPRC) THD; under primary frequency modulation, the suggested strategy's
controller THD of the a-phase current is 1.75%, 1.03% lower than the QPRC's THD.
Modular multilevel converter Under typical operating conditions and with primary frequency management
Virtual synchronous generator of the grid-type MMC, the results show that the proposed combined
Nearest level approximation circulating current suppression technique may successfully lower total
modulation harmonic distortion (THD), eliminate bridge arm circulating current, and
improve power quality.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA license.

Corresponding Author:
Ahmed K. Hannan
Council Affairs, University of Baghdad
Baghdad, Iraq
Email: [email protected]

1. INTRODUCTION
Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, are receiving a lot of attention as a possible
solution to environmental problems and global warming [1]-[3]. Several power electronic devices are needed
to keep the electrical grid running steadily because renewable energy sources' power generation varies. One
such device that is widely used in new technologies, such as flexible DC transmission, is the inverter, which is
an essential power electronic component. Enhanced flexibility, higher conversion efficiency, and fewer losses
are offered by multilevel converters, which are coupled in series with numerous submodule units, as opposed
to typical converters [4]. Researchers often zero in on the modular multilevel converter (MMC) because it
outperforms conventional converters in terms of stability, modularity, to achieve any voltage, scalability, low
harmonics, redundancy, power-level requirements, high efficiency, high-quality waveform of voltage and
current, not filter requirements [5]-[13].
With the high proportion of new energy and energy storage connected to the power system, the power
system presents a "double-high form" [14], [15]. The grid-type converter using virtual synchronous generator
(VSG) can provide inertia and damping for the power grid, becoming one of the effective control methods for
the interaction of "grid, load, and storage" [16].

Journal homepage: http://ijpeds.iaescore.com


1052  ISSN: 2088-8694

VSG-modular multilevel converter (MMC) inverter has advantages such as modularity, easy
cascading, inertia, and damping, but its disadvantages are capacitor voltage fluctuation and imbalance, which
causes bridge arm current waveform distortion [17], [18]. Xiong et al. [19] divide the circulating current
method into indirect suppression and direct suppression methods. For the indirect suppression method, the
circulating current is suppressed by changing the modulation wave output method. Hagiwara et al. [20] propose
to increase the bridge arm reactance to suppress the circulating current, but it will affect the stability of the
system and cannot completely eliminate the circulating current. Bruno et al. [21] and Yang et al. [22] use a
parallel proportional resonant (PR) controller or a quasi-proportional resonant (QPR) controller, which can
effectively suppress even harmonics, but the controller implementation is relatively complex. The literature
[23], [24] uses the coordinate transformation method to convert harmonics into third harmonics, but the QPR
controller has a low gain at a specific frequency, and the harmonic suppression effect is poor. For the direct
suppression method, Asapu and Vanitha [25] use a current hysteresis controller to correct the nearest level
approximation (NLM) modulation wave, but do not consider the influence of submodule voltage balance and
the circulating current controller on the correction value.
This paper considers the infinite gain feature of the PR controller at a specific frequency, converts the
negative sequence 2 times frequency circulating current and the positive sequence 4 times frequency circulating
current into the third frequency circulating current, and then adopts the reduced order resonant controller (ROR)
to suppress harmonics. Considering the primary frequency modulation characteristics of the VSG-MMC, a
passive infrared (PIR) controller is connected in parallel to ensure harmonic suppression during frequency
offset. At the same time, the suppressed harmonics are introduced into the hysteresis controller to correct the
NLM modulation wave. Through the combined control strategy of direct and indirect suppression of the
circulating current, the purpose of suppressing the circulating current is achieved.

2. THE OPERATING PRINCIPLE OF THE NETWORK-BASED MMC


2.1. The basic structure of MMC
The circuit structure of MMC is shown in Figure 1. Each phase has two bridge arms, upper and lower
[26]. The bridge arm is composed of several sub-modules with the same structure and bridge arm inductors. By
controlling the switching of sub-modules, multi-level can be achieved [27]. In Figure 1, 𝑉𝑑𝑐 is the DC bus voltage,
subscripts p and n are the upper and lower bridge arms, subscript j is any one of the three phases (a,b,c), 𝑅𝑂 and
𝐿𝑂 are the bridge arm resistance and inductance, 𝐿𝑠𝑗 is the grid-side reactance, and 𝑉𝑠𝑗 is the grid-side voltage.

Figure 1. MMC topology [28]

2.2. Control structure of VSG-MMC


VSG control is shown in Figure 2. It mainly includes three parts: active frequency control, reactive
voltage control and virtual impedance control. It can provide damping and inertia for the system [29]. Because
its virtual rotor has inertia, there is an inertia in (1).

Int J Pow Elec & Dri Syst, Vol. 16, No. 2, June 2025: 1051-1060
Int J Pow Elec & Dri Syst ISSN: 2088-8694  1053

d𝜔 𝑃m 𝑃e
𝐽 = − − 𝐷(𝜔 − 𝜔0 )
{ d𝑡 𝜔 𝜔 (1)
𝑃m = 𝑃ref − 𝐾p (𝜔 − 𝜔0 )

In the formula, 𝐽 is virtual inertia, 𝑃m is virtual mechanical power, 𝑃e is electromagnetic power, 𝜔 is


the output angular frequency, 𝜔0 is rated as angular frequency, 𝐷 is the damping coefficient, 𝑃ref is active
given value, and 𝐾p is the active-frequency droop coefficient. The reactive droop characteristic equation is
shown in (2).
1
𝐸 = 𝐸0 + [𝐾𝑞1 (𝑉ref − 𝑉0 ) + 𝐾𝑞2 (𝑄ref − 𝑄)] (2)
𝑠

In (2), 𝐸 is the output phase voltage of VSG; 𝑉ref is the phase voltage given value; 𝑉0 is the grid-connected
point voltage; 𝑄ref is the reactive power given value; 𝐾𝑞1 , 𝐾𝑞2 are reactive power droop coefficients. The virtual
impedance control state equation is [30], [31].

d𝑖vd 1
= (𝐸d − 𝑉sd + 𝜔0 𝐿f 𝑖vq − 𝑅f 𝑖vd )
d𝑡 𝐿f
{d𝑖vq 1
(3)
= (𝐸q − 𝑉sq − 𝜔0 𝐿f 𝑖vd − 𝑅f 𝑖vq )
d𝑡 𝐿f

Where 𝐿f and 𝑅f are virtual impedances, and 𝑣 is a variable inside the virtual impedance.

Figure 2. VSG control block diagram

2.3. Circulating current analysis


As shown in Figure 1, the load current 𝑖𝑜𝑗 of any phase of the MMC is evenly divided in the upper
and lower bridge arms, and the influence of the circulating current 𝑖𝑐 is considered:

𝑖𝑜𝑗
𝑖𝑝𝑗 = 𝑖𝑐 +
2
{ 𝑖𝑜𝑗
(4)
𝑖𝑛𝑗 = 𝑖𝑐 −
2

According to KVL on the bridge arm:

−𝑉dc /2 + 𝑉pj + 𝐿0 d𝑖pj /d𝑡 + 𝑅0 𝑖pj + 𝑉sj = 0


{ (5)
−𝑉dc /2 + 𝑉nj + 𝐿0 d𝑖nj /d𝑡 + 𝑅0 𝑖nj − 𝑉sj = 0

Combining in (4) and in (5), we can get:

𝑉dc 𝑉pj +𝑉nj d𝑖cirj


− = 𝐿0 + 𝑅0 𝑖cirj
2 2 d𝑡
{ d𝑖cirj
(6)
𝑉cirj = 𝐿0 + 𝑅0 𝑖cirj
d𝑡

Through (6) and the expressions of 𝑉a , 𝑖a , the expression of phase circulation of phase a is derived.

A modified circulating current suppression control based on MMC grid … (H. A. Hasan)
1054  ISSN: 2088-8694

𝑖𝑑𝑐
𝑖𝑐𝑎 = + 𝐼2𝑓 𝑠𝑖𝑛(𝜔𝑜 𝑡 + 𝜃) (7)
3

Where 𝐼2𝑓 is the amplitude of the double frequency component of the circulating current.
The literature [32] points out that the double frequency circulating current will cause the SM capacitor voltage
to fluctuate at a triple frequency, and then generate a quadruple frequency harmonic. By analogy, the MMC
circulating current only contains even harmonic components. Therefore, the corrected a phase circulating
current is (8).

𝑖𝑑𝑐
𝑖𝑐𝑎 = + ∑𝑚=2,4,6,… 𝐼𝑐𝑖𝑟𝑚 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝑚𝜔𝑜 + 𝜃) (8)
3

3. PROPOSED JOINT CIRCULATION SUPPRESSION STRATEGY


3.1. Circulation extraction and transformation
From the above analysis, the AC component causes the bridge arm current distortion, and the main
components are 2nd and 4th harmonics. The 2nd and 4th AC components in the circulating current are extracted
using a low-pass filter. The traditional suppression method requires 4 controllers for the 2nd and 4th AC
components, which increases the control difficulty. Therefore, the coordinate transformation is performed on the
negative sequence 2nd frequency component and the positive sequence 4th frequency component. In the positive
sequence synchronous rotating coordinate system, it can be regarded as a single-phase 3rd harmonic; that is, 2
controllers can be used for circulating current suppression. The coordinate transformation formula is (9).

2𝜋 2𝜋
2
cos 𝜃 cos (𝜃 − ) cos (𝜃 + )
3 3
𝑻abc/𝑑𝑞 = ( 2𝜋 2𝜋
) (9)
3
−sin 𝜃 sin (𝜃 − ) sin (𝜃 + )
3 3

3.2. Circulation suppressor design


The control block diagram of the resonant observer-based resonant–proportional-integral-resonant
(ROR-PIR) controller is shown in Figure 3. The PR controller has a large gain attenuation outside the resonance
point, but has an infinite gain at the resonance frequency. Its transfer function is:

𝐺PR (𝑠) = 𝜔0 𝑠/(𝑠 2 + 𝜔02 ) (10)

There are two conjugate resonant poles, so only the required resonant poles are retained, and the PR controller
is reduced to obtain the ROR controller.

𝐺ROR (𝑠) = 1/(1 − j 𝜔0 ) (11)

The ROR controller has a narrow bandwidth problem and cannot meet the suppression requirements
when dealing with a frequency modulation condition. Therefore, a quasi-proportional integral resonant
controller is connected in parallel on the basis of the ROR controller to meet the circulating current suppression
requirements when the system frequency is offset. The transfer function of the ROR-PIR controller is:

𝐺ROR−PIR (𝑠) = 𝐺ROR (𝑠) + 𝐺PIR (𝑠)


{𝐺 (𝑠) = 𝐾 + 𝐾i + 2𝐾r 𝜔c 𝑠 (12)
PIR p 𝑠 𝑠 2 +2𝜔𝑐 𝑠+𝜔02

In the formula, 𝐾p is the proportional coefficient, 𝐾i is the integral coefficient, 𝐾r is the resonance coefficient,
and 𝜔c is the cutoff frequency.
The Bode diagram of the ROR-PIR transfer function is shown in Figure 4. The resonant frequency
𝜔o is 300π rad/s, and 𝜔c is 5π rad/s. The larger the 𝐾r is the greater the system resonance suppression strength
is. However, if 𝐾r is too large, the system stability is relatively small. Considering the circulating current
suppression strength and system stability, selecting 𝐾r as 300 can better balance them. The dynamic response
of the combined circulating current suppressor method can be slower because it relies on multiple control loops
that need to coordinate and settle. The interaction between these loops can lead to a slower convergence to the
steady state, especially if the system is subject to varying loads or disturbances.

Int J Pow Elec & Dri Syst, Vol. 16, No. 2, June 2025: 1051-1060
Int J Pow Elec & Dri Syst ISSN: 2088-8694  1055

Figure 3. Circulation suppressor control block diagram

Figure 4. Bode plot of transfer function

3.3. Improved NLM


The [33]-[36] gives the number of switching of upper and lower submodules when using traditional
NLM as:
𝑁 𝑉𝑠𝑗−𝑟𝑒𝑓
𝑛𝑝𝑗 = + 𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 ( )
2 𝑉𝑐
{ 𝑁 𝑉𝑗−𝑟𝑒𝑓 (13)
𝑛𝑝𝑗 = − 𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 ( )
2 𝑉𝑐

where 𝑁 is the number of submodules, 𝑉𝑠𝑗−𝑟𝑒𝑓 is the phase voltage reference value, and 𝑉𝑐 is the initial voltage
of the submodule capacitor. Ideally, the MMC outputs a phase voltage modulation value, so there is a current
error 𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓 𝑗 :
1
𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓 𝑗 + 2𝑖𝑐𝑗 = ∫(𝑉𝑠𝑗−𝑟𝑒𝑓 − 𝑉𝑠𝑗 ) 𝑑𝑡 (14)
0.5𝐿𝑂𝑗 +𝐿𝑆𝑗

Substituting (14) into (13) yields:


1 𝑉𝑠𝑗−𝑟𝑒𝑓 +∆𝑣𝑐
𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓 𝑗 = ∫(𝑉𝑠𝑗−𝑟𝑒𝑓 − 𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 ( ) 𝑉𝑐 ) 𝑑𝑡 (15)
𝐿 𝑉𝑐

where ∆𝑣𝑐 is the correction value of the reference voltage output by the circulating current suppressor.
According to the current error calculated by (15), the current hysteresis correction controller is designed.
Figure 5 shows the current error correction waveform of the improved NLM proposed in this paper.

Figure 5. Improved NLM current error correction waveform

When the current error is greater than 𝛿, the controller outputs a correction value 𝛥𝑣 = 0.5, and when
the current error is less than 𝛿, the controller outputs a correction value 𝛥𝑣 = -0.5. The correction value output

A modified circulating current suppression control based on MMC grid … (H. A. Hasan)
1056  ISSN: 2088-8694

by the controller enters the NLM to generate an output voltage waveform. If 𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓 𝑗 is just at the bottom of the
hysteresis loop at the current sampling moment, that is, when 𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓 𝑗 = −𝛿, the modulation output is increased
by one level. Similarly, when 𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓 𝑗 = 𝛿, the output is lowered by one level.

4. SIMULATION RESULTS ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION


In order to verify the effectiveness of the joint circulation suppression strategy proposed in this paper,
𝑉
a 23-level VSG-MMC with 22 submodule per arm, the submodule capacitance 7000 µF with 500 V ( 𝑑𝑐) was
𝑁
built in MATLAB/Simulink environment. The simulation model as shown in Figure 6, and the system
parameters are shown in Table 1.

Table 1. System parameters


Parameter Value Parameter Value
DC link voltage 𝑉𝑑𝑐 11 kV Resonance gain 𝐾𝑟 300
AC side voltage 6.6 kV Cutoff frequency 𝜔𝑟 5
Frequency 50 Hz Resonance frequency 𝜔𝑜 300 π
Bridge arm inductance 13.5 µH Grid side inductance 𝐿𝑠 13.85 µH
Bridge arm resistance 1Ω Moment of inertia 𝐽 3.5/(kg·m²)
Proportional coefficient 𝐾𝑝 50 Damping coefficient 350
Integration coefficient 𝐾𝑖 100

Figure 6. VSG-MMC control structure

4.1. Primary frequency modulation condition


The grid-side frequency is set to 49.8 Hz, the circulating current suppressor is put into operation at
0.5 s, and the grid-side frequency is reduced by 0.2 Hz, which takes effect when the simulation time is 1.5 to
2.5 s. The simulation results are as:

4.1.1. Comparison between QPR controller and the controller proposed in this paper:
The output current waveform and circulating current waveform of the QPR AC side is shown
in Figure 7(a). Before the circulating current suppressor is turned on at 0.5s, its total harmonic distortion rate
(THD) is 3.26%; after the circulating current suppressor is turned on, before the first frequency modulation is
started, THD is 2.82%; during the first frequency modulation, the base frequency is 49.8 Hz, and its THD value
is 2.78%. When the QPR controller responds to the frequency fluctuation on the grid side, its circulating current
fluctuation value is about 5 A. Compared with the combined circulating current suppressor in Figure 7(b), its
advantage is that the current fluctuation before and after the circulating current suppressor is turned on is small.
The circulating current combined suppressor proposed in this paper has a THD of 3.38% before the
circulating current suppressor is turned on at 0.5s; after the circulating current suppressor is turned on, the THD
before the first frequency modulation is started is 2.59%; during the first frequency modulation, the THD value
is 1.75%. When the combined circulating current suppressor responds to the grid-side frequency fluctuation,
the fluctuation value is about 3.5 A. Therefore, the circulating current combined suppressor proposed in this
paper is more suitable for the working conditions of grid frequency fluctuation.

4.1.2. Primary frequency modulation, power, and voltage response:


Figure 8(a) shows the result of the system frequency dynamic response. When the circulating current
suppressor is connected to the system and the grid-side frequency changes, oscillation occurs. The reason is that
the VSG system is difficult to take into account the grid-connected active power dynamic characteristics and
droop characteristics. This paper combines the droop characteristics and damping characteristics to make the

Int J Pow Elec & Dri Syst, Vol. 16, No. 2, June 2025: 1051-1060
Int J Pow Elec & Dri Syst ISSN: 2088-8694  1057

oscillation range within 0.05 Hz. Figure 8(b) is the system power dynamic response waveform. Its grid-connected
active power oscillates; the reactive power starts to increase when the system frequency decreases, maintaining
the grid-connected voltage amplitude without fluctuations. At the same time, the system has damping and inertia.

(a) (b)

Figure 7. Output current waveform and circulating current waveform of phase an AC side when the grid
frequency fluctuates (a) QPR circulating current suppressor and (b) combined circulating current suppressor

(a) (b)

Figure 8. System dynamic response: (a) system frequency dynamic response and (b) system power response

4.2. Steady state


Figure 9 shows the waveform of the circulating current on the bridge arm on phase a and the FFT
analysis diagram. The circulating current suppressors are all put into operation at 0.5s. Figure 9(a) is the
waveform of the circulating current without the circulating current suppressor. The fluctuation range of the
circulating current after stabilization is about 15-55 A. The waveform distortion of the bridge arm current is
mainly affected by the harmonic components of the 2-fold and 4-fold frequency circulating current. Figure 9(b)
is the waveform of the circulating current with the QPR circulating current suppressor. The fluctuation range
of the circulating current after steady state is about 28.5-33 A. Compared with the case without the circulating
current suppressor, the fluctuation range is reduced by about 88.75%. Figure 9(c) is the circulating current
combined suppression method of the ROR-PIR circulating current suppressor and the improved NLM.

(a) (b)

(c)

Figure 9. Phase an upper arm circulating current waveform and FFT analysis: (a) circulating current without
the circulating current suppressor, (b) QPR circulating current suppressor,
and (c) combined circulating current suppressor

A modified circulating current suppression control based on MMC grid … (H. A. Hasan)
1058  ISSN: 2088-8694

At 0.5 s, the circulating current is stabilized by 1.5-2.5 A. After the circulating current suppressor is
put into use, the system reaches stability about 0.2s slower than the QPR circulating current suppression method
due to its more complex control structure, the need for coordination between multiple control loops, and the
potential for slower dynamic response, but after reaching stability, the circulating current fluctuation range is
about 29-32A, and the fluctuation range is reduced by about 92.5% compared with no circulating current
suppressor. It can be seen that: the proposed circulating current suppression method has better suppression
effects on the 2-fold and 4-fold frequency components than the QPR controller, and for the 3-fold frequency
component, the improved NLM modulation strategy optimizes the submodule capacitor voltage, making its 3-
fold frequency fluctuation less, so the proposed circulating current suppression strategy is better than the effect
of the QPR circulating current suppressor.

5. CONCLUSION
In this paper, the proportional resonant controller's control mode is improved, and the nearest level
approach modulation (NLM) strategy for arm circulating current rectification is introduced. The simulation
results show that: i) When the system is stable, the proposed joint suppression strategy for the circulating
current has infinite gain at a specific frequency due to the ROR controller; ii) The parallel connection of the
PIRR controller gives the proposed strategy a higher bandwidth when the system frequency fluctuates,
suppressing the frequency shifts and avoiding the PR controller's narrow bandwidth. The improved NLM
modulation method further stabilizes the three SM voltage oscillations; and iii) When the VSG-MMC system
built in this paper is connected to the grid, the droop coefficient and damping coefficient are adjusted to keep
its frequency fluctuation within 0.05 Hz, the three-phase voltage waveform is unaffected by the circulating
current suppressor switching and grid-side frequency fluctuation, and the system has damping and inertia.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work is supported by, Electrical Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of Baghdad.

FUNDING INFORMATION
There is no funding agency that have supported this work.

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS STATEMENT


This journal uses the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) to recognize individual author
contributions, reduce authorship disputes, and facilitate collaboration.

Name of Author C M So Va Fo I R D O E Vi Su P Fu
H. A. Hasan ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Riyadh Kamil Chillab ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Ahmed K. Hannan ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Abdelrahman Farghly ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

C : Conceptualization I : Investigation Vi : Visualization


M : Methodology R : Resources Su : Supervision
So : Software D : Data Curation P : Project administration
Va : Validation O : Writing - Original Draft Fu : Funding acquisition
Fo : Formal analysis E : Writing - Review & Editing

CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships
that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper

DATA AVAILABILITY
The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in https://2cm.es/VDUd at DOI:
https://2cm.es/VDUB.

Int J Pow Elec & Dri Syst, Vol. 16, No. 2, June 2025: 1051-1060
Int J Pow Elec & Dri Syst ISSN: 2088-8694  1059

REFERENCES
[1] E. H. Ibrahem, N. Q. Mohammed, and H. M. D. Habbi, “Microgrid integration based on deep learning NARMA-L2 controller for
maximum power point tracking,” Journal of Engineering, vol. 29, no. 10, pp. 12–32, 2023, doi: 10.31026/j.eng.2023.10.02.
[2] A. K. Abdullah and H. M. D.Habbi, “Enhancing sustainable energy integration with a techno-economic evaluation of hybrid
renewable energy systems at the College of Engineering in the University of Baghdad,” Journal of Engineering, vol. 30, no. 11,
pp. 71–89, Nov. 2024, doi: 10.31026/j.eng.2024.11.05.
[3] V. Sidorov, A. Bakeer, H. M. Maheri, N. Hassanpour, S. Rahman, and A. Chub, “Shade-tolerant PV micro converters,” Distributed
Energy Systems, pp. 261–282, 2022, doi: 10.1201/9781003229124-17.
[4] S. R. Hameed and T. H. Al-Mhana, “Cascaded H–bridge multilevel inverter: Review of topologies and pulse width modulation.
Tikrit Journal of Engineering Sciences,” Tikrit Journal of Engineering Sciences, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 138–151, 2024, doi:
10.25130/tjes.31.1.12.
[5] J. V. M. Farias, L. A. Gregoire, A. F. Cupertino, H. A. Pereira, S. I. Seleme, and M. Fadel, “A sliding-mode observer for MMC-
HVDC systems: Fault-tolerant scheme with reduced number of sensors,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, vol. 38, no. 2,
pp. 867–876, 2023, doi: 10.1109/TPWRD.2022.3200419.
[6] Z. Wang, “Recent advances in circulating current suppression strategies for modular multilevel converters,” Journal of Physics:
Conference Series, vol. 2786, no. 1, 2024, doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/2786/1/012001.
[7] H. S. Jouybary, A. Mpanda Mabwe, D. Arab Khaburi, and A. El Hajjaji, “An LMI-based linear quadratic regulator (LQR) control
for modular multilevel converters (MMCs) considering parameters uncertainty,” IEEE Access, vol. 12, pp. 111888–111898, 2024,
doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3442090.
[8] Q. Shu and G. Chen, “Research on circulating current suppression strategy of modular multilevel converter,” in Sixth International
Conference on Electromechanical Control Technology and Transportation (ICECTT 2021), Q. Zeng, Ed., SPIE, Feb. 2022, p. 38.
doi: 10.1117/12.2623874.
[9] M. A. Perez, S. Ceballos, G. Konstantinou, J. Pou, and R. P. Aguilera, “Modular multilevel converters: Recent achievements and
challenges,” IEEE Open Journal of the Industrial Electronics Society, vol. 2, pp. 224–239, 2021, doi: 10.1109/OJIES.2021.3060791.
[10] R. Hu, “Comprehensive analysis on topological structure of modular multilevel converters,” Highlights in Science, Engineering
and Technology, vol. 81, pp. 26–37, Jan. 2024, doi: 10.54097/gha3n157.
[11] R. Alaei and S. A. Khajehoddin, “Series hybrid modular multilevel converter for HVDC transmission systems,” IEEE Access,
vol. 12, pp. 76816–76825, 2024, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3406739.
[12] B. Li, S. Zhou, D. Xu, S. J. Finney, and B. W. Williams, “A hybrid modular multilevel converter for medium-voltage variable-speed
motor drives,” IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, vol. 32, no. 6, pp. 4619–4630, 2017, doi: 10.1109/TPEL.2016.2598286.
[13] M. Kurtoğlu, F. Eroğlu, A. O. Arslan, and A. M. Vural, “Recent contributions and future prospects of the modular multilevel
converters: A comprehensive review,” International Transactions on Electrical Energy Systems, vol. 29, no. 3, 2019, doi:
10.1002/etep.2763.
[14] P. Hu, Y. Li, Y. Yu, and F. Blaabjerg, “Inertia estimation of renewable-energy-dominated power system,” Renewable and
Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 183, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2023.113481.
[15] H. A. Alnaieli, A. A. Jadallah, and A. H. Numan, “Design, fabrication, and experimental analysis of a PV panel for a smart sunflower
system,” Tikrit Journal of Engineering Sciences, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 113–126, 2024, doi: 10.25130/tjes.31.1.10.
[16] A. Lunardi, L. F. N. Lourenço, E. Munkhchuluun, L. Meegahapola, and A. J. S. Filho, “Grid-connected power converters: an
overview of control strategies for renewable Energy,” Energies, vol. 15, no. 11, 2022, doi: 10.3390/en15114151.
[17] C. Li, Y. Cao, Y. Yang, L. Wang, F. Blaabjerg, and T. Dragicevic, “Impedance-based method for DC stability of VSC-HVDC system
with VSG control,” International Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems, vol. 130, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.ijepes.2021.106975.
[18] M. Li et al., “Phase feedforward damping control method for virtual synchronous generators,” IEEE Transactions on Power
Electronics, vol. 37, no. 8, pp. 9790–9806, 2022, doi: 10.1109/TPEL.2022.3150950.
[19] X. Xiong, X. Wang, D. Liu, F. Blaabjerg, and C. Zhao, “Common-mode insertion indices compensation with capacitor voltages
feedforward to suppress circulating current of MMCS,” CPSS Transactions on Power Electronics and Applications, vol. 5, no. 2,
pp. 103–113, 2020, doi: 10.24295/CPSSTPEA.2020.00009.
[20] M. Hagiwara, R. Maeda, and H. Akagi, “Theoretical analysis and control of the modular multilevel cascade converter based on
double-star chopper-cells (MMCC-DSCC),” in 2010 International Power Electronics Conference - ECCE Asia -, IPEC 2010, 2010,
pp. 2029–2036. doi: 10.1109/IPEC.2010.5543517.
[21] B. E. Bruno, I. R. F. M. P. da Silva, C. B. Jacobina, and A. C. Oliveira, “Modular multilevel cascade converters,” in Power Electronic
Converters and Systems: 2nd Edition: Converters and machine drives, 2024, pp. 119–152. doi: 10.1049/pbpo241f_ch4.
[22] S. Yang, K. Liu, L. Qin, S. Zhu, B. Xu, and Q. Wang, “A broadband active damping method for high-frequency resonance
suppression in MMC-HVDC system,” International Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems, vol. 146, 2023, doi:
10.1016/j.ijepes.2022.108791.
[23] G. Keiel, J. V. Flores, and L. F. A. Pereira, “On the robust control design of multiple resonant controllers for the parallel operation
of UPSs,” Control Engineering Practice, vol. 147, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.conengprac.2024.105925.
[24] G. Fu and Z. Lu, “MMC circulating current suppression strategy based on improved quasi-PR control,” Frontiers in Computing
and Intelligent Systems, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 16–20, 2023, doi: 10.54097/fcis.v3i2.6911.
[25] S. Asapu and R. Vanitha, “Modified hysteresis current control of multilevel converter for grid connected battery storage system,”
Materials Today: Proceedings, vol. 80, pp. 3523–3531, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.matpr.2021.07.290.
[26] F. Martinez-Rodrigo, D. Ramirez, A. B. Rey-Boue, S. De Pablo, and L. C. Herrero-De Lucas, “Modular multilevel converters:
Control and applications,” Energies, vol. 10, no. 11, 2017, doi: 10.3390/en10111709.
[27] A. K. Hannan, Z. A. Kadhum, A. K. Ali, A. Farghly, and L. K. Hanan, “Suppression of the capacitor voltage ripple in modular
multilevel converter for variable-speed drive applications,” Tikrit Journal of Engineering Sciences, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 56–74, 2024,
doi: 10.25130/tjes.31.1.6.
[28] X. Tian, Y. Ma, J. Yu, C. Wang, and H. Cheng, “A modified one-cycle-control method for modular multilevel converters,” Energies,
vol. 12, no. 1, 2019, doi: 10.3390/en12010157.
[29] S. HosseinNataj, S. A. Gholamian, M. Rezanejad, and M. Mehrasa, “Virtual synchronous generator-based control of modular
multilevel converter for integration into weak grid,” IET Renewable Power Generation, vol. 17, no. 12, pp. 3097–3107, 2023, doi:
10.1049/rpg2.12828.
[30] W. Du, H. Wang, and L. Y. Xiao, “Power system small-signal stability as affected by grid-connected photovoltaic generation,”
European Transactions on Electrical Power, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 688–703, 2012, doi: 10.1002/etep.598.
[31] S. Lu et al., “Small-signal stability research of grid-connected virtual synchronous generators,” Energies, vol. 15, no. 19, 2022, doi:
10.3390/en15197158.

A modified circulating current suppression control based on MMC grid … (H. A. Hasan)
1060  ISSN: 2088-8694

[32] A. K. Hannan and T. K. Hassan, “Design and simulation of modular multilevel converter fed induction motor drive,” Indonesian
Journal of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 22–36, 2021, doi: 10.11591/ijeei.v9i1.2699.
[33] M. Kurtoğlu and A. M. Vural, “A Novel Nearest Level Modulation Method with Increased Output Voltage Quality for Modular
Multilevel Converter Topology,” International Transactions on Electrical Energy Systems, vol. 2022, pp. 1–17, Jan. 2022, doi:
10.1155/2022/2169357.
[34] H. M. Almgotir, E. A. Khaliq Ali, W. H. Abd Al Ameer, and M. A. Fadel Al-Qaisi, “Harmonics elimination for DC/DC power
supply based on piezoelectric filters,” International Journal of Power Electronics and Drive Systems, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 356–363,
2021, doi: 10.11591/ijpeds.v12.i1.pp356-363.
[35] S. T. Y. Alfalahi, M. Bin Mansor, H. M. Kadhim, and R. M. Alsammarraie, “Improvement of distribution substation performance
using SVC and a grid-tied solar PV system,” IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, vol. 1440, no. 1, 2025, doi:
10.1088/1755-1315/1440/1/012002.
[36] A. Farghly, A. Elserougi, A. Abdel-khalik, and R. Hamdy, “A hybrid mixed-cells DC-DC modular multilevel converter with
balanced arm energy and DC fault blocking capability for high voltage direct current systems,” International Journal of Circuit
Theory and Applications, vol. 52, no. 9, pp. 4556–4581, 2024, doi: 10.1002/cta.3944.

BIOGRAPHIES OF AUTHORS

H. A. Hasan was born in 1983. He received a B.Sc. in electrical power and


machine engineering from the University of Diyala in 2005, and an M.Sc. in electrical
engineering Department in Electrical Power and Machine Engineering at the University of
Baghdad in 2008. Then he joined the Advanced High Voltage Engineering Center in the
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department at Cardiff University, Wales, UK, to finish
his Ph.D. in 2017. He can be contacted at email: [email protected].

Riyadh Kamil Chillab received the B.S. in Electrical Engineering Department at


Al-Mustansiriyah University in Iraq (2003); he is doing a Master of Electrical Engineering,
Baghdad University, Iraq. He is interested in the following fields: electrical power engineering,
electrical machines, and induction heating. He is currently a Lecturer at the Department of
Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, Iraq. He can be
contacted at email: [email protected].

Ahmed K. Hannan was born in 1993. He received a B.Sc. degree in Electrical


Engineering in 2015 and a M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering, Power and Machines in 2020
from the Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Mustansiriyah University,
Iraq. From 2015 to 2018, he was working as an electrical engineer with ABB, Erbil, Iraq. From
2020 up to now, he was an electrical engineer, council affairs, University of Baghdad. His
research interests include high-frequency DC-DC converters, AC drive systems, grid-connected
photovoltaic systems, high-power electronics, multilevel converters, control algorithms,
microgrid, and PWM techniques. He can be contacted at email: [email protected].

Abdelrahman Farghly received B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in electrical


engineering from Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt, in 2014 and 2020. He is currently
a Ph.D. student and lecturer assistant with the Electrical Engineering Department, Faculty of
Engineering, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt. His current research interests include
electric drives, multiphase machines, battery chargers, renewable energy resources, and
power electronics. He can be contacted at email: [email protected].

Int J Pow Elec & Dri Syst, Vol. 16, No. 2, June 2025: 1051-1060

You might also like