Complex non‐linear phenomena and stability analysis of interconnected power converters used in distributed power systems

Abstract

Distributed power systems are considered to be a key element of future power grids. Their main characteristic is the local production and consumption of energy that is accomplished using a number of power converters that interconnect local sources and loads. In this paper, a current mode controlled dc–dc converter which feeds another current mode controlled dc–dc converter is considered to meet the demands of the load. It shows that the existence of the second converter at the output has destabilising effect on the overall system. Such a system may also exhibit interactions of various types of instability that conventional modeling methods cannot predict. Slow-timescale oscillation in standalone switching converters is usually attributed to the occurrence of a Neimark–Sacker bifurcation of the fundamental periodic orbit of the discrete-time model of the system. But in the studied cascaded system, the underlying mechanism is quite different. This paper fully explains the mechanisms as well as the conditions of the occurrence of such instabilities by employing the analytical and numerical tools of the exact switched model of the system. These results can be useful for developing design guidelines to avoid such problems. Finally, the results have been validated experimentally.