This paper deals with the transient stability of a grid-forming converter while embedding a current reference saturation strategy. The novelty of this work consists in investigating the impact of the current reference angle on the transient stability. In case of a balanced voltage sag, analytical formulas to estimate the critical clearing angle (CCA) and critical clearing time (CCT) while considering different values of the current reference angle are derived. It is demonstrated that the choice of this angle is constrained by the ability of the power converter to switch back to the voltage control mode. Based on that, its optimal value that enhances the transient stability and allows a switching from the saturated current control mode to the voltage control mode is calculated. Thereafter, the effectiveness of this optimal choice to guarantee the stability in case of a phase shift caused by a line re-closing event is verified. Time-domain simulations and experimental tests validate the correctness of the presented theoretical approaches.

The present paper deals with the post-fault synchronization of a voltage source converter based on the droop control. In case of large disturbances on the grid, the current is limited via current limitation algorithms such as the virtual impedance. During the fault, the power converter internal frequency deviates resulting in a converter angle divergence. Thereby, the system may lose the synchronism after fault clearing and which may lead to instability. Hence, this paper proposes a theoretical approach to explain the dynamic behavior of the grid forming converter subject to a three phase bolted fault. A literal expression of the critical clearing time is defined. Due to the precise analysis of the phenomenon, a simple algorithm can be derived to enhance the transient stability. It is based on adaptive gain included in the droop control. These objectives have been achieved with no external information and without switching from one control to the other. To prove the effectiveness of the developed control, experimental test cases have been performed in different faulted conditions.

The shift to net zero energy systems has changed the face of our power grid. Traditional large-scale synchronous generators found inside coal and natural gas plants are being replaced with inverter-based resource (IBR) technologies. This transition to an IBR-dominant power grid introduces new characteristics, altering how our grid operates. Therefore, the role of IBRs has expanded, requiring them to provide a range of essential services to keep our grid reliable, resilient, and secure.

In accordance with European plans, dynamic controls are developed to allow for system-wide integration of 100 % renewable energy sources (RESs) interfaced through power electronic converters while maintaining security. At the heart of the development is the concept of the grid-forming resource (GFR) which brings together both the technologies of renewable energy resource and grid-forming converter. Extending on an extensive review, a grid-forming converter control and protection scheme is presented to ensure operation under small-and large-signal transients as needed for overall system security. The scheme is shown to be practical in offering inertial response emulation and frequency control based on droop characteristics to maintain power balances rapidly, to control voltages, as well as to support transient stability enhancement under grid faults. The integration with the control of wind energy conversion systems (WECSs) creates a grid-forming wind park as the prototype of the GFR. Feedforward signals exchanged between grid and resource-side controls enhance fast overall controllability. The principal claims are substantiated based on a scenario developed in the European project initiative MIGRATE with a focus on the Irish power transmission system. The model comprises more than 2000 individual WECSs grouped into wind parks, where ten wind parks are GFRs. The transient behavior of this scenario comprising 100 % converter-interfaced generation is shown to be superior compared with a counterpart case comprising synchronous machinery. The results validate the fact that GFRs with their proposed controls are expected to be key elements in creating a renewable and secure electric power system.

This paper proposes a grid-forming control strategy with a generic implementation approach to meet the transmission system requirements asking for the massive integration of power electronic devices into the power systems. In this context, several grid-forming controls have been proposed in the literature either with or without a Phase-Locked Loop (PLL). The PLL-based techniques allow decoupling the different control functionalities (i.e. inertia emulation, frequency support, active power setpoint tracking in steady-state) while the PLL-free schemes, which aim to avoid the PLL drawbacks, create a compulsory coupling between the control functionalities. The proposed grid-forming control in this paper is able to decouple the control functionalities without any dedicated PLL, which makes it more advantageous compared to what have been already proposed in the literature. Since the power converters are exposed to the small and large grid events, the presented control has been tested in both situations. For the small grid events, a simplified small-signal model is developed to assess the active power and frequency dynamics. In case of large grid events, a current limitation algorithm is included to the control in order to protect the power converter. To deal with the transient stability issues linked to the current limitation and enhance the converter performance during the post-fault, a method based on adaptive inertia constant is proposed. To validate the overall approach, time-domain simulations (in Matlab-Simulink) and experimentations are performed.

This article deals with DC voltage dynamics of Multi-Terminal HVDC grids with energy-based controlled Mo\-dular Multilevel Converters (MMC) adopting the commonly used power-voltage droop control technique for power flow dispatch. Special focus is given on the energy management strategies of the MMCs and their ability to influence on the DC voltage dynamics. First, it is shown that decoupling the MMC energy from the DC side by controlling the energy to a fixed value, regardless of the DC voltage level, causes large and undesired DC voltage transient after a sudden power flow change. Second, the Virtual Capacitor Control technique is implemented in order to improve the results, however, its limitations on droop-based MTDC grids are highlighted. Finally, a novel energy management approach is proposed to improve the performance of the later method. These studies are performed with detailed MMC models suitable for the use of linear analysis techniques. The derived MTDC models are validated against time-domain simulations using detailed EMT MMC models with 400 sub-modules per arm.