Power converter

Abstract

The power converter (100) comprises a power converter (6) including a plurality of arms (13pu, 13nu) for each phase of the AC system (2), and a control device (5). Each of the plurality of arms (13pu, 13nu) has a plurality of converter cells (1) cascaded together. Each of the plurality of converter cells (1) has a plurality of switching elements and an energy storage element connected to the plurality of switching elements. The control device (5) detects an unbalanced fault in the AC system (2) based on the electrical quantity of the AC system (2), and if an unbalanced fault is detected, it performs a process to improve the responsiveness of the control regarding the voltage of the energy storage element.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a power conversion device.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a modular multilevel converter (MMC) is known as a high-voltage and high-capacity power conversion device applied to high-voltage systems such as power systems. The MMC is composed of arms in which a plurality of unit converters called cells are cascade-connected. Each cell includes a plurality of semiconductor switches and capacitors, and outputs the voltage across the capacitor or zero voltage by turning on and off the semiconductor switches.

[0003] International Publication No. 2022 / 085101 (Patent Document 1) discloses a reactive power compensation device including a power converter as an MMC. This device limits the reactive power output when the voltage amplitude of the healthy phase of the system voltage increases by outputting reactive power when an unbalance accident occurs in the power system.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The reactive power compensation device according to Patent Document 1 contemplates securing a control margin and preventing the protection stop of the reactive power compensation device due to overvoltage and overcurrent with the above configuration.

[0006] In power converters composed of MMCs, the capacitors within the unit converter occupy a large volume, making it necessary to miniaturize the capacitors in order to achieve miniaturization and weight reduction of the unit converter. One way to miniaturize the capacitors is to reduce their capacitance, but when capacitance is reduced, the capacitor voltage tends to fluctuate, making it prone to exceeding the upper or lower limits. In particular, if an unbalanced fault occurs in the power system, the power converter may shut down due to the effects of capacitor voltage imbalance between arms and capacitor voltage pulsation. The technology described in Patent Document 1 does not provide a solution to these problems.

[0007] One object of this disclosure is to provide a power converter that can continue operation in the event of an unbalanced fault in the power system by appropriately controlling the voltage of a capacitor in the unit converter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to one embodiment, a power converter connected to an AC system is provided. The power converter comprises a power converter having a plurality of arms for each phase of the AC system, and a control device for controlling the power converter. Each of the plurality of arms has a plurality of converter cells cascaded together. Each of the plurality of converter cells has a plurality of switching elements and an energy storage element connected to the plurality of switching elements. The control device detects an unbalanced fault in the AC system based on the electrical quantities of the AC system, and if an unbalanced fault is detected, it performs a process to improve the responsiveness of the control with respect to the voltage of the energy storage element. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the power converter of this disclosure, in the event of an unbalanced fault in the power system, operation can be continued by appropriately controlling the voltage of the capacitor in the unit converter. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing a configuration example of a power conversion device. [Figure 2] This is a circuit diagram showing an example of a converter cell. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a control device. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing the internal configuration of a control device. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing a part of the functional configuration of a basic control unit. [Figure 6] This is a diagram showing another part of the functional configuration of a basic control unit. [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing the functional configuration related to the operation at the time of detecting an imbalance accident in a basic control unit. [Figure 8] This is a diagram showing a configuration example of a first circulating current command generation unit. [Figure 9] This is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a second circulating current command generation unit. [Figure 10] This is a diagram showing a specific configuration example of an amplitude control unit. [Figure 11] This is a diagram showing a configuration example of a circulating current control unit. [Figure 12] This is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a positive / negative balance voltage command generation unit. [Figure 13] This is a diagram showing a configuration example of a controller provided in a positive / negative balance voltage command generation unit.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions thereof will not be repeated.

[0012] <Overall Configuration> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a power conversion device 100. Referring to FIG. 1, the power conversion device 100 is connected between an AC power system 2 and a DC circuit 4. The DC circuit 4 may include a power storage element connected to the DC terminals of the power converter 6. The power storage element is, for example, a power storage device including an electric double layer capacitor or a storage battery such as a lithium ion battery. Alternatively, the DC circuit 4 may include the DC terminals of other power converters connected to the DC terminals of the power converter 6. In this case, a BTB (Back To Back) system for connecting AC power systems with different rated frequencies etc. is configured by connecting two power converters. Or, the DC circuit 4 may be a DC power system including a DC transmission network etc. In this case, the power converter 6 is connected to another power converter via a DC transmission line, and an HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) system is configured.

[0013] The power conversion device 100 includes a self-excited power converter 6 and a control device 5 for controlling the power converter 6. Typically, the power converter 6 is constituted by a modular multilevel converter (MMC) including a plurality of converter cells (corresponding to "cells" in FIG. 1) 1 connected in series with each other. A "converter cell" is also referred to as a "sub module" or a "unit converter".

[0014] The power converter 6 is connected to the DC circuit 4 and is a power converter that performs power conversion between the DC circuit 4 and the AC power system 2. Specifically, the power converter 6 converts the DC power output from the DC circuit 4 into AC power and outputs the AC power to the AC power system 2 via the transformer 3. Also, the power converter 6 converts the AC power from the AC power system 2 into DC power and outputs the DC power to the DC circuit 4.

[0015] In the example shown in Figure 1, the power converter 6 includes multiple arms for each phase of the AC system 2. Specifically, the power converter 6 includes multiple leg circuits 8u, 8v, 8w (hereinafter also collectively referred to as "leg circuits 8") connected in parallel to each other between the positive DC terminal (i.e., the high-potential DC terminal) Np and the negative DC terminal (i.e., the low-potential DC terminal) Nn.

[0016] The leg circuits 8 are provided for each of the multiple phases that make up the alternating current. The leg circuits 8 are connected between the AC system 2 and the DC circuit 4 and perform power conversion between the two circuits. Three leg circuits 8u, 8v, and 8w are provided, corresponding to the U phase, V phase, and W phase of the AC system 2, respectively.

[0017] The AC terminals Nu, Nv, and Nw provided on the leg circuits 8u, 8v, and 8w, respectively, are connected to the AC system 2 via the transformer 3. The AC system 2 is a three-phase AC power system, for example, an AC power supply. In Figure 1, for the sake of illustration, the connection between the AC terminals Nv and Nw and the transformer 3 is not shown. The DC terminals provided in common to each leg circuit 8 (i.e., the positive DC terminal Np and the negative DC terminal Nn) are connected to the DC circuit 4.

[0018] Instead of using the transformer 3 in Figure 1, the leg circuits 8u, 8v, and 8w may be configured to be connected to the AC system 2 via an interconnection reactor. Furthermore, instead of the AC terminals Nu, Nv, and Nw, primary windings may be provided for each of the leg circuits 8u, 8v, and 8w, and the leg circuits 8u, 8v, and 8w may be AC-connected to the transformer 3 or the interconnection reactor via secondary windings that are magnetically coupled to these primary windings. In this case, the primary windings may be the reactors 7a and 7b described below. That is, the leg circuit 8 is electrically (i.e., DC- or AC-) connected to the AC system 2 via connection points provided for each of the leg circuits 8u, 8v, and 8w, such as the AC terminals Nu, Nv, and Nw or the primary windings described above.

[0019] The leg circuit 8u includes a positive arm 13pu from the positive DC terminal Np to the AC terminal Nu, and a negative arm 13nu from the negative DC terminal Nn to the AC terminal Nu. The connection point between the positive arm 13pu and the negative arm 13nu is connected to the transformer 3 as the AC terminal Nu. The positive DC terminal Np and the negative DC terminal Nn are connected to the DC circuit 4. The leg circuit 8v includes a positive arm 13pv and a negative arm 13nv, and the leg circuit 8w includes a positive arm 13pw and a negative arm 13nw.

[0020] In the following, the positive arms 13pu, 13pv, and 13pw will be referred to collectively as "positive arm 13p" or to any specific arm. The negative arms 13nu, 13nv, and 13nw will be referred to collectively as "negative arm 13n" or to any specific arm. The positive arms 13pu, 13pv, and 13pw, and the negative arms 13nu, 13nv, and 13nw will be referred to collectively as "arm 13" or to any specific arm.

[0021] Since the leg circuits 8V and 8W have the same configuration as leg circuit 8U, the following description will use leg circuit 8U as a representative example. In leg circuit 8U, the positive arm 13pu includes a plurality of converter cells 1_1 to 1_M connected in cascade with each other, and a reactor 7a. The plurality of converter cells 1 and reactor 7a are connected in series with each other. The negative arm 13nu includes a plurality of converter cells 1_1 to 1_M connected in cascade with each other, and a reactor 7b. The plurality of converter cells 1 and reactor 7b are connected in series with each other.

[0022] In this embodiment, for example, let M be the number of converter cells contained in each arm 13, where M ≥ 2. Also, converter cells 1_1 to 1_M may be collectively referred to as converter cell 1. The values ​​and variables after the underscore in converter cells 1_1 to 1_M indicate the index of converter cell 1. Using index i, any converter cell 1 may also be referred to as "converter cell 1_i". However, index i is not related to the physical arrangement of converter cell 1.

[0023] The reactor 7a may be inserted at any position on the positive arm 13pu, and the reactor 7b may be inserted at any position on the negative arm 13nu. There may be multiple reactors 7a and 7b. The inductance values ​​of each reactor may be different from each other. Furthermore, only the reactor 7a on the positive arm 13pu, or only the reactor 7b on the negative arm 13nu may be provided.

[0024] The power converter 100 further includes an AC voltage detector 10, an AC current detector 15, DC voltage detectors 11a and 11b, and arm current detectors 9a and 9b provided in each leg circuit 8. These detectors measure the electrical quantities (i.e., current and voltage) used to control the power converter 100. The signals detected by these detectors are input to the control device 5.

[0025] The AC voltage detector 10 detects the AC voltage Vacu of the U phase, the AC voltage Vacp of the V phase, and the AC voltage Vacw of the W phase (hereinafter collectively referred to as "AC voltage Vac") of the AC system 2. The AC current detector 15 detects the measured AC current Isysu of the U phase, the measured AC current Isysv of the V phase, and the measured AC current Isysw of the W phase of the AC system 2. The DC voltage detector 11a detects the DC voltage Vdcp of the positive DC terminal Np connected to the DC circuit 4. The DC voltage detector 11b detects the DC voltage Vdcn of the negative DC terminal Nn connected to the DC circuit 4.

[0026] The arm current detectors 9a and 9b provided in the leg circuit 8u for the U phase detect the positive arm current Ipu flowing through the positive arm 13pu and the negative arm current Inu flowing through the negative arm 13nu, respectively. The arm current detectors 9a and 9b provided in the leg circuit 8v for the V phase detect the positive arm current Ipv and the negative arm current Inv, respectively. The arm current detectors 9a and 9b provided in the leg circuit 8w for the W phase detect the positive arm current Ipw and the negative arm current Inw, respectively.

[0027] As shown in Figure 1, the AC terminal Nu, which is the connection point between the positive arm 13pu and the negative arm 13nu of the leg circuit 8u, is connected to the transformer 3. Therefore, the AC current Iacu flowing from the AC terminal Nu towards the transformer 3 is the current value obtained by subtracting the negative arm current Inu from the positive arm current Ipu. The same applies to the AC currents Iacv and Iacw. That is, “Iacu = Ipu - Inu”, “Iacv = Ipv - Inv”, and “Iacw = Ipw - Inw” hold true.

[0028] If the average current of the positive arm current Ipu and the negative arm current Inu is taken as the common current flowing through the positive arm 13pu and the negative arm 13nu, then this current is the leg current Icomu (=(Ipu+Inu) / 2) flowing through the DC terminal of the leg circuit 8u. The same applies to the leg currents Icomv and Icomw of the leg circuits 8v and 8w.

[0029] The positive DC terminals of the leg circuits 8u, 8v, and 8w for each phase are connected in common as the positive DC terminal Np, and the negative DC terminals are connected in common as the negative DC terminal Nn. From this configuration, the sum of the leg currents Icomu, Icomv, and Icomw for each phase becomes the DC current Idc that flows in from the positive terminal of DC circuit 4 and returns to DC circuit 4 via the negative terminal. Therefore, the equation “Idc = (Ipu + Ipv + Ipw + Inu + Inv + Inw) / 2” holds true.

[0030] If the DC current component included in the leg current is distributed equally among the phases, the current capacity of the converter cells can be made equal. Considering this, the difference between the leg current and 1 / 3 of the DC current value can be calculated as the current value of the circulating current that flows between the legs of each phase, although it does not flow in the DC circuit 4. Therefore, for the circulating current Izu of the U phase, "Izu = (Ipu + Inu) / 2 - Idc / 3" holds true. The same applies to the circulating currents Izu and Izv of the V and W phases. That is, "Izv = (Ipv + Inv) / 2 - Idc / 3" and "Izw = (Ipw + Inw) / 2 - Idc / 3" hold true.

[0031] <Example of converter cell configuration> Figure 2 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a converter cell 1. The converter cell 1 shown in Figure 2(a) has a circuit configuration called a half-bridge configuration. The converter cell 1 includes a series unit formed by connecting two switching elements 31p and 31n in series, a capacitor 32 as an energy storage element, and a voltage detector 33. The series unit and the capacitor 32 are connected in parallel. The voltage detector 33 detects the capacitor voltage Vc, which is the voltage across the capacitor 32.

[0032] The converter cell 1 shown in Figure 2(b) has a circuit configuration called a full-bridge configuration. This converter cell 1 includes a first series unit formed by connecting two switching elements 31p1 and 31n1 in series, a second series unit formed by connecting two switching elements 31p2 and 31n2 in series, a capacitor 32, and a voltage detector 33. The first series unit, the second series unit, and the capacitor 32 are connected in parallel. The voltage detector 33 detects the capacitor voltage Vc. The capacitor voltage Vc is input to the control device 5.

[0033] The two switching elements 31p and 31n in Figure 2(a) and the four switching elements 31p1, 31n1, 31p2, and 31n2 in Figure 2(b) are configured by connecting a freewheeling diode in antiparallel to semiconductor switching elements such as IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors), MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors), and GCTs (Gate Commutated Turn-off) thyristors. In Figures 2(a) and 2(b), film capacitors are mainly used for capacitor 32.

[0034] In the following explanation, switching elements 31p, 31n, 31p1, 31n1, 31p2, and 31n2 will also be collectively referred to as switching element 31. Furthermore, the on / off state of the semiconductor switching elements within switching element 31 will simply be described as "on / off state of switching element 31".

[0035] Referring to Figure 2(a), both terminals of the switching element 31n are designated as input / output terminals G1 and G2. The switching operation of the switching elements 31p and 31n outputs the voltage across the capacitor 32 and a zero voltage. For example, when switching element 31p is on and switching element 31n is off, the voltage across the capacitor 32 is output. When switching element 31p is off and switching element 31n is on, a zero voltage is output.

[0036] Referring to Figure 2(b), the midpoints of switching elements 31p1 and 31n1, and the midpoints of switching elements 31p2 and 31n2, are designated as input / output terminals G1 and G2 of the converter cell 1, respectively. The converter cell 1 shown in Figure 2(b) outputs a positive voltage or zero voltage by turning on switching element 31n2, turning off switching element 31p2, and alternately turning on switching elements 31p1 and 31n1. Furthermore, the converter cell 1 shown in Figure 2(b) can output a zero voltage or a negative voltage by turning off switching element 31n2, turning on switching element 31p2, and alternately turning on switching elements 31p1 and 31n1.

[0037] In this embodiment, the converter cell 1 may be configured as a half-bridge cell as shown in Figure 2(a), or as a full-bridge configuration as shown in Figure 2(b). Furthermore, converter cells other than those shown above, such as those using a circuit configuration called a clamped double cell, may be used, and the switching element and energy storage element are not limited to those described above.

[0038] <Example hardware configuration of a control device> Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control device 5. In the case of Figure 3, the control device 5 is configured based on a computer. Referring to Figure 3, the control device 5 includes one or more input converters 70, one or more sample-and-hold (S / H) circuits 71, a multiplexer (MUX) 72, and an A / D converter 73. Furthermore, the control device 5 includes one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) 74, RAM (Random Access Memory) 75, and ROM (Read Only Memory) 76. Furthermore, the control device 5 includes one or more input / output interfaces 77, an auxiliary storage device 78, and a bus 79 that interconnects the above components.

[0039] The input converter 70 is equipped with an auxiliary transformer for each input channel. Each auxiliary transformer converts the detection signals from each electrical quantity detector in Figure 1 into signals with a voltage level suitable for subsequent signal processing. A sample-and-hold circuit 71 is provided for each input converter 70. The sample-and-hold circuit 71 samples and holds the signal representing the electrical quantity received from the corresponding input converter 70 at a specified sampling frequency.

[0040] The multiplexer 72 sequentially selects signals held by multiple sample-and-hold circuits 71. The A / D converter 73 converts the signals selected by the multiplexer 72 into digital values. Note that by providing multiple A / D converters 73, A / D conversion may be performed in parallel for detection signals from multiple input channels.

[0041] The CPU 74 controls the entire control unit 5 and performs arithmetic processing according to the program. The RAM 75, which is volatile memory, and the ROM 76, which is non-volatile memory, are used as the main memory of the CPU 74. The ROM 76 stores programs and setting values ​​for signal processing. The auxiliary storage device 78 is a non-volatile memory with a larger capacity than the ROM 76, and stores programs and electrical quantity detection data. The input / output interface 77 is an interface circuit for communication between the CPU 74 and external devices.

[0042] Furthermore, at least a portion of the control device 5 may be configured using circuits such as FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively, at least a portion of the control device 5 may be configured using analog circuits.

[0043] <Functional Configuration of Control Device> Figure 4 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the control device 5. Referring to Figure 4, the control device 5 includes a basic control unit 502 and an arm control unit 503. The basic control unit 502 includes a U-phase basic control unit 502u, a V-phase basic control unit 502v, and a W-phase basic control unit 502w. The arm control unit 503 includes a U-phase positive arm control unit 503pu and a negative arm control unit 503nu, a V-phase positive arm control unit 503pv and a negative arm control unit 503nv, and a W-phase positive arm control unit 503pw and a negative arm control unit 503nw.

[0044] The configuration of the basic control unit 502 and the arm control unit 503 is realized, for example, by a processing circuit. The processing circuit may be dedicated hardware, or it may be a CPU 74 that executes a program stored in the internal memory of the control device 5 (e.g., RAM 75, ROM 76, auxiliary storage device 78, etc.). If the processing circuit is dedicated hardware, it may be composed of, for example, an FPGA, an ASIC, or a combination thereof.

[0045] The basic control unit 502 uses the electrical quantities measured by each of the above detectors to generate two arm voltage command values ​​Varmp* and Varmn* for the positive arm 13p and negative arm 13n of each phase, as well as a capacitor voltage command value Vcp* for the positive arm 13p of each phase and a capacitor voltage command value Vcn* for the negative arm 13n of each phase. In the following description, when it is not specified which arm of each phase is being referred to, the arm voltage command value Varm* and the capacitor voltage command value Vc* will be used as descriptive terms. Furthermore, the basic control unit 502 generates a modulation signal Karm* for each arm voltage command value Varm*, which causes each of the multiple converter cells 1 in each arm 13 to output a voltage.

[0046] The arm control unit 503 generates a gate control signal GP to control the on and off states of the switching elements 31p and 31n provided in each converter cell 1 constituting the arm, based on each modulation signal Karm* and capacitor voltage command value Vc*, and outputs the gate control signal GP to each converter cell 1.

[0047] Figure 5 shows a part of the functional configuration of the basic control unit 502. Referring to Figure 5, the basic control unit 502 includes an electrical quantity calculation unit 401, an average value calculation unit 402, a maximum value detection unit 403, a minimum value detection unit 404, a normalization unit 405, and a capacitor voltage command generation unit 406.

[0048] The electrical quantity calculation unit 401 accepts DC voltages Vdcp and Vdcn, positive arm currents Ipu, Ipv, and Ipw, and negative arm currents Inu, Inv, and Inw as inputs. The electrical quantity calculation unit 401 calculates the difference between DC voltage Vdcp and DC voltage Vdcn (i.e., Vdcp - Vdcn) as DC voltage Vdc. The electrical quantity calculation unit 401 uses the above-described formulas to calculate AC currents Iacu, Iacv, and Iacw, DC current Idc, and circulating currents Izu, Izv, and Izw.

[0049] The average value calculation unit 402 calculates the average value of the capacitor voltage Vc of each arm based on the capacitor voltage Vc of all converter cells 1 (for example, "6 × M" converter cells 1) included in the power converter 6. Specifically, for the U phase, the average value calculation unit 402 calculates the total voltage value VcpuS (for example, "Vcpu_1 + ... + Vcpu_M") of the capacitor voltage Vc of each converter cell 1 included in the positive arm 13pu, and calculates the average capacitor voltage Vcpua (for example, VcpuS / M) in the positive arm 13pu. The average value calculation unit 402 also calculates the total voltage value VcnuS (for example, "Vcnu_1 + ... + Vcnu_M") of the capacitor voltage Vc of each converter cell 1 included in the negative arm 13nu, and calculates the average capacitor voltage Vcnua (for example, VcnuS / M) in the negative arm 13nu.

[0050] Similarly, the average value calculation unit 402 calculates the average capacitor voltage Vcpva at the positive arm 13pv and the average capacitor voltage Vcnva at the negative arm 13nv for the V phase. For the W phase, the average value calculation unit 402 calculates the average capacitor voltage Vcpwa at the positive arm 13pw and the average capacitor voltage Vcnwa at the negative arm 13nw. Note that the average value calculation unit 402 may calculate the average capacitor voltage from the active power or reactive power output from the power converter 6, rather than from the actual detected capacitor voltage Vc.

[0051] The maximum value detection unit 403 detects the maximum value of the capacitor voltage Vc of each arm based on the capacitor voltage Vc of all converter cells 1 included in the power converter 6. Specifically, for the U phase, the maximum value detection unit 403 detects the maximum value of the capacitor voltage Vc of each converter cell 1 included in the positive arm 13pu (hereinafter referred to as "maximum capacitor voltage Vcpumax"). The maximum value detection unit 403 also detects the maximum value of the capacitor voltage Vc of each converter cell 1 included in the negative arm 13nu (hereinafter referred to as "maximum capacitor voltage Vcnumax"). Similarly, for the V phase, the maximum value detection unit 403 detects the maximum capacitor voltage Vcpvmax of the positive arm 13pv and the maximum capacitor voltage Vcnvmax of the negative arm 13nv. For the W phase, the maximum value detection unit 403 detects the maximum capacitor voltage Vcpwmax of the positive arm 13pw and the maximum capacitor voltage Vcnwmax of the negative arm 13nw.

[0052] The minimum value detection unit 404 detects the minimum capacitor voltage Vc of each arm based on the capacitor voltage Vc of all converter cells 1 included in the power converter 6. Specifically, for the U phase, the minimum value detection unit 404 detects the minimum capacitor voltage Vc of each converter cell 1 included in the positive arm 13pu (hereinafter referred to as "minimum capacitor voltage Vcpumin"). Similarly, the maximum value detection unit 403 detects the minimum capacitor voltage Vc of each converter cell 1 included in the negative arm 13nu (hereinafter referred to as "minimum capacitor voltage Vcnumin"). Likewise, for the V phase, the minimum value detection unit 404 detects the minimum capacitor voltage Vcpvmin of the positive arm 13pv and the minimum capacitor voltage Vcnvmin of the negative arm 13nv. For the W phase, the minimum value detection unit 404 detects the minimum capacitor voltage Vcpwmin of the positive arm 13pw and the minimum capacitor voltage Vcnwmin of the negative arm 13nw.

[0053] The normalization unit 405 outputs values ​​that have been normalized using the corresponding reference value (e.g., rated value) for each input calculated value and each detected value. Specifically, the normalization unit 405 outputs the normalized AC voltages Vacu_pu, Vacu_pu, and Vacu_pu (hereinafter also collectively referred to as "AC voltage Vac_pu") obtained by dividing the AC voltages Vacu, Vacu, and Vacuw by the rated value.

[0054] The normalization unit 405 outputs the value obtained by dividing the DC voltage Vdc by the rated value as the normalized DC voltage Vdc_pu. The normalization unit 405 outputs the values ​​obtained by dividing the AC currents Iacu, Iacv, and Iacw by the rated values ​​as the normalized AC currents Iacu_pu, Iacv_pu, and Iacw_pu (hereinafter also collectively referred to as "AC current Iac_pu"), respectively. The normalization unit 405 outputs the values ​​obtained by dividing the circulating currents Izu, Izv, and Izw by the rated values ​​as the normalized circulating currents Izu_pu, Izv_pu, and Izw_pu (hereinafter also collectively referred to as "circulating current Iz_pu"), respectively.

[0055] The normalization unit 405 outputs the normalized capacitor voltage values ​​Vcpua_pu, Vcpva_pu, Vcpwa_pu, Vcnua_pu, Vcnva, and Vcnwa, respectively, by dividing the average capacitor voltage values ​​Vcpua, Vcpva, Vcpwa_pu, Vcnua_pu, Vcnva_pu, and Vcnwa_pu (hereinafter also collectively referred to as "capacitor voltage value Vca_pu"). The normalization unit 405 also outputs the normalized capacitor voltage values ​​Vcpumax_pu and Vcnwmax_pu (hereinafter also collectively referred to as "capacitor voltage value Vcmax_pu"), respectively, by dividing the maximum capacitor voltage values ​​Vcpumax to Vcnwmax by the rated value. The normalization unit 405 outputs the values ​​obtained by dividing the minimum capacitor voltage values ​​Vcpumin to Vcnwmin by the rated value, as the normalized minimum capacitor voltage values ​​Vcpumin_pu to Vcnwmin_pu (hereinafter also collectively referred to as "average capacitor voltage value Vcmin_pu").

[0056] The capacitor voltage command generation unit 406 calculates the capacitor voltage command value Vcp* for the capacitor 32 of each converter cell 1 included in the positive arm 13p of each phase. The capacitor voltage command generation unit 406 also calculates the capacitor voltage command value Vcn* for the capacitor 32 of each converter cell 1 included in the negative arm 13n of each phase. For example, the capacitor voltage command value Vcp* for each phase is the average voltage value of the capacitor 32 of each converter cell 1 within the positive arm 13p of each phase. The capacitor voltage command value Vcn* for each phase is the average voltage value of the capacitor 32 of each converter cell 1 within the negative arm 13n of each phase.

[0057] Figure 6 shows other parts of the functional configuration of the basic control unit 502. Referring to Figure 6, the basic control unit 502 further includes a reverse-phase voltage compensation unit 412, a total capacitor voltage control unit 413, a DC control unit 414, an AC current control unit 415, a first circulating current command generation unit 417, a second circulating current command generation unit 419, a circulating current control unit 421, a zero-phase voltage command generation unit 423, a positive-negative balance voltage command generation unit 424, a voltage command generation unit 425, and a modulation command generation unit 427.

[0058] The reverse-phase voltage compensation unit 412 extracts a reference phase θ synchronized with the system voltage of AC system 2 from the AC voltages Vacu_pu, Vaccv_pu, and Vaccw_pu. When performing reverse-phase voltage compensation, the reverse-phase voltage compensation unit 412 extracts the reverse-phase component (i.e., reverse-phase voltage) of the system voltage based on the input of each AC voltage Vac_pu and outputs a reverse-phase current command value Inavr* to compensate for the reverse-phase voltage included in the AC voltage of AC system 2.

[0059] Specifically, the inverse-phase voltage compensation unit 412 uses the negative phase "-θ" of the reference phase θ to perform three-phase / two-phase conversion on the AC voltages Vsysu, Vsysv, and Vsysw to calculate the inverse-phase d-axis voltage Vdn and q-axis voltage Vqn. The inverse-phase voltage compensation unit 412 generates an inverse-phase voltage compensation current Idn1 by performing a control calculation to make the d-axis voltage Vdn track the inverse-phase d-axis voltage command value Vdn* (=0). The inverse-phase voltage compensation unit 412 generates an inverse-phase voltage compensation current Iqn1 by performing a control calculation to make the q-axis voltage Vqn track the inverse-phase q-axis voltage command value Vqn* (=0).

[0060] The inverse-sequence voltage compensation unit 412 performs a coordinate transformation of the inverse-sequence voltage compensation currents Idn1 and Iqn1 from the inverse-sequence dq axis to the positive-sequence dq axis by using a rotation coordinate transformation with twice the reference phase θ (i.e., 2θ). The inverse-sequence voltage compensation unit 412 generates the d-axis component Idnavr* and the q-axis component Iqnavr* of the inverse-sequence current command value Inavr* through this coordinate transformation.

[0061] The total capacitor voltage control unit 413 calculates the average value of the six capacitor voltage average values ​​Vca_pu (i.e., Vcpua_pu ~ Vcnwa_pu) and generates an AC current correction command value ΔIac* so that the average value follows the total capacitor voltage command value Vcall* (for example, so that the deviation between the average value and the total capacitor voltage command value Vcall* is 0). The total capacitor voltage command value Vcall* is a command value given for the average voltage of all capacitors included in the power converter 6. The total capacitor voltage control unit 413 may also generate a correction command value to correct the DC current command value Idc* instead of the AC current correction command value ΔIac*, or it may generate both the AC current correction command value and the AC current correction command value ΔIac*.

[0062] The DC control unit 414 performs DC current control to make the DC current Idc_pu follow the DC current command value Idc*. Typically, the DC control unit 414 generates a DC control command value Varmdc* such that the DC current Idc_pu follows the DC current command value Idc* (for example, so that the deviation between the DC current Idc_pu and the DC current command value Idc* is 0).

[0063] Alternatively, the DC control unit 414 may be configured to perform DC voltage control based on making the DC voltage Vdc follow the DC voltage command value Vdc*, and to perform DC current control when the DC current exceeds a predetermined upper limit. Typically, it generates a DC control command value Varmdc* to make the deviation between the DC voltage command value Vdc* and the DC voltage Vdc zero, and performs the above DC current control when the DC current exceeds the upper limit. The DC current command value Idc* and the DC voltage command value Vdc* are set in advance, for example, by the system operator. Note that the DC voltage command value Vdc* may be calculated based on the DC voltage Vdc_pu.

[0064] The AC current control unit 415 calculates a command value (for example, Iac* + ΔIac* + Inavr*) by correcting the AC current command value Iac* for each phase with the AC current correction command value ΔIac* and the reverse-phase current command value Inavr* for each phase. The AC current control unit 415 generates the AC control command value Varmac* for each phase by performing feedback control to make the deviation between this command value and the AC current Iac_pu zero, and by performing feedforward control of the AC voltage Vac_pu. Specifically, the AC control command values ​​Varmacu*, Varmacv*, and Varmacw* for the U, V, and W phases are generated. Note that a configuration in which feedforward control of the AC voltage Vac_pu for each phase is not performed is also possible.

[0065] The first circulating current command generation unit 417 generates a first circulating current command value Iz1* for controlling the voltage balance of the capacitor 32 between each arm 13. Specifically, the first circulating current command generation unit 417 generates the first circulating current command value Iz1* by performing inter-phase balance control to control the voltage balance of the capacitor between phases and positive-negative balance control to control the voltage balance of the capacitor between the positive arm 13p and the negative arm 13n (hereinafter also referred to as "between positive and negative arms").

[0066] In certain situations, the first circulating current command generation unit 417 performs feedback control for the U phase to make the representative voltage values ​​of each capacitor 32 included in the leg circuit 8u follow the inter-phase balance control command value. For example, the representative voltage value of each capacitor 32 included in the leg circuit 8u is the average voltage value of all capacitors included in the U phase. In this case, the representative voltage value is the average of the average capacitor voltage Vcpua_pu and the average capacitor voltage Vcnua_pu. Note that this representative voltage value may be the maximum value, minimum value, or "(maximum value + minimum value) / 2" of the voltage values ​​of all capacitors included in the U phase. Similar feedback control is performed for the V phase and W phase. Such feedback control corresponds to inter-phase balance control that makes the representative voltage values ​​of all capacitors included in a phase (e.g., the U phase) follow the command value.

[0067] In other phases, the first circulating current command generation unit 417 performs feedback control for the U phase to make the representative capacitor voltage value of the negative arm 13n follow the representative capacitor voltage value of the positive arm 13p. For example, for the U phase, the representative capacitor voltage value of the negative arm 13n is the average capacitor voltage value Vcnua_pu, and the representative capacitor voltage value of the positive arm 13p is the average capacitor voltage value Vcpua_pu. The representative capacitor voltage value of the negative arm 13n may be the maximum value (e.g., the maximum capacitor voltage value Vcnumax), the minimum value (e.g., the minimum capacitor voltage value Vcnumin), or "(maximum value + minimum value) / 2" among the voltage values ​​of all capacitors included in the negative arm 13n, and the representative capacitor voltage value of the positive arm 13p may be the maximum value (e.g., the maximum capacitor voltage value Vcpumax), the minimum value (e.g., the minimum capacitor voltage value Vcpumin), or "(maximum value + minimum value) / 2" among the voltage values ​​of all capacitors included in the positive arm 13p.

[0068] Furthermore, the first circulating current command generation unit 417 may perform feedback control to make the representative capacitor voltage value of the positive arm 13p follow the representative capacitor voltage value of the negative arm 13n. Similar control is performed for the V phase and W phase. Such feedback control corresponds to positive-negative balance control, which makes the representative voltage values ​​of all capacitors included in one arm (e.g., the negative arm) of a phase (e.g., the U phase) follow a command value (e.g., the representative capacitor voltage value of the positive arm). Positive-negative balance control can also be described as control that makes the difference between the representative capacitor voltage value of the positive arm 13p and the representative capacitor voltage value of the negative arm 13n zero.

[0069] The first circulating current command generation unit 417 generates the first circulating current command value Iz1* by adding the feedback calculation result from inter-phase balance control and the feedback calculation result from positive / negative balance control for each phase. Specifically, the circulating current command values ​​Iz1u*, Iz1v*, and Iz1w* for the U, V, and W phases are generated.

[0070] The second circulating current command generation unit 419 accepts inputs of DC current Idc_pu, AC current Iac_pu, average value of each capacitor voltage Vca_pu, maximum capacitor voltage Vcmax_pu, minimum capacitor voltage Vcmin_pu, DC control command value Varmdc*, AC control command value Varmac*, and each arm voltage command value Varm*. Based on these values, the second circulating current command generation unit 419 generates a second circulating current command value Iz2* having frequency components that are even multiples of the fundamental frequency of the AC system 2, in order to suppress voltage pulsation of the capacitor 32. In other words, the second circulating current command generation unit 419 generates the second circulating current command value Iz2* for each phase by controlling the suppression of voltage pulsation of the capacitor 32. Specifically, the second circulating current command values ​​Iz2u*, Iz2v*, and Iz2w* for the U, V, and W phases are generated.

[0071] The second circulating current command value Iz2* is a command value for suppressing (i.e., reducing) the voltage pulsation of capacitor 32. In the MMC, if the frequency of the AC voltage is taken as the fundamental frequency, the voltage pulsation of capacitor 32 includes frequency components of 1x and 2x the fundamental frequency. These frequency components are common within arm 13 and are based on the power flowing into arm 13.

[0072] Therefore, the voltage pulsation of the capacitor 32 can be reduced by reducing the pulsation of frequency components at one or two times the fundamental frequency of the power flowing into the arm 13. In this embodiment, a second circulating current command value Iz2* is calculated to reduce the one-times fundamental frequency component of the power flowing into the arm 13. The method for calculating the second circulating current command value Iz2* will be described later.

[0073] The circulating current control unit 421 performs circulating current control to make the circulating current Iz_pu circulating within the power converter 6 follow the circulating current command value Iz* based on the first circulating current command value Iz1* and the second circulating current command value Iz2* (for example, to make the deviation between the circulating current command value Iz* and the circulating current Iz_pu zero). By performing this circulating current control, the circulating current control unit 421 generates the circulating voltage command value Vz*. Specifically, the circulating voltage command values ​​Vzu*, Vzv*, and Vzw* for the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase are generated. Typically, the circulating current command value Iz* is the sum of the first circulating current command value Iz1* and the second circulating current command value Iz2*.

[0074] The zero-sequence voltage command generation unit 423 aligns the zero-crossings of the AC control command values ​​Varmac* for each phase, and then generates a zero-sequence voltage command value V0* having a frequency three times that of the AC control command value Varmac*.

[0075] The positive / negative balance voltage command generation unit 424 performs positive / negative balance control in a different manner than the first circulating current command generation unit 417. As a result, the positive / negative balance voltage command generation unit 424 generates AC voltage command values ​​Vapnu*, Vapnv*, and Vapnw* (hereinafter also collectively referred to as "AC voltage command value Vapn*") for the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase to control the voltage balance of the capacitor between the positive and negative arms. The calculation method for the AC voltage command value Vapn* will be described later.

[0076] The voltage command generation unit 425 generates arm voltage command values ​​Varm*, which are command values ​​for the output voltage of each arm, based on the DC control command value Varmdc*, the AC control command value Varmac*, the zero-sequence voltage command value V0*, the circulating voltage command value Vz*, and the AC voltage command value Vapn*. For example, the arm voltage command value Varmpu* for the positive arm 13pu of the U phase is expressed as "Varmdc*-Varmacu*+Vzu*+V0*-Vapnu*". The arm voltage command value Varmnu* for the negative arm 13nu of the U phase is expressed as "Varmdc*+Varmacu*+Vzu*+V0*+Vapnu*". The same applies to the arm voltage command values ​​Varmpv* for the positive arm 13pv of the V phase, Varmnv* for the negative arm 13nv, Varmpw* for the positive arm 13pw of the W phase, and Varmnw* for the negative arm 13nw.

[0077] The modulation command generation unit 427 generates modulation signals Karm* (e.g., Karmpu*, Karmnu*, Karmpv*, Karmnv*, Karmpw*, Karmnw*) for each arm voltage command value Varm*, which cause each of the multiple converter cells 1 in each arm 13 to output a voltage. The modulation signal Karm* is calculated, for example, by dividing the arm voltage command value Varm* of a certain arm 13 by the sum of the voltages of the capacitors 32 corresponding to that arm 13 and the number of converter cells 1. The actual voltage output from each arm 13 is close to the value obtained by multiplying the output voltage command value of each arm 13 by a reference value (e.g., rated value) and returning it to the voltage dimension.

[0078] <Actions taken when an imbalance accident is detected> When an unbalanced fault occurs in the AC system 2, the control device 5 performs various controls to stabilize the capacitor voltage in each converter cell 1 to prevent the power converter 6 from shutting down due to abnormal values ​​(e.g., overvoltage or undervoltage). This section describes the operation of the control device 5 (specifically, the basic control unit 502) when an unbalanced fault is detected.

[0079] Figure 7 shows the functional configuration related to the operation of the basic control unit 502 when an unbalanced fault is detected. Referring to Figure 7, the basic control unit 502 includes, as a functional configuration related to the detection of an unbalanced fault in the AC system 2, an unbalanced fault detection unit 461, a reverse-phase voltage compensation unit 412, an AC current control unit 415, a first circulating current command generation unit 417, a second circulating current command generation unit 419, and a circulating current control unit 421, as described in Figure 6.

[0080] (Detection method for unbalanced accidents) The unbalanced fault detection unit 461 detects unbalanced faults in the AC system 2 based on the electrical quantities (i.e., voltage and current) of the AC system 2. Specifically, the unbalanced fault detection unit 461 detects unbalanced faults using the unbalanced ratio Rm, which represents the ratio of the reverse-sequence voltage to the positive-sequence voltage of the AC system 2.

[0081] The unbalanced fault detection unit 461 uses the reference phase θ to perform a three-phase / two-phase conversion on the AC voltages Vsysu, Vsysv, and Vsysw to calculate the positive-sequence d-axis voltage Vd and q-axis voltage Vq. The unbalanced fault detection unit 461 uses the negative phase "-θ" of the reference phase θ to perform a three-phase / two-phase conversion on the AC voltages Vsysu, Vsysv, and Vsysw to calculate the negative-sequence d-axis voltage Vdn and q-axis voltage Vqn.

[0082] For example, the unbalanced fault detection unit 461 removes high-frequency components from the d-axis voltage Vd and q-axis voltage Vq using a moving average filter or the like, and calculates the sum of the squares of the removed d-axis voltage Vd and q-axis voltage Vq (i.e., (Vd 2 +Vq 2 ) 1 / 2 The sum of the squares of the removed d-axis voltage Vdn and q-axis voltage Vqn is calculated (i.e., (Vdn 2 +Vqn 2 ) 1 / 2The unbalance fault detection unit 461 calculates the sum of squares of the negative-sequence voltage amplitude Vmag_n and uses this sum as the negative-sequence voltage amplitude Vmag_n. The unbalance fault detection unit 461 calculates the ratio of the negative-sequence voltage amplitude Vmag_n to the positive-sequence voltage amplitude Vmag_p (i.e., Vmag_n / Vmag_p) as the unbalance ratio Rm.

[0083] In certain situations, the unbalance fault detection unit 461 detects an unbalance fault in the AC system 2 when the unbalance rate Rm becomes equal to or greater than the threshold Th1 (i.e., it determines that an unbalance fault has occurred).

[0084] In other scenarios, the unbalance fault detection unit 461 may detect an unbalance fault using the unbalance rate Rm and the surplus power stored in the power converter 6. The surplus power corresponds to the difference in power ΔP (=Pin-Pout) between the instantaneous power Pin flowing into the power converter 6 and the instantaneous power Pout flowing out of the power converter 6.

[0085] The instantaneous power Pin is expressed as "Pin = Vacu × Isysu + Vacuv × Isysv + Vacuw × Isysw" using the AC voltages Vacu to Vacuw of each phase and the measured AC currents Isysu to Isysw of each phase. The instantaneous power Pin may also be calculated using the secondary voltage of transformer 3. The instantaneous power Pout is expressed as "Pout = Vdc × (-Idc)" using the DC voltage Vdc (= Vdcp - Vdcn) and DC current Idc. For the DC current Idc, the direction of inflow from DC circuit 4 to power converter 6 is considered positive, and the direction of outflow from power converter 6 to DC circuit 4 is considered negative. In addition, the power loss Ploss of power converter 6 and transformer 3 may be estimated using the measured AC currents. In this case, the differential power ΔP is expressed as "ΔP = Pin - Pout - Ploss".

[0086] The unbalanced fault detection unit 461 detects an unbalanced fault in the AC system 2 when the unbalanced ratio Rm is greater than or equal to the threshold Th1 and the magnitude of the differential power ΔP is greater than or equal to the threshold Th2. Note that when the power converter 6 is started up, the capacitors in each converter cell 1 are initially charged, so a certain amount of differential power ΔP is generated. For this reason, the unbalanced fault detection unit 461 may be configured not to perform unbalanced fault detection using differential power ΔP when the power converter 6 is started up.

[0087] In other scenarios, the unbalanced fault detection unit 461 may detect an unbalanced fault using an unbalanced ratio Rm and a parameter indicating the voltage drop of the AC system 2. For example, the parameter indicating the voltage drop may be the drop in the positive-sequence voltage of the AC system 2. In this case, the unbalanced fault detection unit 461 may detect an unbalanced fault in the AC system 2 when the unbalanced ratio Rm is greater than or equal to the threshold Th1 and the positive-sequence voltage amplitude Vmag_p is less than the threshold Th3. Alternatively, the minimum effective value of each phase voltage may be used instead of the positive-sequence voltage.

[0088] The unbalanced fault detection unit 461 outputs an unbalanced fault detection signal Sa for the AC system 2. For example, a detection signal Sa with a value of "1" indicates that an unbalanced fault has been detected, and a detection signal Sa with a value of "0" indicates that no unbalanced fault has been detected.

[0089] (Voltage balance control method) In the above description, the first circulating current command generation unit 417 generates the first circulating current command value Iz1* by performing phase-to-phase balance control and positive-to-negative balance control as voltage balance control of the capacitor.

[0090] If an imbalance fault is detected (i.e., if a detection signal Sa with a value of "1" is input), the first circulating current command generation unit 417 performs processing to improve the responsiveness of the inter-phase balance control and positive / negative balance control.

[0091] Figure 8 shows an example configuration of the first circulating current command generation unit 417. Referring to Figure 8, the first circulating current command generation unit 417 includes, for each phase (e.g., U phase to W phase), an inter-phase balance control unit 600, a positive / negative balance control unit 610, and an adder 620. In the example in Figure 8, the inter-phase balance control unit 600 and the positive / negative balance control unit 610 are configured as PI controllers, but they may be configured as proportional controllers, PID controllers, or other controllers used for feedback control.

[0092] The inter-phase balance control unit 600 includes a subtractor 601, a proportionalizer 603, an integrator 605, and an adder 607. The subtractor 601 outputs the deviation ΔVpha (i.e., ΔVpha = Vpha* - Vphaf) between the inter-phase balance control command value Vpha* and the feedback value Vphaf. Typically, the feedback value Vphaf is set to the average value of the capacitor voltages of each capacitor 32 included in the leg circuit 8 of each phase (e.g., the average of Vcpua_pu and Vcnua_pu). In this case, the inter-phase balance control command value Vpha* is set to the average value of the six average capacitor voltages Vca_pu (i.e., Vcpua_pu ~ Vcnwa_pu).

[0093] The proportionalizer 603 outputs a multiplied value "Kp1 × ΔVpha" obtained by multiplying the deviation ΔVpha by the proportional gain Kp1. The integrator 605 outputs the value obtained by integrating the deviation ΔVpha over time. The integral gain Ki1 of the integrator 605 is expressed as "Ki1 = Kp1 / Ti1" using the proportional gain Kp1 and the integral time Ti1. The adder 607 outputs the sum of the output values ​​of the proportionalizer 603 and the integrator 605.

[0094] When the inter-phase balance control unit 600 receives a detection signal Sa of value "1" (i.e., when an unbalance fault is detected), it performs a process to increase the control gains of the inter-phase balance control (e.g., proportional gain Kp1 and integral gain Ki1) compared to normal conditions (i.e., when no unbalance fault is detected) in order to improve the responsiveness of the inter-phase balance control. When the inter-phase balance control unit 600 receives a detection signal Sa of value "0" (i.e., when no unbalance fault is detected), it sets the proportional gain Kp1 and integral gain Ki1 to their normal values.

[0095] Furthermore, the inter-phase balance control unit 600 may perform a process to relax the limit on the output value of the integrator 605 as a process to improve the responsiveness of the inter-phase balance control. Specifically, the inter-phase balance control unit 600 may perform a process to increase the upper limit value of the integrator 605 (for example, by setting it to +∞) and decrease the lower limit value (for example, by setting it to -∞). If the adder 607 is provided with upper and lower limiting plates, a process to increase the upper limit value and decrease the lower limit value may be performed as a process to improve the responsiveness of the inter-phase balance control.

[0096] The positive / negative balance control unit 610 includes a subtractor 611, a proportionalizer 613, an integrator 615, and an adder 617. The subtractor 611 outputs the deviation ΔVpn (i.e., ΔVpn = Vpn* - Vpnf) between the positive / negative balance control command value Vpn* and the feedback value Vpnf. Typically, the feedback value Vpnf is set to the average value of the capacitor voltages of the negative arm 13n of each phase (e.g., U phase) (e.g., Vcnua_pu). In this case, the positive / negative balance control command value Vpn* is set to the average value of the capacitor voltages of the positive arm 13p of each phase (e.g., U phase) (e.g., Vcpua_pu).

[0097] The proportionalizer 613 outputs a multiplied value "Kp2 × ΔVph" obtained by multiplying the deviation ΔVpn by the proportional gain Kp2. The integrator 615 outputs the value obtained by integrating the deviation ΔVpn over time. The integral gain Ki2 of the integrator 615 is expressed as "Ki2 = Kp2 / Ti2" using the proportional gain Kp2 and the integral time Ti2. The adder 617 outputs the sum of the output values ​​of the proportionalizer 613 and the integrator 615.

[0098] When the positive / negative balance control unit 610 receives a detection signal Sa of value "1", it performs a process to increase the control gains of the positive / negative balance control (for example, proportional gain Kp2 and integral gain Ki2) compared to normal, as a process to improve the responsiveness of the positive / negative balance control. When the positive / negative balance control unit 610 receives a detection signal Sa of value "0", it sets the proportional gain Kp2 and integral gain Ki2 to normal values. The positive / negative balance control unit 610 may also perform a process to increase the upper limit value and decrease the lower limit value of the integrator 615 as a process to improve the responsiveness of the positive / negative balance control. If the adder 617 is provided with upper and lower limiting gates, the process to increase the upper limit value and decrease the lower limit value may be performed as a process to improve the responsiveness of the positive / negative balance control.

[0099] As described above, when an unbalanced fault is detected, the proportional gain Kp2 and integral gain Ki2 increase compared to normal conditions, and the output limit of the integrator 615 is relaxed, thus improving the responsiveness of the positive-negative balance control. This allows the capacitor voltage between the positive and negative arms to be balanced more quickly.

[0100] The adder 620 outputs a first circulating current command value Iz1*, which is the sum of the output value of the adder 607 of the phase balance control unit 600 and the output value of the adder 617 of the positive / negative balance control unit 610. As described above, when an unbalanced fault is detected, a first circulating current command value Iz1* is generated to balance the capacitor voltages between the phase arms and between the positive and negative arms at a faster rate. If the adder 620 is provided with limiters to restrict the upper and lower limits of its output value, the upper limit value may be increased and the lower limit value may be decreased as a process to improve the responsiveness of the phase balance control and positive / negative balance control.

[0101] (Voltage pulsation control method) Next, we will explain the voltage pulsation control method. Specifically, we will explain the method for calculating the second circulating current command value Iz2*, which is used to reduce the voltage pulsation of capacitor 32.

[0102] Figure 9 shows an example of the functional configuration of the second circulating current command generation unit 419. The second circulating current command generation unit 419 includes an amplitude control unit 452, a phase adjustment unit 454, and a generation unit 456.

[0103] The amplitude control unit 452 receives inputs of six arm voltage command values ​​Varm*, six capacitor voltage average values ​​Vca_pu, capacitor voltage maximum value Vcmax_pu, capacitor voltage minimum value Vcmin_pu, and a detection signal Sa. Based on each input value, the amplitude control unit 452 generates the amplitude Iz2amp of the second circulating current command value Iz2*. If an unbalanced fault is detected (i.e., if a detection signal Sa with a value of "1" is input), the amplitude control unit 452 performs processing to improve the control responsiveness of the amplitude Iz2amp. Details of the amplitude control unit 452 will be described later.

[0104] The phase adjustment unit 454 adjusts the phase θ2 of the second circulating current command value Iz2* so that the fundamental frequency component of the voltage across the capacitor 32 becomes smaller. Specifically, the phase adjustment unit 454 accepts inputs of the AC control command value Varmac*, which is the AC component of the arm voltage command value, the DC control command value Varmdc*, which is its DC component, the AC current Iac_pu, and the DC current Idc_pu.

[0105] The phase adjustment unit 454 calculates the phase θ2 of the second circulating current command value Iz2* using the received parameters, the inductance value Larm of the reactor, the angular frequency ω of the AC voltage of the AC system 2, and a predetermined known calculation formula. The AC current Iac_pu and DC current Idc_pu may be predetermined command values, and the angular frequency ω may be an angular frequency obtained from a phase-locked loop (PLL) or the like, or it may be a rated value.

[0106] The generation unit 456 generates the second circulating current command value Iz2* for each phase based on the amplitude Iz2amp output from the amplitude control unit 452 and the phase θ2 output from the phase adjustment unit 454. Specifically, the second circulating current command value Iz2* is expressed as “Iz2* = Iz2amp × sin(2ωt + θ2)”.

[0107] Figure 10 shows a specific configuration example of the amplitude control unit 452. Referring to Figure 10, the amplitude control unit 452 includes an arithmetic unit 471, a minimum value detection unit 472, subtractors 473, 474, 475, a minimum value detection unit 476, a filter unit 477, a polarity inversion unit 478, and an amplitude adjustment unit 480. The amplitude adjustment unit 480 includes an integrator 482 and a limiter 484.

[0108] The arithmetic unit 471 calculates the deviation for each arm 13 between the average value of the voltages of each capacitor 32 included in that arm (i.e., the average capacitor voltage Vca_pu) and the value obtained by dividing the arm voltage command value Varm* by the number M (i.e., the number of converter cells 1 included in arm 13). The value obtained by dividing the arm voltage command value by the number M corresponds to the command value of the output voltage of each of the multiple converter cells 1 included in arm 13.

[0109] For example, the arithmetic unit 471 calculates the deviation σpu (=Vcpua_pu - Varmpu* / M) between the average capacitor voltage Vcpua_pu and 1 / M times the arm voltage command value Varmpu* (i.e., Varmpu* / M) for the positive arm 13pu. Using a similar calculation method, the deviations σpv, σpw, σnu, σnv, and σnw are calculated for the positive arms 13pv, 13pw and the negative arms 13nu, 13nv, 13nw, respectively.

[0110] These deviations σpu~σnw are collectively referred to as deviation σs. In this case, deviation σs indicates the upper control margin, which shows how much margin there is in the average value of the output voltages of the multiple capacitors 32 included in arm 13 with respect to the value obtained by dividing the arm voltage command value of arm 13 by the number M (i.e., the output voltage command value of each converter cell 1).

[0111] The minimum value detection unit 472 detects the minimum value σmin1 among the deviations σs. The subtractor 473 calculates the deviation σvH (=VcHlim-Vcmax_pu) between the upper limit voltage value VcHlim of the capacitor 32 and the maximum capacitor voltage value Vcmax_pu. The deviation σvH indicates the maximum control margin of the capacitor voltage. The subtractor 474 calculates the deviation σvL (=Vcmin_pu-VcLlim) between the lower limit voltage value VcLlim of the capacitor 32 and the minimum capacitor voltage value Vcmin_pu. The deviation σvL indicates the minimum control margin of the capacitor voltage. The upper limit voltage value VcHlim is determined, for example, from the voltage that can be applied to the capacitor, the rated voltage of the semiconductor element, etc. The lower limit voltage value VcLlim is determined from the lower limit of the capacitor voltage at which the power converter 6 can operate steadily.

[0112] The subtractor 475 calculates the deviation σcL (=σmin1-σLlim) between the minimum value σmin1 and the lower limit of the control margin σLlim. The deviation σcL is the minimum value of the upper control margin. The lower limit of the control margin σLlim is set to 0 or a very small positive value.

[0113] As the capacitor voltage pulsation decreases, the deviations σcL, σvH, and σvL increase. By increasing the amplitude Iz2amp, the deviations σcL, σvH, and σvL can be increased. When the deviations σcL, σvH, and σvL become negative values, the amplitude Iz2amp is increased, and when they become positive values, the amplitude Iz2amp is decreased, thereby making the control margin greater than or equal to zero with the smallest possible second circulating current command value Iz2*.

[0114] The minimum value detection unit 476 detects the minimum value σmin2 among the deviations σcL, σvH, and σvL. The minimum value σmin2 is input to the filter unit 477. The minimum value σmin2 is the smallest control margin when all of the deviations σcL, σvH, and σvL are considered.

[0115] The filter unit 477 receives the minimum value σmin2 as an input value, filters this input value, and outputs an output value. Since this input value is the minimum control margin of the output voltage of each arm 13, it has instantaneous pulsations. It is necessary to calculate the second circulating current command value Iz2* based on this minimum value over a certain time period (for example, one cycle of the voltage of the AC system 2). Therefore, the filter unit 477 has a function to detect this minimum value.

[0116] In certain situations, the filter unit 477 has the detection function, and if the input value input to the filter unit 477 in the current control cycle (hereinafter also referred to as "the current input value") is less than the output value output from the filter unit 477 in the previous control cycle (hereinafter also referred to as "the previous output value"), it outputs the same value as the current input value as the current output value (i.e., the output value output from the filter unit 477 in the current control cycle). If the current input value is greater than or equal to the previous output value, the filter unit 477 outputs a value that is less than or equal to the current input value and greater than or equal to the previous output value as the current output value. In this case, for example, the filter unit 477 gradually increases the output value.

[0117] The polarity inversion unit 478 outputs a value with the polarity of the output value of the filter unit 477 reversed (i.e., the output value multiplied by "-1"). The amplitude adjustment unit 480 adjusts the amplitude Iz2amp of the second circulating current command value Iz2* based on the output value of the filter unit 477. Specifically, the amplitude adjustment unit 480 includes an integrator 482 and a limiter 484.

[0118] The integrator 482 receives an input from the polarity inversion unit 478, which is the polarity inverted value of the output value of the filter unit 477, and outputs a value obtained by integrating that value over time. The integral gain Ki3 of the integrator 482 is expressed as "Ki3 = Kp3 / Ti3" using the proportional gain Kp3 and the integral time Ti3.

[0119] The limiter 484 outputs the amplitude Iz2amp of the second circulating current command value Iz2*, which is a value obtained by limiting the output value of the integrator 482 using specified limit values ​​(e.g., upper limit value and lower limit value). Specifically, it outputs the amplitude Iz2amp as a value obtained by limiting the output value of the integrator 482 to be greater than or equal to the lower limit value and less than or equal to the upper limit value. For example, the lower limit value is set to 0, and the upper limit value is set to Iz2max. That is, the amplitude Iz2amp is limited to 0 or more and less than or equal to Iz2max.

[0120] If the lower limit of the amplitude Iz2amp is not restricted to 0, when the deviations σcL, σvH, and σvL are large, a circulating current flows according to the second circulating current command value Iz2*, which has a negative amplitude Iz2amp, so that the minimum value of any of these deviations becomes 0. This increases the voltage pulsation of capacitor 32. In this case, power loss increases, and the voltage pulsation of capacitor 32 becomes unnecessarily large. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the amplitude Iz2amp from becoming negative using the limiter 484.

[0121] When an unbalanced fault is detected, the amplitude adjustment unit 480 increases the integral gain Ki3 compared to normal conditions as a process to improve the responsiveness of the amplitude control of the second circulating current command value Iz2*. However, when the amplitude adjustment unit 480 receives a detection signal Sa of value "0" (i.e., when no unbalanced fault is detected), it sets the integral gain Ki3 to its normal value. Furthermore, the amplitude adjustment unit 480 may also perform a process to relax the limit on the output value of the integrator 482 as a process to improve the responsiveness of the amplitude control. Specifically, the amplitude adjustment unit 480 may increase the upper limit value Iz2max.

[0122] As a result, when an unbalanced fault is detected, the integral gain Ki3 increases compared to normal conditions, and the output limit of the integrator 482 is relaxed, thus improving the responsiveness of the amplitude control of the second circulating current command value Iz2*. Therefore, the suppression control of voltage pulsation of the capacitor voltage can be performed more quickly.

[0123] The amplitude control unit 452 may be configured to calculate the amplitude Iz2amp using one or two of the deviations σcL, σvH, and σvL. Specifically, the amplitude control unit 452 may calculate a control margin based on one or more representative values ​​of the voltage of each capacitor 32 and one or more representative command values ​​corresponding to each of the one or more representative values, and control the amplitude Iz2amp based on at least one control margin. In one example, the representative value is the minimum value σmin1 among the deviations σpu~σnw. The representative command value corresponding to this representative value is the lower limit of the control margin σLlim.

[0124] (Control method for circulating current) Figure 11 shows an example configuration of the circulating current control unit 421. Referring to Figure 11, the circulating current control unit 421 includes, for each phase (e.g., U phase to W phase), an adder 641, a subtractor 651, a proportional controller 653, an integrator 655, and an adder 657. In the example in Figure 11, the circulating current control unit 421 is configured as a PI controller, but it may be configured as a proportional controller, a PID controller, or other controller used for feedback control.

[0125] The adder 641 outputs a circulating current command value Iz*, which is the sum of the first circulating current command value Iz1* and the second circulating current command value Iz2*. The subtractor 651 outputs the deviation ΔIz (i.e., ΔIz = Iz* - Iz_pu) between the circulating current command value Iz* and the circulating current Iz_pu as a feedback value.

[0126] The proportionalizer 653 outputs the multiplied value "Kp4 × ΔIz", which is the deviation ΔIz multiplied by the proportional gain Kp4. The integrator 655 outputs the value obtained by integrating the deviation ΔIz over time. The integral gain Ki4 of the integrator 655 is expressed as "Ki4 = Kp4 / Ti4", using the proportional gain Kp4 and the integral time Ti4. The adder 657 outputs the circulating voltage command value Vz*, which is the sum of the output values ​​of the proportionalizer 653 and the integrator 655.

[0127] When the circulating current control unit 421 receives a detection signal Sa of value "1" (i.e., when an unbalanced fault is detected), it performs a process to increase the control gains of the circulating current control (e.g., proportional gain Kp4 and integral gain Ki4) compared to normal conditions, as a process to improve the responsiveness of the circulating current control. On the other hand, when the circulating current control unit 421 receives a detection signal Sa of value "0", it sets the proportional gain Kp4 and integral gain Ki4 to their normal values.

[0128] Furthermore, the circulating current control unit 421 may perform a process to increase the upper limit value of the integrator 655 (for example, by setting it to +∞) and decrease the lower limit value (for example, by setting it to -∞) as a process to improve the responsiveness of the circulating current control. Also, if the adder 657 is provided with upper and lower limiting plates, a process to increase the upper limit value and decrease the lower limit value may be performed as a process to improve the responsiveness of the circulating current control.

[0129] As described above, when an unbalanced fault is detected, the proportional gain Kp4 and integral gain Ki4 increase compared to normal conditions, and the output limit of the integrator 655 is relaxed, thus improving the responsiveness of the circulating current control. This allows the capacitor voltages between phase arms and between positive and negative arms to be balanced more quickly.

[0130] (Voltage balance control method between positive and negative arms) Next, the positive-negative balance control method executed by the positive-negative balance voltage command generation unit 424 will be described. Specifically, the method for calculating the AC voltage command value Vapn* for controlling the voltage balance of the capacitors between the positive and negative arms will be described.

[0131] Figure 12 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the positive / negative balanced voltage command generation unit. Referring to Figure 12, the positive / negative balanced voltage command generation unit 424 includes subtractors 711 to 713, constant multipliers 714 to 716, filters 721 to 723, adder 765, constant multiplier 770, subtractors 771 to 773, and controllers 781 to 783.

[0132] The subtractor 711 subtracts the average capacitor voltage Vcnua_pu of the negative arm 13nu from the average capacitor voltage Vcpua_pu of the positive arm 13pu. The constant multiplier 714 multiplies this subtracted value by 1 / 2. The value equivalent to the average capacitor voltage of each arm 13 contains frequency oscillations that are the same as the system frequency and frequency oscillations that are twice the system frequency (hereinafter also collectively referred to as "frequency oscillation components"). The filter 721 removes these frequency oscillation components from the multiplication result of the constant multiplier 714.

[0133] Similarly, subtractor 712 subtracts the average capacitor voltage Vcnva_pu of the negative arm 13nv from the average capacitor voltage Vcpva_pu of the positive arm 13pv. Constant multiplier 715 multiplies this subtracted value by 1 / 2. Filter 722 removes frequency oscillation components from the result of the constant multiplier 715. Subtractor 713 subtracts the average capacitor voltage Vcnwa_pu of the negative arm 13nw from the average capacitor voltage Vcpwa_pu of the positive arm 13pw. Constant multiplier 716 multiplies this subtracted value by 1 / 2. Filter 723 removes frequency oscillation components from the result of the constant multiplier 716.

[0134] For the filters 721-723 described above, for example, a moving average filter with the same frequency as the system frequency may be used, or a notch filter with the same frequency as the system frequency and a notch filter with twice the frequency may be used.

[0135] The adder 765 adds the values ​​that have passed through filters 721 to 723. The constant multiplier 770 multiplies the sum of the adder 765 by 1 / 3. This gives the neutral point voltage V0x. The subtractor 771 outputs a subtracted value Vxu, which is obtained by subtracting the neutral point voltage V0x from the value that has passed through filter 721. The controller 781 generates the AC voltage command value Vapnu* for the positive / negative balance of the U phase by performing a feedback operation to make the subtracted value Vxu zero.

[0136] Similarly, subtractor 772 outputs a subtracted value Vxv obtained by subtracting the neutral point voltage V0x from the value that has passed through filter 722. Controller 782 generates an AC voltage command value Vapnv* for the positive / negative balance of the V phase by performing a feedback operation to make the subtracted value Vxv zero. Subtractor 773 outputs a subtracted value Vxw obtained by subtracting the neutral point voltage V0x from the value that has passed through filter 723. Controller 783 generates an AC voltage command value Vapnw* for the positive / negative balance of the W phase by performing a feedback operation to make the subtracted value Vxw zero. The generated AC voltage command values ​​Vapn* for each phase are output to the voltage command generation unit 425.

[0137] Next, we will explain the specific configuration of controllers 781 to 783 (hereinafter also collectively referred to as "controller 780"). The subtraction values ​​Vxu to Vxw for each phase are also collectively referred to as "subtraction value Vx".

[0138] Figure 13 shows an example configuration of a controller 780 provided in the positive / negative balance voltage command generation unit. Referring to Figure 13, each phase controller 780 includes a proportional controller 753, an integrator 755, and an adder 757. In the example in Figure 13, the controller 780 is configured as a PI controller, but it may be configured as a proportional controller, a PID controller, or other controller used for feedback control.

[0139] The proportionalizer 753 outputs the multiplied value "Kp5 × Vx", which is the subtracted value Vx multiplied by the proportional gain Kp5. The integrator 755 outputs the value obtained by integrating the subtracted value Vx over time. The integral gain Ki5 of the integrator 755 is expressed as "Ki5 = Kp5 / Ti5", using the proportional gain Kp5 and the integral time Ti5. The adder 757 outputs the AC voltage command value Vapn*, which is the sum of the output values ​​of the proportionalizer 753 and the integrator 755.

[0140] When controller 780 receives a detection signal Sa of value "1" (i.e., when an unbalanced fault is detected), it performs a process to increase the control gains of the positive and negative balance control (e.g., proportional gain Kp5 and integral gain Ki5) compared to normal, as a process to improve the responsiveness of the positive and negative balance control. On the other hand, when controller 780 receives a detection signal Sa of value "0", it sets the proportional gain Kp5 and integral gain Ki5 to their normal values.

[0141] Furthermore, the controller 780 may perform a process to improve the responsiveness of the positive-negative balance control by increasing the upper limit value of the integrator 755 (for example, setting it to +∞) and decreasing the lower limit value (for example, setting it to -∞). If the adder 757 is provided with upper and lower limiting plates, the controller may perform a process to improve the responsiveness of the positive-negative balance control by increasing the upper limit value and decreasing the lower limit value.

[0142] As described above, when an unbalanced fault is detected, the proportional gain Kp5 and integral gain Ki5 increase compared to normal conditions, and the output limit of the integrator 755 is relaxed, thus improving the responsiveness of the positive-negative balance control. This allows the capacitor voltage between the positive and negative arms to be balanced more quickly.

[0143] (Suppression of AC current output) Referring again to Figure 7, when the AC current control unit 415 receives a detection signal Sa of value "1" (i.e., when an unbalanced fault is detected), it performs a process to reduce the magnitude of the AC current Iac flowing between the AC system 2 and the power converter 6 (hereinafter also referred to as "output suppression process").

[0144] Specifically, the AC current command value Iac* input to the AC current control unit 415 is limited to an appropriate range based on the AC current limit value Imax (i.e., lower limit: -Imax, upper limit: +Imax). In other words, if the AC current command value Iac* deviates from the appropriate range based on the AC current limit value Imax, the AC current command value Iac* is limited to either the lower limit (-Imax) or the upper limit (+Imax).

[0145] When an unbalanced fault is detected, the AC current control unit 415 reduces the AC current limit value Imax. In this case, the appropriate range based on the AC current limit value Imax becomes smaller, and therefore the AC current command value Iac* also becomes smaller. The AC current control unit 415 controls the system so that the output AC current Iac follows the command value obtained by correcting this AC current command value Iac*. Consequently, the AC current Iac output from the power converter 6 becomes smaller.

[0146] As another example, if an unbalanced fault is detected, the AC current control unit 415 may reduce the AC current Iac output from the power converter 6 by reducing the limit value of at least one of the d-axis component and q-axis component of the AC current command value Iac*.

[0147] Furthermore, when the AC current control unit 415 receives a detection signal Sa of value "0" (i.e., when no unbalanced fault is detected), it sets the AC current limit value Imax to its normal value.

[0148] According to the output suppression process described above, the output of the power converter 6 can be suppressed in the event of an unbalanced fault, thereby preventing protective shutdown of the power converter 6 (for example, shutdown for overcurrent protection).

[0149] (Control method for reverse-phase voltage compensation) Referring to Figure 7, the reverse-sequence voltage compensation unit 412 outputs a reverse-sequence current command value Inavr* when reverse-sequence voltage compensation is performed. Here, the time when reverse-sequence voltage compensation is performed is when no unbalanced fault is detected. Reverse-sequence voltage compensation is performed to improve the quality of the power system in steady state (for example, improving the steady-state voltage unbalance rate), and in the event of a system fault, it is desirable to prioritize the stable operation and continued operation of the power converter 6 itself.

[0150] Specifically, the reverse-phase voltage compensation unit 412 stops reverse-phase voltage compensation when it receives a detection signal Sa with a value of "1" (i.e., when an unbalanced fault is detected). For example, the reverse-phase voltage compensation unit 412 does not output a reverse-phase current command value Inavr*, or outputs zero as the reverse-phase current command value Inavr*. On the other hand, the reverse-phase voltage compensation unit 412 performs reverse-phase voltage compensation (i.e., outputs a reverse-phase current command value Inavr*) when it receives a detection signal Sa with a value of "0" (i.e., when an unbalanced fault is not detected).

[0151] With the above configuration, reverse-phase voltage compensation can be enabled during steady-state operation and disabled during unbalanced faults, thereby stabilizing the system voltage while preventing inter-phase unbalance in capacitor voltages. Furthermore, by disabling reverse-phase voltage compensation, the control margin can be allocated to the aforementioned inter-phase balance control, positive / negative balance control, and voltage pulsation suppression control.

[0152] (summary) As described above, when the control device 5 (specifically, the basic control unit 502) detects an unbalanced fault, it performs a process to improve the responsiveness of the capacitor voltage control. The capacitor voltage control includes at least one of the following: capacitor voltage balance control (specifically, inter-phase balance control, positive-negative balance control) and capacitor voltage pulsation suppression control. Furthermore, when the control device 5 detects an unbalanced fault, it performs a process to speed up the responsiveness of the circulating current control, an output suppression process, and a process to stop the reverse-phase voltage compensation.

[0153] When an unbalanced fault is detected, the control device 5 may perform at least one of the above-mentioned processes (for example, inter-phase balance control, positive / negative balance control, voltage pulsation suppression control, and accelerating the response of circulating current control, output suppression processing, and stopping reverse-phase voltage compensation processing), or it may be configured to perform the above processes in accordance with a predetermined priority order.

[0154] Furthermore, if the control device 5 continues to detect an unbalanced fault after a specified time has elapsed since executing the aforementioned processes, it outputs a gate block command to each converter cell 1 to gate block the switching elements 31 of all converter cells 1 included in the power converter 6. If the unbalanced fault is no longer detected, the control device 5 outputs a deblock command to each converter cell 1 to transition the switching elements 31 of all converter cells 1 in the power converter 6 from the gate block state to the deblock state.

[0155] <Advantages> According to this embodiment, in the event of an unbalanced fault in the AC system 2, the operation of the power converter 100 can be continued by appropriately controlling the voltage of the capacitor 32 in the converter cell 1.

[0156] Other embodiments. The configurations illustrated above as embodiments are examples of the configurations of this disclosure, and can be combined with other known technologies, or modified, such as by omitting parts, without departing from the gist of this disclosure. Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, processes and configurations described in other embodiments may be appropriately adopted and implemented.

[0157] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of this disclosure is indicated by the claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims are intended to be included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0158] 1 Converter cell, 2 AC system, 3 Transformer, 4 DC circuit, 5 Control device, 6 Power converter, 7a, 7b Reactor, 8u~8w Leg circuit, 9a, 9b Arm current detector, 10 AC voltage detector, 11a, 11b DC voltage detector, 13nu~13nw Negative arm, 13pu~13pw Positive arm, 15 AC current detector, 31n, 31p Switching element, 32 Capacitor, 33 Voltage detector, 70 Input converter, 71 Sample-and-hold circuit, 72 Multiplexer, 73 A / D converter, 75 RAM, 76 ROM, 77 Input / Output interface, 78 Auxiliary storage device, 79 Bus, 100 Power converter, 401 Electrical quantity calculation unit, 402 Average value calculation unit, 403 Maximum value detection unit, 404, 472, 476 Minimum value detection unit, 405 Normalization section, 406 Capacitor voltage command generation section, 412 Reverse phase voltage compensation section, 413 Total capacitor voltage control section, 414 DC control section, 415 AC current control section, 417 First circulating current command generation section, 419 Second circulating current command generation section, 421 Circulating current control section, 423 Zero phase voltage command generation section, 425 Voltage command generation section, 427 Modulation command generation section, 452 Amplitude control section, 454 Phase adjustment section, 456 Generation section, 461 Unbalanced fault detection section, 477 Filter section, 478 Polarity reversal section, 480 Amplitude adjustment section, 482, 605, 615, 655 Integrator, 484 Limiter, 502 Basic control section, 503 Arm control section, 600 Inter-phase balance control section, 610 Positive / negative balance control section.

Claims

1. A power converter connected to an AC power grid, A power converter including multiple arms for each phase of the aforementioned AC system, The system includes a control device for controlling the power converter, Each of the aforementioned multiple arms has multiple transducer cells that are cascaded together, Each of the plurality of converter cells has a plurality of switching elements and an energy storage element connected to the plurality of switching elements. The control device is Based on the amount of electricity in the AC system, an unbalanced fault in the AC system is detected. When the aforementioned unbalanced fault is detected, a process is executed to improve the responsiveness of the control of the voltage of the energy storage element. The control of the voltage of the energy storage element includes voltage balance control of the energy storage element and voltage pulsation suppression control of the energy storage element. The control device is A first circulating current command value is generated by controlling the voltage balance of the energy storage element. A second circulating current command value is generated by controlling the suppression of voltage pulsation in the energy storage element. Circulation current control is performed to cause the circulating current circulating within the power converter to follow the circulating current command value based on the first circulating current command value and the second circulating current command value. A power converter that, upon detecting the aforementioned imbalance fault, performs a process to improve the responsiveness of the circulating current control.

2. The control device is As voltage balance control of the energy storage elements, inter-phase balance control is performed to control the voltage balance of the energy storage elements between phases by making the representative voltage value of each energy storage element included in the phase follow a first command value. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein when the aforementioned unbalanced fault is detected, a first process is performed to improve the responsiveness of the inter-phase balance control.

3. The power converter according to claim 2, wherein the first process includes a process to increase the control gain of the interphase balance control.

4. The plurality of arms consist of a positive arm and a negative arm, The control device is As voltage balance control of the energy storage element, positive and negative balance control is performed to control the voltage balance of the energy storage element between the positive arm and the negative arm. The power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the aforementioned unbalanced fault is detected, a second process is performed to improve the responsiveness of the positive and negative balance control.

5. The power converter according to claim 4, wherein the second process includes a process to increase the control gain of the positive-negative balance control.

6. The control device is To suppress voltage pulsation in the energy storage element, a second circulating current command value having a frequency component that is an even multiple of the fundamental frequency of the AC system is generated. The power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the aforementioned unbalanced fault is detected, a third process is performed to improve the responsiveness of the amplitude control of the second circulating current command value.

7. The power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control device reduces the magnitude of the alternating current flowing between the AC system and the power converter when it detects the imbalance fault.

8. The control device is When performing reverse-sequence voltage compensation, a reverse-sequence current command value is generated to compensate for the reverse-sequence component included in the AC voltage of the AC system. The power conversion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reverse-phase voltage compensation is stopped when the aforementioned unbalanced fault is detected.

9. The power conversion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control device detects the unbalance fault when the unbalance ratio, which indicates the ratio of the reverse-sequence voltage to the positive-sequence voltage of the AC system, exceeds a threshold.

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