Application of a modular multilevel cascade converter (MMCC‐SDBC) to a STATCOM. Control of active power and negative‐sequence reactive power

This paper presents the application of a modular multilevel cascade converter based on single‐delta bridge‐cells (MMCC‐SDBC) to a STATic synchronous COMpensator (STATCOM), particularly for negative‐sequence reactive‐power control. The SDBC is characterized by cascade connection of multiple single‐phase H‐bridge (or full‐bridge) converter cells per leg, which facilitates flexible circuit design, low voltage steps, and low electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions. However, there is no published report on such a STATCOM with experimental verification or a control strategy. This paper designs, constructs, and tests a 100‐V 5‐kVA PWM STATCOM based on the SDBC with focus on the operating principle and performance. Experimental results confirm that this converter can control not only the positive‐sequence reactive power but also the negative‐sequence reactive power and low‐frequency active power intended for the flicker compensation of arc furnaces. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 183(4): 33–44, 2013; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.22365