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Power electronics and energy storage technologies for cost- and energy efficient power systems

The objective of this project has been to gain new knowledge and to establish new laboratory facilities for future R&D projects on the design and use of power electronic converters in power systems.

Contact person

SINTEF has through this project gained the required expertise, competence and laboratory facilities for design of dedicated grid connected converters, and for optimization of hybrid power systems like renewable energy sources in combination with electric energy storage technology and power electronic converters.

New skills and experience

  • Design of power circuit and control electronics for grid-connected converters
  • Control methods for grid connected converters
  • Technologies for energy storage
  • Fuel cells powered systems
  • Interaction and power quality aspects of grid connected converters
  • Numerical simulations including development of new models
  • Experience from designing and testing of converter prototyp

 

Project facts 

Objectives and accomplishment

The following principal objective and sub goals were defined in the original project application to the Research Council.

Principal objective:
To gain the required expertise and competence for optimization of hybrid power systems comprising renewable energy sources in combination with prospective storage technology for electric power and power electronic converters.

Technology developed in the programme will be demonstrated through the following pilot installations:

  • Small power system (20 kW), applicable for drive systems, consisting of converter, electrical motor, fuel cell and battery or electrochemical capacitor
  • A multi-MW converter adaptable for ship propulsion, large windmills and power system integration.

Sub goals

  1. Clarify characteristics of candidates of high power semiconductor devices, primarely IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) in various applications -Development of gate drivers - Parallel/series coupling - Cooling characteristics - Cost topics.
  2. Develop control and regulation methods for VSCs (Voltage Source Converter) in various power system applications.
  3. Clarify feasibility of hybrid power systems comprising converters, storage devices and power sources. Pros and cons for various concepts.
  4. Establish the required competence on prospective storage technologies like batteries, fuel-cells, advanced flywheels, electrochemical capacitor and superconducting magnetic energy storages (SMES), in order to be able to do system optimization and to realize proper converter interface.
  5. Establish methods for testing of lifetime, reliability, operability, efficiency, and for calculating operating costs etc of prospective storage technology. Provide specimens of selected devices and perform laboratory test.
  6. Clarify challenges and possibilities by applying power semiconductor circuit breakers. Development and test of breakers.

Accomplishment
As a main conclusion it can be stated that all sub-goals, except sub-goal 1 and 6 above, have been reached, in the sense that important results have been produced. Sub-goal 1 and 6 was taken out in an early phase of the project. The reasons were:

  • Less funding than assumed in the project application form
  • Changes in the scientific staff
  • Activities were funded through other channels

 

Organization and funding 


 

Project documents

The following list documents from the project.

Note: Some documents are in Norwegian only.

Documents related to energy laboratory / energy storage / fuel cells

  • Project Memo AN 00.12.43 "Skisse for internt kurs/kollokvieaktivitet om brenselcelle nytta i ferje"
  • Technical Report TR A5374 "Preliminary evaluation of fuel cells"
  • Memo "SINTEF og F&U knyttet til brenselcelle"
  • Technical Report TR A5473 "Feasibility of battery storage system".
  • Project Memo AN 01.12.49 "Norsk brenselcelleforum"
  • Project Memo AN 01.12.50 "Inquiry to manufacturers of fuel cells"
  • Technical reportTR A5610 "Overview on different types of energy storages" (partly financed by Norsk Hydro.) (presentation)
  • Report: "Assessment of implementing a solid oxide fuel cell in a liquefied natural gas driven ferry". (Documentation of project work in a special NTNU postgraduate course.)

Documents related to converter control and converter simulation and modeling

  • Diploma thesis "Transistoromformere integrert i AC-nettet. Reguleringsstrategi ved bruk av fasereferansevektor". Per Bjarne F. Stavnes
  • Project Memo AN 00.12.34 "Adaption and testing of a Phase-Locked Loop
  • Project Memo AN 01.12.40 "Modelling of generator trains (PSCAD/EMTDC)
  • Project Memo AN 01.12.80 "Power system modeling examples for the PSCAD/EMTDC simulation software"
  • Project Memo AN 01.12.85 "Documentation of a new PSCAD/EMTDC model for dead-time modeling"
  • Paper presented at PCC-Osaka 2002: "Simulation of shaft vibrations due to interaction between turbine-generator train and power electronic converters at the Visund oil platform" (partly from activity 2, partly from a closely related industry project) - Presentation - Paper
  • Project Memo AN 01.12.97 "Updated simulation model of active front end converter"
  • Project Memo AN 02.12.22 "Matcad spreadsheet dedicated for induction motor model parameter estimation"
  • Project Memo AN 02.12.24 "Description of a voltage control system for an active front-end-converter"
  • Project Memo AN 02.12.44 ”Discrete controller implementation and modelling”
  • Project MemoAN 02.12.56 "Active front-end converter, model verifications and design challenges”
  • Project Memo AN 02.12.69 "Realisation of a 20 kVa shunt active filter
  • Project Memo AN 02.12.72 "Active damping of oscillations between grid reactance and filter capacitor of grid connected converters"
  • Project Memo AN 03.12.14 "Active front-end converter configured for reactive power support"
  • Paper ” Active damping of oscillations in LC-filter for line connected, current controlled, PWM voltage source converters” presented at the 10th European Conference on Electronics and Applications (EPE 2003) , Toulouse, September 2003 - Paper - Presentation
  • Project Memo AN 03.12.101 "PSCAD/EMTDC model for calculation of losses in hard-switched semiconductors"
  • Project Memo AN 03.12.103 "Average model of PWM converter"
  • Project Memo AN 04.12.02 ”Simulation model of active front end converter with tolerance band control”


Documents related prototype design, test, verification and documentation

  • Project Memo AN 00.12.39 "Faselåst sløyfe for synkronisering mot lysnettet"
  • Project Memo AN 00.12.49 "Driver interface board, v 4.0 - Documentation
  • Project Memo AN 01.12.11 "20 kW IGBT omformer Testprotokoll"
  • Project Memo AN 01.12.12 "20 kW IGBT omformer. Beskrivelse. 3. utgave"
  • Project Memo AN 01.12.34 "Igangkjøring av 20 kW IGBT omformer"
  • Project Memo AN 00.12.48 "Brake chopper control board, v 2.1 - Documentation"
  • Project Memo AN 02.12.48 "Målinger på variac B1-535 (Kraftelektronikklab)"
  • Project Memo AN 02.12.41 "Documentation of an implemented control system for an active front-end-converter"
  • Project Memo AN 01.12.07 "Strømforsyningskort for styreelektronikk v. 1.0. Dokumentasjon"
  • Project Memo AN 01.12.08 "Generelt inngangskort v 1.0"
  • Project Memo AN 01.12.32 "DC-DC omformer styrekort v 1.0. Beskrivelse"
  • Project Memo AN 01.12.36 "DC-DC omformer. Beskrivelse"
  • Project Memo AN 01.12.37 "DC-DC omformer. Programvare. V 1.0"
  • Project Memo AN 01.12.47 "Energy Storage laboratory"
  • Project Memo AN 02.12.61 “Måleinnsamlingskort, v1.0 Beskrivelse”
  • Project Memo AN 02.12.60 ”Kraftside målekort, v 1.0 Beskrivelse”
  • Memo : ”Driver interface v 2.2”  (UK) /”Vekselretter drivergrensesnitt. v 2.2” (N)
  • Project Memo  AN 02.12.59 ”Portmatrisekort, v1.1 .Beskrivelse”
  • Project memo AN 03.12.12 “Active damping of filter oscillations. Implementation and laboratory measurements”
  • Project memo AN 03.12.43 “Erfaringer med bruk av termokamera. Test av spoler til 20 kW DCDC omformer.”
  • Paper : ”Fast current controllers using FPGA’s” presented at the 10th European Conference on Electronics and Applications (EPE 2003) , Toulouse, September 2003 - Paper  - Presentation
  • Technical report TR F5899 “Strømregulatorsystem i FPGA. Beskrivelse”.
  • Technical report TR F5940  ”Styresystem for aktiv likeretter. Programvare v1.0. Beskrivelse”
  • Project memo AN 04.12.19  ”Aktiv likeretter for Energilab Kraftkrets og styreelektronikk Beskrivelse”

Key Factors

Project duration

2001 - 2004

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