Modeling and Control of Power Converter Systems
Summary
Modern power converter systems are pivotal in linking renewable and storage technologies to electrical networks, offering controllable voltage and frequency conversion with high efficiency. Accurate modelling underpins the analysis of dynamic behaviour, stability and control design, spanning approaches from averaged and small-signal linear models to non-linear and data-driven representations. Control strategies range from classical PID loops and state-feedback controllers to advanced robust and adaptive schemes, ensuring regulation of output voltage or current, damping of oscillations and resilience against disturbances. The interplay between model fidelity and controller complexity is critical: simplified models facilitate rapid stability assessment in large‐scale grids, whereas detailed or black-box models support precise design of high-performance converters in microgrids, electric vehicles and distributed photovoltaic systems. Ongoing research seeks to harmonise these perspectives, balancing computational tractability with the need to capture fast switching phenomena and component non-idealities, thereby advancing reliable and efficient power electronic infrastructures worldwide.
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Modeling and Control of Power Converter Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in modeling and control of power converter systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Power electronic converter: An electronic device that transforms electrical energy from one voltage or current form to another with controllable outputs.
State-space average model: A representation that averages the converter’s switching behaviour over a cycle to yield continuous-time equations for control design.
Small-signal model: A linearised approximation around an operating point used to assess system response to minor disturbances and design stabilising controllers.
Black-box model: A behavioural model derived solely from input–output data without requiring detailed internal circuit knowledge, suitable for commercial off-the-shelf devices.
Maximum power point tracking (MPPT): A control algorithm that adjusts the operating point of a converter to extract maximum power from a variable renewable source.
References
- Review of Dynamic and Transient Modeling of Power Electronic Converters for Converter Dominated Power Systems. IEEE Access (2021).
- Review of general modeling approaches of power converters. Chinese Journal of Electrical Engineering (2021).
- State-Space Modeling, Design, and Analysis of the DC-DC Converters for PV Application: A Review. Sustainability (2023).
- Blackbox Large-Signal Modeling of Grid-Connected DC-AC Electronic Power Converters. Energies (2019).
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