AbstractsEngineering

In these ages of a more and more increasing energy demand and struggle to reduce CO2 emissions, the need of robust, analytical and fast ways to introduce new alternative energy concepts into practice is imminent. Nowadays, engineers struggle to incorporate all parts of modern power electronic applications, such as new topologies, control concepts, supportive features, into compact structures and that require the joining of forces between different sectors of the electrical engineering _eld. Digital technology, new materials and new control ideas should be combined to produce what is envisioned by new engineers as high end technology for renewable energy systems. One such way to simplify the cooperation of different electrical engineering fields is Rapid Control Prototyping (RCP). In RCP applications, a plant controller is implemented using a real-time simulator and is connected to a physical plant having many advantages over implementing an actual controller prototype. A controller prototype developed using a real-time simulator is more flexible, faster to implement and easier to debug. The project considered in this master thesis involves a Rapid Control Prototyping system for a three-phase grid-tie BSNPC IGBT inverter. A Rapid Control Prototyping system, as mentioned before, includes a computer that runs the Simulink software, a Real Time Computer that runs a compiled version of the Simulink model and the actual hardware. The hardware in the existing case comprises a custom board designed and manufactured especially for this master thesis project and already existing inverter hardware. The custom board acts as an intermediate between the controlling computers and the hardware. It receives and sends signals to and from the Real Time Computer as well as the inverter hardware, is capable of fully operating the hardware and providing the controlling computers with full data and information about the hardware. The data transmissions between the systems are done real-time while the inverter hardware is in operation and the editing and producing of new data is also done in real-time. The data processing inside the two controlling computers is also done in real-time and permits the testing and operation of the hardware simultaneously with its change in control variables, gains and duty cycles. The ease of operation of such a system and the full controllability and flexibility makes it perfect for testing in power electronic applications.