An application of four-wire grid-forming power inverter in unbalanced distribution network

Abstract

The modelling of a three-phase four-leg four-wire grid-forming inverter in a low voltage distribution system 18-bus European Cigré under unbalanced conditions in an autonomous distribution network is presented. The case study has two types of inverters control strategy: (i) grid-forming to supply all the system demand in the interval of the intentional supply interruption and (ii) grid-following to integrate photovoltaic renewable energy resources into power systems. The model suggests a control scheme with two loops: An inner current loop with a proportional-integral controller and an outer voltage loop with a proportional controller, both in the synchronous reference frame (dq0), in which dq-axis are decomposed in positive and negative sequences. Simulation results, carried out using the PSCAD software, showed the effectiveness of the suggested control strategy with smooth synchronization where the grid-forming inverter was able to form a network with an unbalanced degree lower than 2%, sinusoidal voltage and frequency within standard limits 49.5–50.5 Hz.