Experimental validation of the steady state and transient behavior of a transformerless intelligent power substation

Transformerless Intelligent Power Substation (TIPS) is a 3-phase Solid State Transformer (SST) to interconnect 13.8 kV, 3-phase distribution grid with 480 V, 3-phase utility grid. The concept of TIPS was proposed as a solid state alternative to the conventional line frequency transformer. Various advantages of TIPS include unity power factor operation, controlled bidirectional power flow capability, reactive power compensation to improve grid voltage profile under necessary conditions, high frequency d.c link based isolation, small size and weight due to Silicon Carbide (SiC) devices, and renewable energy integration. This paper focuses on the system integration and hardware demonstration of the functions of TIPS at lower voltage and power levels. In addition, it focuses on various operational strategies like smooth start-up/shut-down scheme, stability criteria at the high voltage d.c link, fault protection for the various modules of TIPS, power quality improvement and performance under sudden load transients. Experimental results are given for each module separately and for fully integrated TIPS.