Teaching nonlinear modeling, simulation, and control of electronic power converters using MATLAB/SIMULINK

This paper describes an efficient method to teach analysis and simulation of power electronic converters to undergraduate students, using system level nonlinear state-space models. System-level modeling of power electronic converters reproduces only the ideal switching behavior of the semiconductors and is a useful concept for the numerical simulation of power converters, since simulations present no convergence problems and require little computational time. Switched state-space models, programmed in the MATLAB/SIMULINK software package, can be advantageously used to simulate power converters at the system level and also to design and study their controllers. Switched state-space nonlinear models should be obtained using a theoretical framework suitable for the enhanced control of variable structure power systems. Since the method is inherently nonlinear, no approximated linear models are needed; and since state-space models are used, modern control techniques (sliding mode, neural networks, fuzzy logic) for power converters can easily be used. This paper summarizes the proposed methodology and gives some examples.