Stability analysis of cascaded converters for bidirectional power flow applications

This paper establishes the criteria to ensure stable operation of two-stage, bidirectional, isolated AC-DC converters. The bi-directional converter is analyzed in the context of a building block module (BBM) that enables a fully modular architecture for universal power flow conversion applications (AC-DC, DC-AC and DC-DC). The BBM consists of independently controlled AC-DC and isolated DC-DC converters that are cascaded for bidirectional power flow applications. The cascaded converters have different control objectives in different directions of power flow. This paper discusses methods to obtain the appropriate input and output impedances that determine stability in the context of bi-directional AC-DC power conversion. Design procedures to ensure stable operation with minimal interaction between the cascaded stages are presented. The analysis and design methods are validated through extensive simulation and hardware results.