Model predictive control of PWM AC/DC converters for Bi-directional power flow control in microgrids

The three-phase full-bridge converter has been popular for AC/DC conversion in microgrids, and various control methods have been employed to achieve low harmonic distortion of input currents, bi-directional power flow and high power factor, etc. Compared with the conventional control methods, the model predictive control (MPC) can be much more powerful and flexible for multiple control objectives. This paper presents a comparative study of the MPC-based direct power control (DPC) and the conventional DPC based on switching table with focus on the steady-state and transient performance of bi-directional power flow control. The simulation results have shown that the MPC-based DPC has better performance, and thus is more suitable for AC/DC converter control in microgrids compared with the conventional DPC based on switching table.