COMPARISON OF PI, VSC AND ENERGY
BALANCE CONTROLLER FOR SINGLE
PHASE ACTIVE FILTER CONTROL
Bhim Singhl, Anuradha’ and D.P.Kothari2
‘Electrical Engg. Deptt.
2
Centre for Energy Studies
IIT, Haw Khas, New Delhi 1100, rue Notredame Oust, Montreal (Quebec)
110011 m IA
ABSTRACT
This paper preSentS a comparison among proportional-integral.
variable srnicncre voltage controller and enerty balance controllerfor
the control of singlephme activefilter. Proportional-integral(PI) and
variable structure fvsc) voltage controller haw been employedover
C bus wltage ofthe active filter. Energy balance controller is based
on the estimation of the active power required by the load and active
jlter. A singlephnse IGBTbasedvoltagesource inverter (rsr) is used
as activefilter. A hpteresis rule based camerlesss current control is
employed o w r active filter current, and derived signals arefid to the
. devices o f M . Topresent a clear comparison of P-I, VSC and energy
balance controller, a single phase non-linear load of same rating is
selectedfor compensation.
I. INTRODUCTION
With the development of power semiconductor and power
electronics application techniques power-electroniorelated
equipment have been widely used in various applications.
However, the input current of such equipment contain serious
input-wrrent harmonics along with the poor input power factor.
These current harmonics result in overheating of the distribution
transformer, disturbance of the rotating machine, distortion of the
feeder voltage, damage to power devices and malfunctioning of
sensitive equipment. Hence, development of equipment which
can suppress current harmonics, improve power factor has
become essential. Till now, various control schemes have been
reported []-I?]. G Y et ~ al [I] presented a familyof active filters
based on basic principles. Moran 121 has proposed combination
of series and shunt active filters and Nastran [3] et al have used
averaged energy based control theory for single phase series
active filter. Mansoor et a1 [41 have reported a survey, analysis
for generation ofneutral currents caused by single phase loads.
Choi et al [SI, Hsu et al [7] and Lambert et al [8] also used
energy averaging concept for AF control. Torrey et d[6] have
proposed a PI control on dc bus voltage of the AF capacitor.
However, this paper is an attempt towards comparison of the
various control techniques. Discussion involves the steady state,
transient performance of the single-phase active filters with the
control techniques, their behavior with load perturbation of 3.2
kW to 1.8kW to 3.2 kW non-linear load.
EL SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
Figures 1 and 2 show the basic configurations for realization of
the PI and VSC voltage controller scheines and energy balanced
0-78034886-9/98/$10.000 1998 IEEE 607
Ambrish Chandra3
3GRE?PCI,Electrical Engg Deptt.
Ecole de technologie superieure
H3C lK3 CANADA
control scheme respectively. The proposed active lilter consists
of SinoJe-phase pulse-width modulated (PWM) voltage source
invertet (VSI) with a DC bus capacitor4 an energy storage
elemerd.A hysteresis based h e r l e s s PWM control
is employed to ~ v fast
e response to the active filter,
With PWSC voltage controllers (Figure I), the dc bus voltage
Of the active ‘Iter is sensed and is with the reference
capacitor The error is then processed
pwsc controller, the Outpa ofthe volt%e controkf estimates
the inslantaneou~reference supply current, using instantaneously
sensed supply voltage.
Figure 2 shows the block diagram representation for the
realization of energy balance based controller. As shown in
figure, reference supply command consists of two
components. One is active power required by the load, and other
is the small component of the active power, required by dc bus
capacitor of the AF to maintain preset reference bus voltage.
With the help of such estimated components, instantaneous
reference supply currents are obtained using .instantaneously
sensed supply voltage.
The instantaneous reference AF current is determined by sensed
load current and reference supply current. The actual
compensator current is then maintained close to reference AF
current by employing hysteresis rule based current controller.
The current controller output is fed to gate driver, which in turn
issues gating signals to IGBTs of the AF.
m. ~ A L Y S I AND S MODELING OF THE SYSTEM
This section presents the sequential modeling of the various
components of the system. The overall system comprises of ac
system, PI, VSC voltage controller, energy balance controller,
load and active filter.
supply System
Under normal operating conditions, supply system could be
modeled as a sinusoidal voltage source of amplitude V, and
fresuen~yF :
v,(t)=v, sinat
Wherew=Z* electrical radians/sec. From sensed supply voltage
a unit ament template can be estimated as:
k(t)= v.Ct)N, = sinwt
 Control Schemes period is small then:
This section presents the modeling of considered PI, VSC "and A V d V h = 2 V M
energy balance controller. Hence, change in energy can be approximated to:
Aedc=cdc vdaCt(vdci.5-V,)
PI voltage controller This energy change must be supplied by ac mains. The
The dc bus capacitor of active filter is senses using a voltage COrreSPOndh3 Peak value ofchW$?ddi~hW$% x ~ c Current
e
sensor and compared with set reference voltage (VM). The (k*) m Y be estimated as'
resulting voltage error vocn,
at the nth sampling instants expressed Tx
as: (V, sin(ot) dt =Ae&
vdm)=vdcd - Vdu(a) 0
The output if the PI voltage controller V,,, at the nth sampling SO, h * = 2 A G d ( T ~ v d
instant is expressed as: = 2C& VM ( V M - V,)/(T,VA
Vo(n)= vo(n-I) + & (vdn) - vdn-I)) +K VNn) = I , where T, is the ripple period.Therefore total output of controller
Kp m d K,are propo&nd and integral gain ~~~s of is the sum Of &* and ha. The lhited output of the Controller
the voltage regulator. VHahVo(D-lbVdn) and Vebl) are the bmme:the amplitude ofthe ~ferenceSUPPIY Current Si@.
output of the controller and voltage error at the nth and (n-1)th Le=& +h*
sampling instant respectively.
Reference Supply Current Generation
Variable structure controller The unit template k(t) obtained from sensed supply voltage is *

The amplitude of reference supply current is estimated using multiplied with the amplitude of reference source Cu~entL*.
variable structure control over the average dc bus voltage The resulting Signal is taken as instantaneous SUPPlY Cment ancl
(VwnJ of AF and its reference value (V-,,)) The dc bus is&'en as'
voltage error at the nth sampling instant is. i,'(t) = L,,* y(t) = gosinot
V*n)=Vdcrsft.)- Vwn) =XI
And its derivative is defined as, Reference AF Current Estimation
x,=(V,,, --V,,I,)TT,
Where T, is the sampling interval and x1 and x2 are state b = i-ii
..
The reference AF current is estimated as :

variables. In variable structure control, values of switching

functionsy1 and y2 are defined as: Current Controller
y1= +1 if zxp0 Carrierless PWM hysteresis current control is employed over
=1 if M,<O actual 'AF current (&) and reference AF currents (io).It
y2=+ 1 if m2>0 contributes to the switching pattern of AF devices
=-I if m2<0 &<(&*-hb) upper switch SA is OFF and lower switch SB is ON
Where z is switching hyper plane function derived as: i>(io*+hb) upper switch SA is ON and lower switch SB is OFF
Z=c~Xl+-~X2 Where h,, is hysteresis band of current control and SA and SB are
The output of variable structure controller (vac.,) is given as . switching fUnctions of AF dwkes.
vo(o)~3xlyl+ c4x2y2
Where c1. Q, c3 and c4 are the constants of controller. The Active Filter
limited output of the controller is taken as supply current &,,'). A S i n d e - P k VsI with a dc capacitor as energy Storage ekment
Energy controller is used as an AF. The ac side volt ampere equation is as follows:
The peak current of ac source (La) has two components (LoVe = k +LGPa + V a
and I-'). The averaging of load power over ripple period, Where & is the AJ?current. VS and Vm are the ac SUPPlY voltage
produces real power required by the load, ps, which is: and ac PWh4 voltage of active filter respectively. R, and Lo are
p,=v, &*f2 the resistance and inductance of the input AF inductor The p is
Where ~mp*is the amplitude of fUndamend souTcecurrent at time differential operator. The above equation can be expressed
unity power factor.Hence, imp* may be estimated as: in terms of state space derivative form as:
Iq'=V PJ4VEaI P i = (Vs - Vca - R,io)&
The other component ofrefience supply CUK- is for sustaining The PwM voltage of m, V, can be expressed in terms of
the set reference capacitor voltage on the AF capacitor. switching function as:
Reference stored energy on the capacitor corresponding to Vca = V& (SA- SB)
reference voltage is: DC side basic equation of AF may be written as:
%*=C&(VM)2/2 PV& = dCdc
While the actual average energy in the capaciotr is : . Where v& is DC bus capacitor (C,) voltage. The b, is charging
e&=G&P2 current and may be expressed as:
Where V b is the average voltage of the capacitor over one id^ = (SA- SB)
ripple period. Energy change on dc bus capacitor of AF, over b, is the charging current, charges Or dischWes the capacitor,
one ripple period is- depending OR the switching status of the solid state devices of
Ae& = e&'-e& = C,{(VM)2 - (Vb)*} AF.
Considering variation in average capacitor voltage in one ripple

608
Load
Most commonly used single-phase diode bridge rectifier with
resistive-capacitive loading is chosen as n o n - l i load of the
single-phase system. It has two operating modes i.e. when
diodes are in conducting state or non-conducting state. When
diodes are conducting, the ac source is connected to the load and
basic equations are:
v, = R, il + L,pil + VI
And charging / discharging equation of the load capacitor is
given by:
PVI = (id- W l
Where R,, L,are source impedance elements. vl is voJtage moss
load capacitor. II is current drawn fiom ac source into rectifier
load. b is magnitude of il and is the resistive load current
(v&). When diodes are not conducting, il and ,i are zero and
charged capacitor with voltage vl feeds the load.
The set of first order differential equations along with other
expressions define the dynamic model of the AF system. These
equations are solved using forth order Runga-Kutta method to
andyze the dynamic and steady state performance of the system.
N RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Simulated performance characteristics of the AF system with all
three controllers are shown in Figures 3-5. For the comparison
purpose, S i x load is taken for compensation with PI, VSC and 1.
energy balance controllers. The transient performance is studied
for aload b g e fim 3.2 kW to 1.8 kW and 1.8 kW to 3.2 kW. 2
Figures 3(b) and 3(c) show the high harmonic content in 3.2 kW
and 1.8 kW load, respectively. The rotal harmonic distortion
(THJ))ofthe load currents is found to be 53.9?! and 69.07% at 3.
3.2 kW and 1.8 kW respectively.
Figure 3(a) shows the performance characteristics of the AF with
PI voltage controller. v, shows the sinusoidal voltage of the ac 4.
mains. i, is the compensated supply current. il is the non-linear
load current. i, is the compensated current. vd, is the actual de
bus voltage. Figures 3(d) and 3(e) show the harmonic analysis of
compensated supply current with 3.2 kW load and 1.8kW load.
The THD of the compensated supply current is reduced to
0.377% and 0.615%at 3.2 kW and 1.8 kW respectively.
Figure 4(a) shows the compensation characteristics of the AF
using VSC voltage controller under non-linear load variation
fiom 3.2 kW to 1.8kW and &om 1.8kW to 3.2 kW. V,, il and 6 .
i, are shown again for the sake of clarity. i, and v& are
compensated supply current and instantaneous VSC controlled
de bus capacitor voltage respectively. Figures 4(b) and 49cO
show the harmonic analysis of the supply currents. The THD of 7.
the supply current is reduced to 1.37% and 0.25% with 3.2 kW
and 1.8 kW respectively.
Figure 5 shows the simulated results with energy balance
controller under similar loading conditions. v,, i,, ib i, and vd, are 8.
supply voltage, supply current, load current, compensator
current and dc bus capacitor voltage. The THD of the
compensated supply current is reduced to 2.8% (with 3.2 kw)
and 0.69% (1.8kW).
The simulated results fiom all three controllers show that iis the
compensated supply current, which is sinusoidal and in phase.
with the supply voltage. However, the controllers present
different patterns for de bus capacitor voltage in transient state.
The selection of controller can be done by investigating load
609
characteristics in detail. The energy controller offers universal
characteristics independent of load ratings. The PI controllers
gives the fast response if proportional and integral constants are
tuned properly. VSC controller responds robustly on the
occurrence of load disturbances with properly tuned parameters.
With VSC controllers, the DC bus capacitor voltage settles down
to new steady state value without introducing transients or
oscillations in the system.
V CONCLUSIONS
The performance of the single phase active mer is simulated with
P-I voltage Controller, VSC controller and energy balance
controller using first order differential equations to develop the
accurate model of the overall system. Such developed dynamic
model is capable of realizing the performance of the active filter
in close proximity to real time implementation. Also, the
reported results forms a solid ground for selection of specific
load based control scheme. The proposed AF with different
control schemes may be used by design engineers, while selecting
a AF controller for reactive power compensation and harmonic
current elimination, produced by non-linear loads.
VI REFERENCE
L.Gyugyi, E.Strycula, "Active AC Power Filters", IEEE
-1AS Annual Meeting Record 1976, pp 529-535.
S.Moran, "A Line Voltage Regulator/Conditioner for
Harmonic-Sensitive Load Isolation", IEEE -IAS AnnuaI
Meeting Record 1989, pp 945-95 1.
J. Nastran, RCajhen, M.Seliger, P.Jereb, "Active Power
Filter for Non-Linear AC Loads", IEEE Transactions
on Power Electronics, Vo1.9, No.1, Jan 1994,pp 92-96.
A.Mansoor, W.M.Grady, P.T.Staats, RS.Thallam, '
M.T.Doyle and M.J.Samotyj, Tredicting the Net
Harmonic Currents Produced by Large Numbers of
Distributed Single Phase-Computer Loads", LEEE
Transactions on Power Delivery, Vol.10, No.4, Oct.
1994, pp 200 1-2006.
5. J.H.Choi, G.W.Park, S.B.Diwan, "Standby Power
Supply with Active Power Filter Ability Using Digital
Controller", IEEE-APEC Record 1995, pp 783-789.
D.A.Tomey, AM.AM. AI--el, "Single-Phase Active
Power Filters for Multiple Non-Linear Loads", IEEE
Transactions on Power Electronics, Vol. 10, No.3, May
1995, pp 263-272.
C.Y.Hsu, H.Y.Wu, "A New Single-phase Active Power
Filter With Reduced Energy Storage Capacitor", IEE
Proceedings Electrical Power Applications, Vol. 143,
No.1,Jan 1996, pp 25-30.
J.A.Lambert, E.A.A.Coelho, J.B.Vieira Jr, L.C.de
Freitas and V.J.Faris, "Active Power Fil'ier Control
based on Imposition of Input Sinusoidal Current",
IEEE-PESC Record 1997, pp 406-4 11.
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Figure 1 B l o c k diagram f o r realizing t h e PI/VSC control scheme

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main
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supply
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Figure 2 Block diagram f o r realizing the energy balance

based control scheme

610
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Figure 3(a) Performance of active filter using PI voltage controller under load change
From 3.2 kW to 1.8 kW single-phase non-linear load
From 1.8 kW to 3.2kW single-phase non-linear load

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Figure 3 0 ) Load current, 3.2 kW Figure 3(c) Compensated supply current, 3.2 kW

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0 10 20 30 40 0 10 20 30 40
Harmonic Order K Harmonic Order K
Figure 3(d) Load current, 1.8 kW Figure 3(e) Compensated supply current, 1.8 kW

Figure 3 Simulated results and harmonic analysis of load and supply current using PI controller

612
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Figure 4 Simulated results and harmonic analysis of supply current using VSC cantroller

613
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100 150
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0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500
Time (mSec)
Figure S(a) Performance of active filter using energy balance controller under load change
From 3.2 kW to 1.8 kW single-phase non-linear load
From 1.8 kW to 3.2 kW single-phase non-linear load

out .
-I
0
0 10 20 30 40 0. 10 20 30 40
Harmonic Order K Harmonic Order K
Figure 5(b) Compensated supply current, 3.2 kW Figure 5(c) Compensated supply current, 1.8 kW

Figure 5 Simulated results and harmonic analysis of supply current using energy balance controller

614