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e-POWER 50 SEP-OCT 2003

CMYK
UPS System Modelling
Programmable digital signal processors (DSPs) are being used in modern
UPS systems. Here are a few models for UPS systems, which use the
Matlab/Simulink tool to verify and develop complex algorithms.
By: Aaron S. Tint Aaron S. Tint Aaron S. Tint Aaron S. Tint Aaron S. Tint, (Ph.D.), Senior
Design Engineer, Liebert
Corporation (North America) and
Ashim Chakravorti Ashim Chakravorti Ashim Chakravorti Ashim Chakravorti Ashim Chakravorti, (Ph.D.), Senior
Development Specialist, Liebert
Corporation (North America).
D
ue to the emergence of new
technologies in the fields of
digital signal processors
(DSPs), microcontrollers and power
electronic devices, the power systems
industry has evolved rapidly within the
last decade. Several simulators, with
different capabilities, are available and
the effect on the technological
advancement of simulation tools has
taken a giant leap in the modelling of
the advanced UPS (uninterruptible
power supplies) systems. At the heart
of power electronics and UPS
industries, lies the family of fast
switching devices, the thyristor, the
GTO and the IGBT. These devices are
controlled to affect the desired power
flow to the critical load.
The industry has also taken
advantage of the accelerated growth
in the speed and memory capacity of
the digital controllers. Modern
controllers use programmable DSPs
that enable the use of intricate
control algorithms. In order to verify
and develop these sophisticated
algorithms, a simulation tool that
exhibits a strong interaction between
sources, loads, power devices and
control circuits is required. Many
commercial simulation tools such as
Matlab/Simulink, OrCad/Pspice,
Simplorer and Saber are available in
the market place and each one of them
has its own advantages and
disadvantages. The differences mainly
are the simulation time, user-
friendliness or difficulty of use, and the
availability of pre-built control
elements or blocks such as six pulse
rectifiers or inverters. Although the
Matlab/Simulink simulation tool has
fast simulation time, the execution of
the high frequency switching power
applications on memory-expanded
fast computers still requires large
computation time to get to a steady
state solution. The design and
simulation programs developed at the
top level in the Simulink environment
can automatically be created into the
optimised C/Assembly code that can
be downloaded onto the hardware DSP
board for real-time execution.
Some basic models for UPS systems
are presented here, based on the
Matlab/Simulink platform. The closed
loop control algorithms for the
rectifiers or inverters are tested
(iteratively) by mathematical
modelling and simulations, to achieve
the various design results. Steady state
simulation results from the output
waveforms, which are analysed in the
time domain. The total harmonic
distortion (THD) simulation results are
compared to experimental results for
different load conditions. In addition,
the simulation for load transitions is
also analysed.
Basic UPS system model
The basic block diagram for a UPS is as
shown in Figure 1. The UPS module is
usually provided by a bypass circuit
that transfers automatically to the
normal source if the UPS fails. The
battery in a UPS system is typically
sized to carry the emergency load for
about 20 minutes. The UPS systems
Figure 1: Basic UPS block diagram
Figure 2: Simulink model of the basic UPS block diagram
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are usually designed to provide fast
voltage regulation for any level of line
voltage. Regardless of power rating, the
UPS module includes the three main
sections: namely the rectifier section
that converts the AC power to DC
power, the DC section called DC link
or DC Bus, and the inverter section that
converts the DC power to AC output
power at the desired frequency, voltage
and waveform.
The top level Simulink model for
the basic UPS block diagram of
Figure 1 is shown in Figure 2. Each
one of the control blocks, such as
the rectifier and inverter, have one
or more combinations of lower level
of developments that are modelled
appropriately to give the desired
outcome.
MATLAB is a computing platform
for solving circuit equations and
developing/testing algorithms. Used
in conjunction with the available
toolboxes such as the signal processing
toolbox, the filter design toolbox and
the control toolbox, the algorithms can
be analysed and modelled to study the
behaviour of power electronic systems
prior to prototyping. Simulink is a
graphical block diagram hierarchical
modelling tool. It provides signal
sources like signal generators to
stimulate the models and sinks,
such as oscilloscopes and spectrum
analysers, to visualise the output of the
results. In addition, Simulink also
provides libraries of pre-built blocks
called block sets. The block set includes
applications for power systems,
digital signal processing, real-time
development works and many others.
The model shown in Figure 2 uses the
power system block set that provides
pre-built blocks such as IGBTs and
diodes related to power applications.
Rectifier modelling
In most UPS systems, the rectifier
or charger performs dual roles. First, it
provides the DC power by constant
output voltage to the DC bus to feed
the critical load either directly or
through the inverter. Second, it
maintains full charge on the system
battery, recharging it after the
power outage. To accomplish these
requirements, despite variations in the
AC line input and the inverter load
connected to it, the rectifier/charger is
usually designed as a closed-loop
controlled circuit. Many types of
controls are used, in practice, with
different degrees of complexity and
performance characteristics. The most
common type is the SCR or thyristor
phase controlled rectifiers.
The thyristor has an external
terminal called gate that controls the
conduction current in the forward
direction, when the gate voltage is
applied. By delaying the gate voltage
signal (increasing the firing angle) with
respect to the AC voltage applied to
the thyristor, the conduction period
can be controlled with the subsequent
regulation in the DC output voltage of
the rectifier.
A simplified block diagram of a gate
trigger control circuit is shown in
Figure 3. In this figure, a sawtooth
waveform (synchronised to the AC
input) is compared to the control signal
(v
c
), and the delay angle with respect
to the positive zero crossing of the AC
line voltage is obtained in terms of v
c
and the peak value of the sawtooth
waveform v
st
. This is given as:
v
c
(degrees) = 180*( v
c
/vst)
The three-phase six-pulse bridge
rectifier is very widely used. The bridge
is supplied with the three phase input
signals. A smoothing filter capacitor is
normally connected at the DC output
of the rectifier. In Figure 4, the thyristor
(or diode) in the top group, with its
anode at the highest potential, will
conduct and the other two become
reverse-biased. In the bottom group,
the thyristor with its cathode at the
lowest potential will conduct and the
other two become reverse-biased.
The instantaneous voltage (v
d
)
consists of six segments per cycle of
the line frequency, and each thyristor
in the bridge conducts for 120 degrees
(maximum). The voltage and current
waveforms may be represented
mathematically for the analysis of the
Figure 3: Gate trigger control circuit
Figure 4: Three-phase six pulse thyristor bridge
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rectifier model. The basic equations for
phase A are given as follows:
v
d
= v
Kn
v
An
and
I
a
= I
d
when th1 is conducting;
= I
d
when th4 is conducting;
= 0 when neither th1 nor th4 is
conducting
The average DC output voltage and
rms of the line currents may be
computed for each of the six segments.
By controlling the instant at which
the thyristor gate is turned on, the
average forward current and, therefore,
the voltage can be controlled in a
continuous manner between the
desired DC bus voltages.
A proportional-integral controller is
usually incorporated in the rectifier
block to improve the response of the
regulation system.
Inverter modelling
In the UPS system, the design for the
inverter is most critical since it
determines the quality of the power
delivered to the load. The inverter takes
its power from the DC bus (rectifier or
DC source) and converts it in a manner
usable for the critical load. The critical
load expects a sinusoidal AC voltage
source. The inverter produces a voltage
source that has harmonic voltages
in addition to the fundamental
frequency. The deviation of the
inverter output voltage from a true
sine wave can be measured as total
harmonic distortion (THD). The THD
is mathematically defined as the root
mean square (RMS) value of the total
harmonics of the signal, divided by the
RMS value of its fundamental signal.
The THD of the measured current is
defined as:
Total harmonic distortion (THD)=I
H
/I
F
where I
H
= I
2
2
+ I
3
2
+ ...... + I
n
2
I
n

is the RMS value of the harmonic n
I
F
is the RMS value of the
fundamental current.
The basic UPS model shown in
Figure 2 includes an output AC filter
and the load. An output AC filter
(inductor-capacitor) is required to
reduce this distortion to a lower
acceptable level. The use of high-
frequency switching using pulse width
modulation (PWM) provides improved
transient performances with reduced
AC filter size.
This type of modulation has been
very popular and is widely used. As
fast DSPs and microcomputers
become available, the technique based
on the pre-programmed PWM pattern
have also been used. More recent
techniques include the time optimal
response switching PWM and the
real-time deadbeat controlled PWM.
These techniques have very fast
responses, but are also known to have
high THD for non-linear loads. The
techniques developed at Emerson
Network Power use algorithms for
perfect tracking of the output voltages
under unknown load by eliminating
errors at certain specific harmonics
and at the same time ensuring good
transient response.
The control system involves the fast
inner current loop for limiting the
inverter currents, under overload
conditions and the outer voltage loop
to control the voltage harmonics. The
outer voltage loop is designed by
accounting for the extra dynamics
introduced by the inner loop. It has
been generally reported that space
vector modulation techniques provide
superior performance compared to
regular PWM, in terms of reduced
harmonic current ripple, optimised
switching sequences and THD.
Multi-dimensional state space model
representations are used for the
computation of the gain parameters of
the controllers. The plant is modelled
by the following basic state space
equations:
x = Ax + Bu +Ed
y = Cx + Du + Fd
y
m
= C
m
x + D
m
u + F
m
d
and the error signal e = y
ref
y
where x and u are the inputs, y is the
output to be regulated, y
m
are the
measurable outputs, d is the
disturbance and y
ref
is the reference
input signal. The parameters (A, B, C,
D, E, F) are the matrices of several orders
that represent the plant (LC filter, .-Y
transformer, Grass capacitor and Load).
The multi-dimensional gain values are
evaluated using different criteria to
provide optimal values.
The inverter simulation is
performed by using the system
parameters as shown in Table 2.
The simulation is carried out for
various linear loads, 0.8 power factor
loads, no loads, unbalanced loads, and
crest factor loads.
The above sections prove that
critical operation of the UPS system
can be adequately modelled to look
into various steadystate and transient
modes of operation. The simulation
model can therefore be extensively
used to understand the details of power
flow phenomenon between various
modules and within various devices.
The knowledge from the simulation
results provides valuable insight into
design/performance constraints and
DC bus voltage Vdc 540V (norm), 390V(min)
AC output voltage Vload 208V (LL-RMS), 120V(LN)
Frequency f 60Hz
Inverter filters C
inv
900 F
L
inv
184 H
Delta-Wye transformer L
trans
43 H
R
inv
0.0162 ohm
Output filter C
hf
90 F
Table 1: System Parameters for Inverter Simulation
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failure mode analysis.
Results
The THD measurements for different
load conditions are summarised in
Table 2. The load current of 2.7:1 crest
factor is used for the non-linear load.
The results are compared with the
experimental values obtained from the
hardware test measurements. The
results can be improved by including
more harmonics to be eliminated into
the derivation of the robust voltage
controller. The simulation tests for the
load transients, 0 to 100 per cent and
100 to 0 per cent, also show that the
load voltages recover within less than a
cycle of the waveform. The deviations
of the magnitudes of the output
voltages are less than 5 per cent of the
nominal values. The results also show
that the closed loop controls provide
fast response with less overshoots.
DSP controls firmware
developments
The design and simulation of the
control algorithmic model developed
on Matlab/Simulink uses several
floating-point calculations with very
high sampling rates. The DSP block set
and the Real Time Workshop platform
provide the necessary transformations
and links to the embedded target
digital signal processors. The design
algorithms are generally written in the
form of assembly or C codes and the
(assembled and linked) executable
codes are downloaded to the target
processors for firmware testing. The
Matlab/Simulink platform provides a
Texas Instruments (TI) C67x floating-
point and C62x fixed-point DSPs.
MATLAB Link for Code Composer
Studio Development Tools provides a
bi-directional interface between
MATLAB and Code Composer Studio,
the Texas Instruments software
development environment.
Some basic building blocks/models
for UPS systems have been discussed
here, based on the Matlab/Simulink
platform. The closed loop control
algorithms for the rectifiers or inverters
are tested for different load conditions
and the transients. The comparison of
THD for simulation and experimental
data shows that the results are in close
range. Various approaches at different
stages in the design process can be tried
to achieve stable and safe operations,
and this is especially important for UPS
applications involving high KVA ratings.
The simulation models for the
UPS provide important technical
information about the behaviour of the
system within a shorter period of time.
The rectifier, inverter, voltage and
current controllers are developed in the
form of modules and the interactions
between different modules are
analysed, using various design criteria.
The performances had been evaluated
for different design constraints and
the simulation results meet the design
specifications. The oscilloscope time
signals or the fast Fourier transform
(FFT) frequency spectrum can
be inserted at several strategic
points to determine signal waveform
characteristics or the harmonics. The
design can be altered at minimum cost
with fast reliable results.
real-time data exchange (RTDX) port
that allows hardware DSPs to read and
write data (back and forth) in real-time.
By using the RTDX bi-directional
link, the calculation-intensive control
algorithms (optimised codes
automatically generated by the Real
Time Workshopor hand-coded
assembly programand subsequently
compiled, linked and downloaded to
the DSP) are computed in real-time and
the resulting data are imported back
into the Matlab/Simulink environment
for analysis and display. This DSP-in-
the-loop set-up gives a way to create
some really reliable code with fewer
errors. The procedure is used for the
earlier generation TI320C234 signal
processors. For the later generation
DSPs, such as TI C6000 processors,
Matlab/Simulink offers two integrated
verification and debugging tools. These
are:
The Embedded Target for C6000
DSP Platform and
The Matlab link for assembler/
compiler, linker environment (Code
Composer Studio Development Tools).
The Embedded Target for C6000
DSP Platform enables the rapid
prototyping of real-time software for
Table 2: Output THD for
Different Types of Loads
Load THD
Linear resistive full load, 1.0PF 0.8%
0.8 power factor load 1.01%
No load 1.1%
Unbalanced resistive
load (Phase A) 0.92%
Crest factor load (2.7:1) 4.9%