Monopolar Fault Reconfiguration of Bipolar Half Bridge Converter for Reliable Load Supply in DC Distribution System

This article proposed the concept of monopolar fault reconfiguration for bipolar dc distribution system realized with Bipolar Half Bridge (BiHB) converter. Monopolar fault reconfiguration oriented from bipolar high voltage direct current (HVdc) transmission grid. For dc distribution, the operation aim is to provide uninterrupted power supply to critical load under monopolar fault. It requires interfacing circuit with fault-tolerant capability as well as control design considering both bipolar and monopolar working mode. The proposed BiHB converter achieves mode switching by reconfiguring the converter switching pattern. Considering both monopolar and bipolar working mode, a bipolar modulation method is proposed for coordinate circuit design. Key influence factors relating to the transient voltage spikes have been identified, including the fault detection delay and the modulation method. Besides, to suppress the voltage spikes caused by monopolar fault, feed-forward compensation is adopted for smooth mode transition. The proposed BiHB converter and control strategy have been comparatively evaluated under fault protection and restoration. Uninterrupted power supply of load has been attained, in validation of the proposed monopolar fault reconfiguration concept.