DC-Side Impedance Estimation of a Modular Multilevel Converter Through System Identification of a Partially Black-Boxed Control System

The stability of a power electronicssystem can be assessed by means of the impedance-based stability criterion. Impedance modeling is a useful tool to analyze the effect of different circuit parameters and control schemes on the behavior of a converter. Modeling the input impedance of a power electronics converter is often successful when having full knowledge of the converter topology, the circuit parameters, and the parameters and implementation of the control system. However, due to the proprietary nature of voltage source converter-based high voltage direct current systems, their exact control structure is often concealed. This complicates the calculation of the impedance of a modular multilevel converter, known for its complex internal dynamics. This paper proposes a method to estimate the impedance of a modular multilevel converter with partially black-boxed converter control. A discussion on partitioning the control system into open and closed parts is made, and the results are verified with simulations in time and frequency domains.