Abstract—Due to the scalability and flexibility in power transmission, the Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) receives a widespread favor since its advent. The popularization of the MMC will continuously promote the developments in renewable energy grid connecting and flexible High Voltage Direct Current transmission (HVDC) system. In this paper, an overview of the most recent effort associated with the technical challenges of the MMC is provided, and a brief summary on the design and control of the MMC is made. The features of different submodule topologies of the MMC are concluded with a comparison in this paper. Multiple simulation techniques for the MMC, which are suitable for electromagnetic and electromechanical transient respectively, are reviewed in this paper. This paper also makes an overview of the control methods for the MMC operation including pre-charge, power regulation, circulating current control and capacitor voltage balancing. On this basis, the future trends of further studies and developments for the MMC are proposed. 
 

Index Terms—Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC), submodule (SM), capacitor voltage balancing, circulating current control, modulation technique, VSC-HVDC

Cite: Huancheng Lin and Zhixin Wang, "Operation and Control Analysis of Modular Multilevel Converter for VSC-HVDC Application," International Journal of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 195-201, June 2017. doi: 10.18178/ijeee.5.3.195-201