Unified Power Quality Conditioner: The Indirect Matrix Converter Solution

Power Quality (PQ) parameters such as voltage RMS value, Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), and Power Factor (PF) are main topics to be considered in the connection of sensitive loads to the grid. In this paper, a Unified Power Quality Conditioner (UPQC) based on an Indirect Matrix Converter (IMC) is proposed to address some PQ issues as mitigation of voltage harmonics and compensation of sags and swells when supplying a sensitive load. Also, it allows the mitigation of grid current harmonics in the Point of Common Coupling (PCC). The control of the converter is performed using the sliding mode control method, associated to the state-space vector representation, allowing fast response times to disturbances in the grid. The whole system is tested in MATLAB Simulink software, and the obtained results show that it guarantees PQ improvement in the PCC. Key-Words: Power Quality, Unified Power Quality Conditioner, Indirect Matrix Converter, Sliding Mode Control.