Active and reactive power control of Faraday type MHD generator using new power consolidation-inversion-control system

Abstract The authors have already proposed a new power consolidation-inversion-control system for the Faraday type MHD generator. The d.c. power output from each electrode pair is at first inverted through the voltage source PWM inverter, and the a.c. power outputs are then consolidated by the transformers. The author's numerical simulation has already indicated that the system has sufficient performance as a fast active power controller. The system has the capability of controlling not only the active power but also the reactive power independently and simultaneously. In this paper, improvements are made on the power control system to realize the independent and simultaneous control of the active and the reactive power. To numerically confirm the performance of the improved system, simulations are carried out for the whole system, including the Faraday type MHD generator, the power consolidation-inversion-control system and the infinite bus. The calculations of the transient responses of the whole system show that the improved system can stably and rapidly control the active and the reactive power independently and simultaneously. The system has sufficient performance as a power transmission circuit between the Faraday type MHD generator and the electric power system and also as an active and reactive power controller.