# US 12,224,591 B2 · Virtual impedance current limiting control for grid forming inverter-based resources > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,224,591 B2 - Document ID: US12224591B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/744,944 - Filed: 2022-05-16 - Published: 2023-11-16 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2022-05-16 - Assignees: GE Infrastructure Technology LLC - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: Philip Joseph Hart; Maozhong Gong - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12224591B2 ## CPC - H02J 3/381: {Dispersed generators} - H02J 3/001: Arrangements for handling faults or abnormalities, e.g. emergencies or contingencies - H02J 2101/28: Wind energy - H02J 2103/30: Simulating, planning, modelling, reliability check or computer assisted design [CAD] of electric power networks - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY ## Abstract A method for controlling an inverter-based resource (IBR) connected to a power grid during a grid event includes operating the IBR based on a first virtual impedance reference prior to the grid event, the first virtual impedance reference being used for determining a first virtual impedance of the IBR defining a first virtual reactance and a first virtual resistance. The method also includes receiving an indication of a start of the grid event that causes a change in the first virtual impedance reference to a second virtual impedance reference. Immediately after the change in the first virtual impedance reference, the method includes activating a soft activation module for outputting a second virtual impedance defining a second virtual reactance and a second virtual resistance that maintains a magnitude of the second virtual impedance at or above a magnitude of the second virtual impedance reference so as to reduce current in the inverter-based resource. At a certain time period after activating the soft activation module, the method includes transitioning the second virtual reactance and the second virtual resistance to a virtual reactance and a virtual resistance defined by the change. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for controlling an inverter-based resource connected to a power grid during a grid event, the method comprising: operating, via a controller, the inverter-based resource based on a first virtual impedance reference prior to the grid event, the first virtual impedance reference being used by the controller for determining a first virtual impedance of the inverter-based resource defining a first virtual reactance and a first virtual resistance; receiving, via the controller, an indication of a start of the grid event that causes a change in the first virtual impedance reference to a second virtual impedance reference that is larger than the first virtual impedance reference; immediately after the change in the first virtual impedance reference, activating a soft activation module for outputting a second virtual impedance defining a second virtual reactance and a second virtual resistance that maintains a magnitude of the second virtual impedance at or above a magnitude of the second virtual impedance reference so as to reduce current in the inverter-based resource; at a certain time period after activating the soft activation module, transitioning, via the controller, the second virtual reactance and the second virtual resistance to a virtual reactance and a virtual resistance defined by the change; and ensuring that once the soft activation module is activated, the magnitude of the second virtual impedance is maintained at or above the magnitude of the second virtual impedance reference so as to reduce current oscillations in the power grid for a duration of the grid event, wherein ensuring that once the soft activation module is activated, the magnitude of the second virtual impedance is maintained at or above the magnitude of the second virtual impedance reference further comprises: receiving, via the controller, an activation signal; and determining whether or not to subtract a voltage drop from a voltage reference of the inverter-based resource. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising applying, via the controller, a deactivation module at a certain time period after activating the soft activation module. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising, once the grid event is over, ramping up active power of the inverter-based resource to a desired value at a rate determined by a power regulation control bandwidth. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising employing an outer voltage regulation loop to restore a terminal voltage magnitude to achieve a desired reactive power output of the inverter-based resource. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first virtual impedance and the second virtual impedance each define a set of at least one of a magnitude and phase angle or resistive and reactive components, and wherein the first virtual impedance reference and the second virtual impedance reference each define at least one of a set of a reference magnitude and a reference phase angle or a virtual resistance reference and a virtual reactance reference. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, further comprising determining the virtual reactance reference as a product of a virtual inductance reference and a frequency value, the frequency value being one of a frequency commanded by the inverter-based resource or a static or dynamic estimate of a system frequency. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein activating the soft activation module further comprises: determining the magnitude and the phase angle of the second virtual impedance from the reference magnitude and the reference phase angle of the virtual impedance reference after the change using a rectangular-to-polar conversion function. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein activating the soft activation module further comprises: transiently adjusting the phase angle of the second virtual impedance via a triggered integrator function with saturation. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein transiently adjusting the phase angle of the second virtual impedance via the triggered integrator function with saturation further comprises: ensuring that the phase angle of the second virtual impedance is set or reset to a pre-specified starting value immediately after a trigger signal is received by the triggered integrator to avoid current overshoot; and once the trigger signal is received, starting, via the triggered integrator, to ramp the phase angle of the second virtual impedance to the nominal value. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein activating the soft activation module further comprises: receiving, via a polar-to-rectangular block of the controller, the magnitude and the nominal value of the phase angle of the second virtual impedance; and converting the magnitude and the nominal value of the phase angle to rectangular coordinates to determine the second virtual impedance. ### Claim 11 A method for controlling an inverter-based resource connected to a power grid during a grid event, the method comprising: operating, via a controller, the inverter-based resource based on a virtual impedance reference during the grid event, the virtual impedance reference being used by the controller for determining a virtual impedance of the inverter-based resource defining a virtual reactance and a virtual resistance; ensuring that a magnitude of the virtual impedance is maintained at or above a magnitude of the virtual impedance reference so as to reduce current oscillations in the power grid for a duration of the grid event; receiving, via the controller, a signal indicating that the virtual impedance can be deactivated due to the grid event being over; in response to receiving the signal, activating, via the controller, a soft deactivation module, wherein activating the soft deactivation module further comprises: determining a voltage drop across the virtual impedance; and superimposing the voltage drop upon a voltage reference of the inverter-based resource simultaneously with deactivating the virtual impedance, wherein ensuring that the magnitude of the virtual impedance is maintained at or above the magnitude of the virtual impedance reference further comprises receiving an activation signal and determining whether or not to subtract a voltage drop from a voltage reference of the inverter-based resource. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein activating the soft deactivation module further comprises: providing d- and q-axis virtual impedance voltage offsets to a voltage regulator of the inverter-based resource simultaneously with activating the soft deactivation module for as long as the inverter-based resource continues to operate, the d- and q-axis virtual impedance voltage offsets comprising one of a set of a magnitude and a phase angle or a set of two rectangular coordinates. ### Claim 13 A system for controlling an inverter-based resource connected to a power grid during a grid event, the system comprising: a controller comprising at least one processor, the at least one processor configured to perform a plurality of operations, the plurality of operations comprising: operating the inverter-based resource based on a first virtual impedance reference prior to the grid event, the first virtual impedance reference being used by the controller for determining a first virtual impedance of the inverter-based resource defining a first virtual reactance and first virtual resistance; receiving an indication of a start of the grid event that causes a change in the first virtual impedance reference to a second virtual impedance reference that is larger than the first virtual impedance reference; immediately after the change in the first virtual impedance reference, activating a soft activation module for outputting a second virtual impedance defining a second virtual reactance and a second virtual resistance that maintains a magnitude of the second virtual impedance at or above a magnitude of the second virtual impedance reference so as to reduce current in the inverter-based resource; and at a certain time period after activating the soft activation module, transitioning, via the controller, the second virtual reactance and the second virtual resistance to a virtual reactance and a virtual resistance defined by the change; and ensuring that once the soft activation module is activated, the magnitude of the second virtual impedance is maintained at or above the magnitude of the second virtual impedance reference so as to reduce current oscillations in the power grid for a duration of the grid event, wherein ensuring that once the soft activation module is activated, the magnitude of the second virtual impedance is maintained at or above the magnitude of the second virtual impedance reference further comprises: receiving, via the controller, an activation signal; and determining whether or not to subtract a voltage drop from a voltage reference of the inverter-based resource. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of operations further comprise: determining the virtual reactance reference as a product of a virtual inductance reference and a frequency value, the frequency value being one of a frequency commanded by the inverter-based resource or a static or dynamic estimate of a system frequency. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the first virtual impedance and the second virtual impedance each define a set of at least one of a magnitude and phase angle or resistive and reactive components, and wherein the first virtual impedance reference and the second virtual impedance reference each define at least one of a set of a reference magnitude and a reference phase angle or a virtual resistance reference and a virtual reactance reference. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein activating the soft activation module further comprises: determining the magnitude and the phase angle of the second virtual impedance from the reference magnitude and the reference phase angle of the virtual impedance reference after the change using a rectangular-to-polar conversion function; and transiently adjusting the phase angle of the second virtual impedance via a triggered integrator function with saturation. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein transiently adjusting the phase angle of the second virtual impedance via the triggered integrator function with saturation further comprises: ensuring that the phase angle of the second virtual impedance is set or reset to a pre-specified starting value immediately after a trigger signal is received by the triggered integrator to avoid current overshoot; and once the trigger signal is received, starting, via the triggered integrator, to ramp the phase angle of the second virtual impedance to the nominal value. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein activating the soft activation module further comprises: receiving, via a polar-to-rectangular block of the controller, the magnitude and the nominal value of the phase angle of the second virtual impedance; and converting the magnitude and the nominal value of the phase angle to rectangular coordinates to determine the second virtual impedance.