Control problems in electric energy processing are characterized by substantial uncertainty and nonlinearity due to:
1) switching mode of operation (in power electronic converters),
2) constitutive properties of components (in electric machines and drive systems), and
3) system size (in generation and transmission systems).

Voltages and currents in power networks, electric drives and power electronic converters are generally periodic, but often non-sinusoidal. Dynamics of interest for analysis and control are often those of deviations from periodic behavior.

This talk will describe recent progress in a research program that aims to develop a set of tools that would enable frequency-selective modeling, simulation and control. Various forms of frequency selective analysis have deep roots in energy engineering in the form of phasor-based dynamical models, and the main advantage of our analytical approach is its systematic derivation of phasor dynamics. We illustrate the capabilities of the dynamic phasor framework on examples from power electronics (active filters and boost DC/DC converters), electric drives (dynamics of unbalanced machines), and power systems (thyristor-controlled series capacitor and asymmetric faults). Each of these application areas, in turn, extend and enrich the basic concept, and establishes connections with physical and system-theoretic notions like passivity and describing functions.

Biography

Alex M. Stankovic obtained the Dipl. Ing. degree from the University of Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1982, the M.S. degree from the same institution in 1986, and the Ph.D. degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1993, all in electrical engineering. He has been with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northeastern University, Boston since 1993, presently as an Associate Professor. Dr. Stankovic is a member of IEEE Power Engineering, Power Electronics, Control Systems, Circuits and Systems, Industrial Electronics, and Industry Applications Societies. He serves as an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Control System Technology, and as Chair of the Technical Committee on Power Electronics and Power Systems of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society.