A Comparative Study of Two Control Strategies for DC-DC Boost Converter Used in DC Microgrids

It is always challenging to choose a suitable control strategy to regulate the output voltage of a dc-dc boost converter in dc microgrids (MGs). Indeed, besides the standard requirements on dynamic performance and robustness to parameter variations and environmental nuisances, the controller should handle the power converter’s intrinsic non-minimum phase (NMP) behaviour and the stochastic load variations. This paper compares two typical control strategies: a linear controller-based averaged current-mode control (LC-ACMC) and a finite control set model predictive controller-based voltage mode control (FCS-MPC-VMC). The converter model and control strategies are developed in Matlab/Simulink environment. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons are made in circuit modelling methods, controller design complexity, and dynamic performance. The simulation results show that LC-ACMC is a good trade-off between dynamic performance and controller design complexity although it cannot operate on a wide operating range. However, FCS-MPC-VMC has higher dynamic performance and can operate in continuous conduction mode (CCM) and discontinuous conduction (DCM).