Next-Generation DC Power Flow Controller Toward
Future DC Grids: A Disruptive Module-Based Design
Xiaohui QIN1, Mingxin ZHAO1, Yuqi FAN1, Hongyi ZHANG2, Miao ZHU2
2024 9th Asia Conference on Power and Electrical Engineering (ACPEE) | 979-8-3503-0963-8/24/$31.00 ©2024 IEEE | DOI: 10.1109/ACPEE60788.2024.10532232
1
China Electric Power Research Institute Co.,Ltd
2
School of Eletronic Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240, China
*E-mail: zhanghongyi@sjtu.edu.cn
Abstract—DC power flow controllers (DCPFCs) could
effectively enhance the controllability of power flows in meshed DC
grids. Evolved from traditional DCPFCs, modular DCPFCs
(MDCPFC) offer a module-based architecture, which has the
potential to disrupt the conventional application-oriented topology
design method. Concentrated on this emerging technology, this paper
first demonstrates the implementation principles of MDCPFCs via
analyses of a capacitor-based MDCPFC. Thereafter, key technical
challenges and future development trends are discussed from three
layers, i.e., the topology layer, the control layer, and the system-level
operation layer. Although still at its early stage of development,
MDCPFCs possess wide application potential and is an important
direction for the development of next-generation DCPFCs.
Keywords— dc grids, dc power flow control, modular, disruptive
technology
I. INTRODUCTION
In recent years, the global energy structure has seen an
accelerated alteration, where the installed capacity of
renewable energy bases has been witnessed with a profound
increase. In this context, the multi-terminal DC transmission
grid could offer a flexible and reliable solution for the
interconnection of regional power grids and remoted renewable
energy bases [1-4].
For complex meshed DC grids, the power flow of each line
is passively determined by its resistance and node voltages.
Since the number of voltage nodes which could actively
determine power flows is limited, control degrees of freedom
of power flows in meshed DC grids are also limited. For
example, referred to Fig. 1, in the 4-terminal DC grid which
are composed of 6 transmission lines, there are two lines whose
power flows could not be controlled independently. As for
these uncontrollable lines, there may be risks of overloading,
which many harness the operation safety and reliability of the
entire system. Therefore, the auxiliary device for meshed DC
grids, i.e., the DC power flow controller (DCPFC), is proposed
in [5]. It controls the power flow of the transmission line by
serially inserting a variable voltage source or a variable resistor.
Through the employment of DCPFCs, the controllability of
power flows of the entire DC grid could be enhanced. As of
now, a large majority of research efforts have been devoted to
the design of topologies of DCPFCs, where four major types
could be classified.
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P1
V1 V3
P3
VSC1 VSC3
Bus1 Bus3
P2 V2 V4 P4
VSC2 VSC4
Bus2 Bus4
Fig.1 Illustration of power flow control challenge of a 4-terminal DC grid.
1) Variable resistor type. It controls the power flow of
transmission line by inserting a variable resistor. Although the
principle and implementation of this type of DCPFC is simple,
it could only decrease the power flow of line, and introduce
large thermal losses [5].
2) DC Transformer. It is designed for the power flow
control scenario where two dc links of different voltage levels
are interconnected. However, since the device needs to
withstand full rated power, its implementation would be
relatively expensive [6].
3) Serial adjustable voltage source (SAVS) type. It controls
the power flow by serially connecting an adjustable voltage
source. In order to realize the power balance of device, an
external power link is necessitated [7].
4) Interline DC power flow controller (IDCPFC). It is
inserted into two or multiple DC transmission lines, exhibiting
a multi-port topology characteristic. To illustrate its installation
configuration, a 4-terminal DC with a triple-line IDCPFC is
depicted in Fig. 2. Through regulations of IDCPFC, power
flows could be transferred between these lines in a
predetermined manner [8]. Compared to its counterparts,
IDCPFC features a compact structure, cost-effectiveness, and
high degree of control freedoms, which confer notable
advantages. References [8-10] reported the structure and
operation principles of inductor-based IDCPFC, where
inductive components are employed for capacitive energy
coupling. References [11, 12] focused on the capacitor-based
IDCPFC, which could be viewed as the dual topology for the
inductor-based type. In [13], a dual-line topology for IDCPFC
based on modular multi-level converters (MMC) is proposed.
DC voltage components of MMC arms are used for power flow
296
control, while AC components are used to excite circulation
currents for power balancing of MMC arms.
Given the diverse variety of topologies that have been
proposed to date, the concept of developing a generalized
paradigm for topology construction has garnered significant
attention from researchers. As such, in [14], a modular
topology architecture is proposed and verified. To derive this
architecture, firstly, the module-based interpretation of pre-
existed topologies is conducted. This is realized by classifying
and separating basic topology units based on their circuit
functions. Subsequently, a modular extension methodology is
designed for these units to derive multi-line IDCPFC
topologies. Following these two steps, the modular architecture
is developed. IDCPFCs based on this architecture are denoted
as modular DCPFCs (MDCPFC) in this paper. The concept
line topologies, interfacing ports of different lines are supposed
to independent of each other.
2) An internal energy buffer. This module functions as an
internal hub to balance the power of each port. It could also be
regarded as an intermediate medium for the transfer of currents
between multiple lines.
The aforementioned points serve as the foundation of
dividing n-line DCPFCs into functional modules. Building on
this, the modular topology architecture for MDCPFCs could be
established as depicted in Fig.3. The interface unit i is
connected in series between the pi and ci terminals of line i.
The bus a and bus b inside the device provide the power flow
path between each interface unit and the energy buffer.

Bus0
Busb
Busa
and technology of MDCPFC, although in the early stage of its
development, has already demonstrated disruptive potential for a0 Energy
industry applications. On the one hand, it offers a top-level I1 a1 b0 Buffer
design compliance, allowing topologies with distinctive energy Line1 p1 Part1 b1 c0
transfer mechanisms could be standardized into a uniform form. c1
On the other hand, it has the potential to disrupt the previous I2 a2 p0
application-oriented design of IDCPFCs, where topologies are Part2
Line2 p2 b2
tailored to a specific application scenario. Instead, through its c2
module-based architecture, the flexibility of IDCPFC topology
could be significantly enhanced to accommodate DC grids of
arbitrary topologies.
In an
In this paper, efforts are devoted to this disruptive
Line n pn Part n bn
technology. First the principle of module-based topology is
cn
detailed. Then, other than the inductor-based MDCPFC which
has been elaborated in [14], the topology and operation Fig.3 Generalized topology structure of MDCPFC.
principles of its capacitor-based counterpart is given and
elaborated. Additionally, future trends in the development of III. ANALYSES AND VALIDATION OF CAPACITOR-BASED
MDCPFCs are discussed. MDCPFC
P1
V1 V3
P3
Based on the topology architecture shown in Fig.3, in this
VSC3
section, a detailed topology, the capacitor-based full-bridge
VSC1
MDCPFC, is given, as is depicted in Fig.4. Steady-state
Bus1 Bus3
IDCPFC
modelling and simulation verifications are elaborated.

P2 V2 V4 P4

VSC2 DCPFC VSC4

Bus2 Bus4

Fig.2 4-terminal DC grid embedded with a triple-line IDCPFC.

II. MODULAR TOPOLOGY ARCHITECTURE
To elucidate the modular topology of MDCPFC, it is
essential to first analyze and deconstruct each key functional
unit. An MDCPFC connected in series between n lines is
equivalent to n adjustable voltage sources with energy coupling.
By controlling the port voltage of each adjustable voltage
source, the MDCPFC could actively regulate the voltage drop
across its series-connected lines, thereby achieving the
objective of current regulation.
As a result, in the n-line MIDCPFC, there shall exist:
1) An interfacing port. This module is directly connected in
series with the line, controlling its current by superimposing an
adjustable DC voltage. In order to construct expandable multi-
Fig.4 Detailed topology of capacitor-based full-bridge MDCPFC
A. Operation Principles
This topology features a full-bridge based interfacing port.
The combination of the interfacing port and the capacitor-
based energy buffer could realize bidirectional control over
bidirectional power flows, namely, the four-quadrant operation.
Three typical working modes are defined hereby:
1) Increase of power flow. In this case, the output voltage
value of the H-bridge is negative relative to the capacitor
voltage;
2) Decrease of power flow. In this case, the output volage of
the H-bridge is positive to the capacitor voltage.

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 3) Bypass state. In this case, the output voltage of the H- from Line 1 to the capacitor. The remaining lines do not
bridge is zero and the capacitor is bypassed from the DC line. participate in the energy exchange by bypassing the energy
buffer.
A particular case is chosen to elucidate the principles of the
capacitor-based full-bridge MDCPFC in detail. In this case, Sub-mode 2 (Refer to Fig.5(b)): QB2 and QC2 conduct and
both I1, I2 and I3 are positive. The control objective is to Line 2 is selected to exchange energy with the energy buffer.
decrease the power flows of Line 1 and Line 2. Consequently, The output voltage of port 2 (between nodes p2 and c2) is
the power flow of Line 3 will be increased to realize the overall positive relative to the capacitor voltage. Energy is transferred
power balance of the device. The operation of the capacitor- from Line 2 to the capacitor. The remaining lines do not
based full-bridge MDCPFC adopts the same multi-mode participate in the energy
mechanism as elaborated in [12]. In an entire switching period,
there are three sub-modes operating in complementary with Sub-mode 3 (Refer to Fig.5(c)): QA3 and QD3 conduct and
each other. Line 3 is selected to exchange energy with the energy buffer.,
capacitor C is connected to Line 3 with positive voltage,
Va Vb V4
Va Vb V4 Energy is transferred from the capacitor to Line 3. The
母线 b
母线 a

母线4

remaining lines do not participate in the energy

母线 b
母线 a

母线4
a0
+ iC a0
VC - C iC
B. Analyses of power flow control ability
+
VC - C

b0
a1
b0 In this section, the power flow control ability of the
QA1 QC1 b1
QA1 QC1
a1
b1 capacitor-based full-bridge MDCPFC is analyzed within the
I1 Vp1 DA1 DC1 I1 Vp1
framework of a 4-terminal DC grid as depicted in Fig.6. The
Line1 p1 QB1 QD1 c1 DA1
Line1 p1 QB1
DC1
QD1 c1 MDCPFC is installed in Line 1, Line 2, and Line 3. Three
DB1 DD1 equivalent series-connected voltages are VC1, VC2 and VC3,
respectively.
DB1 DD1
a2
b2 a2
QA2 QC2 I4 b2
QA2 QC2 I4 V1 R14 L14
I2 Vp2 DA2 DC2 I2 Vp2 DA2 DC2
Line2 p2 QB2 QD2 c2
c2 VSC1 I1
Line2 p2 QB2

Line1
QD2
DB2 DD2 R12 V4
DB2 DD2
a3
b3 a3 L12
QA3 QC3
QA3 QC3 b3 V2 VC1
I3 Vp3 DA3 DC3 R24 L24
I3 Vp3
Line3 p3 QB3 c3 DA3 DC3 VSC2 VSC4
QD3
Line3 p3 QB3 c3 Line2
QD3 I2 VC2
DB3 DD3
DB3 DD3 R23

(a) (b) L23 VC3

Line3
V3
Va Vb V4
MDCPFC
VSC3 R34 L34
母线 b
母线 a

母线4

+
a0
iC I3
VC - C
Fig.6 The 4-terminal DC grid with 3-line MDCPFC
b0
a1 There are 6 equations for the DC grid:
QA1 QC1 b1

I1 Vp1  1 1 1   V2 V4 + Vc1 
P1 V12 
DA1 DC1
Line1 p1 QB1 QD1 c1 = + +  − V1  +  (1)
DB1 DD1
 R14 R24 R34   R12 R14 
a2  1 1   V1 V4 + Vc 2 
QA2 QC2 b2 I4 = P2 V22  +  − V2  +  (2)
I2 Vp2 DA2 DC2  R24 R23   R12 R14 
Line2 p2 QB2 QD2 c2
 1 1   V2 V4 + Vc3 
DB2 DD2 = P3 V32  +  − V3  +  (3)
a3
b3
 R23 R34   R23 R34 
QA3 QC3
V1 − Vc1 − V4
I3 Vp3 DA3 DC3 I1 = (4)
Line3 p3 QB3 QD3 c3
R14
DB3 DD3 V − Vc 2 − V4
I2 = 2 (5)
(c) R24
Fig.5 Example of operation of 3-line shared inductor-based MDCPFC V −V −V
I3 = 3 c3 4 (6)
Sub-mode 1 (Refer to Fig.5(a)): QB1 and QC1 conduct and R34
Line 1 is selected to exchange energy with the energy buffer. Furthermore, consider the constraints within the capacitor-
The output voltage of port 1 (between nodes p1 and c1) is based MDCPFC: The energy center C needs to satisfy the volt-
positive relative to the capacitor voltage. Energy is transferred ampere balance. Hence we have:

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 0
− I1 D1 − I 2 D2 + I 3 D3 = (7)
The equivalent series voltage for each line can be obtained
by averaging the switching cycles

I/A
VC1 = − D1VC

VC 2 = − D2VC (8)
V = D V
 C3 3 C
Combining (7)(8) gives: (a) Waveforms of line currents

0
I1Vc1 + I 2Vc 2 + I 3Vc 3 = (9)

Equation (9) is a complementary equation to (1)-(6).
Combine these 7 equations, the steady state model for the
entire system could be derived. In total, there are 7 equations
and 9 variables (V1, V2, V3, I12, I1, I2, I23, I34, VC1, VC2, VC3) in
the entire system. In order to determine the unique solution of
the system, it is necessary to set the values of two variables.
Therefore, this three-line inter-capacitor-based full bridge
MDCPFC could provide two control degrees of freedom of
power flow control for the system.
C. Simulation verification
In order to verify the feasibility of the topology, a 4-
terminal DC grid model is built in MATLAB/Simulink, where
the triple-line capacitor-based full bridge MDCPFC is
embedded. The system configuration is the same as shown in
Fig.6. Reference directions of electrical quantities are also
given in Fig.6. System parameters are shown in Table I.
TABLE I PARAMETERS OF THE 4-TERMINAL DC GRID
FOR SIMULATION
VSCi 1 2 3 4
P/MW 300 120 200
V/kV - - - 200
Line i 1 2 3 4
R/Ω 2 1.5 2 1
L/mH 2 1.5 2 1
As for the 4-terminal DC grid without the installation of
MDCPFC, the power flow of each line at steady state is shown
in Table II. In the simulation, MDCPFC is put into operation at
t=1s. Refence values are set for currents of Line 1 and Line 2
as I1=1.2kA and I1=1.3kA respectively. At t=2s, a step change
is introduced to the system, where the output power of VSC3 is
jumped from 200 MW to 240 MW.
TABLE II POWER FLOW OF THE SYSTEM WITHOUT MDCPFC
Line i 1 2 3 4
I/kA 1.056 1.123 0.891 -0.428
Simulation waveforms are shown in Fig. 7. As can be seen,
the capacitor-based full-bridge MDCPFC could track reference
values with zero steady-state error. After the step change is
introduced into the system, currents of Line 1 and Line 2 could
maintain their reference values due to the control of MDCPFC.
However, since the current of Line 3 is passively determined, it
will vary to a new steady-state value.
Voltage/V
(b) Waveforms of capacitor voltages
Fig.7 Simulation waveforms of capacitor-based full bridge MDCPFC.
IV. FUTURE TERNDS OF DEVELOPMENT OF MDCPFCS
In this section, key technical challenges and future trends
of development of MDCPFCs are discussed from three aspects:
topology design, modelling and control, and systematic
optimized operation strategy.
A. Formation of topology family
The topology design serves as the cornerstone for the
application of MDCPFCs. Currently, DC grids are expected to
have a significant share in future power systems at all stages
from electricity generation to consumption. Therefore, from the
application-driven design perspective, there is an urgent need
to form a topology family of MDCPFCs which cover a wide
- range of voltage ratings. However, at present, the majority of
existed literatures are dedicated to the design of simple switch-
5
mode topologies, whose scalability towards high-voltage
applications is not sufficiently ideal. To boost the voltage
1 ratings of MDCPFCs, it is necessary to introduce high-voltage
1 topology techniques such as the clamped multi-level technique,
the modular multi-level techniques.
Meanwhile, as a device connected in series with the DC
line, the topology of DCPFC must ensure high reliability,
which is primarily reflected in two aspects: Firstly, the
topology should be capable of sustaining high DC transmission
currents over an extended period and should also withstand the
high transient currents caused by faults for short durations. To
enhance the reliability of topology in this aspect, parallel
connection of modules or the introduction of interleaving
technology could be considered. Second, the topology of
5 MDCPFC is supposed to possess the capability to cut DC
-0.1 faults. Given that MDCPFC is connected in series with the DC
line, its system wiring method is analogous to that of a DC
circuit breaker. Therefore, by integrating the functions of
power flow control and fault protection, the operational
reliability of the power flow controller can be further enhanced.
B. High-performance dynamic control design
As a typical multi-input multi-output (MIMO) system, the
control of a multi-line DC power flow controller (MDCPFC) is
inherently complex. The power flows between lines are

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dynamically coupled, exhibiting intricate dynamic behaviors.
Therefore, it is necessary to design a decoupled control method
to improve the dynamic performance of MDCPFC. So far, few
research has focused on this issue. What is more, since the
MDCPFC is supposed to operate flexibly between multiple
working conditions, there is an emerging need to develop a
high-performance control strategy to realize seamless transition
between these conditions.
In addition, the dynamics of MDCPFCs could further
couple with the dynamics of voltage source converters (VSCs),
reshaping the dynamic characteristics of the entire system. In
this context, it is of great value to unveil the mechanisms that
are underneath this coupling effect. Based on this, stabilization
control methods could be appropriately designed.
C. Opmitized system-level operations
To begin with, in order to achieve the optimal configuration
of the entire dc system, the placement and configuration for
MDCPFCs is supposed to considered seriously. For any DC
power grid, determining how to economically configure a
DCPFC to minimize device stress and cost while ensuring a
high degree of regulatory freedom is of primary concern.
MDCPFCs can introduce multiple control degrees of
freedom of power flows into DC grids. Therefore, the steady-
state mathematical model of MDCPFC-embedded DC grids
features with increased free variables, bringing various
possibilities to the optimization of system-level operation.
Optimizing power flows in DC systems via the introduction of
MDCPFC has garnered wider attention among researchers.
Currently, a large portion of research efforts have been focused
on the optimization of network losses. But it is also worthwhile
to emphasize that there are some other key factors which have
not been considered yet, such as the optimization of power
sharing between VSCs, the optimization of utilization rate of
renewable energies, and the optimization of current margins of
the entire system.
V. CONCLUSIONS
In this paper, a potential disruptive technology, MDCPFC is
discussed. Key conclusions are summarized as follows:
1) The modular design offers a top-level design compliance
for distinctive topologies to be standardized into a uniform
form.
2) A n-line MDCPFC could introduce n-1 control degrees of
freedom of power flows into dc grids.
3) Research of MDCPFCs is still in its infancy. There is still
considerable room for development in the level of topology,
control and system-level operations.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work is supported by the Science and Technology
Project of State Grid Power Company Limited (Research on
the significant impact of potentially disruptive technologies on
the mature form of new power systems) (Project No. 1400-
202255271A-2-0-XG, Contract No.
SGSHDK00HZJS2200482).
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