This paper presents an overview of the synchronization stability of converter-based resources under a wide range of grid conditions. The general grid-synchronization principles for grid-following and grid-forming modes are reviewed first. Then, the small-signal and transient stability of these two operating modes are discussed, and the design-oriented analyses are performed to illustrate the control impact. Lastly, perspectives on the prospects and challenges are shared.

With an increasing capacity in the converter-based generation to the modern power system, a growing demand for such systems to be more grid-friendly has emerged. Consequently, grid-forming converters have been proposed as a promising solution as they are compatible with the conventional synchronousmachine-based power system. However, most research focuses on the grid-forming control during normal operating conditions without considering the fundamental distinction between a gridforming converter and a synchronous machine when considering its short-circuit capability. The current limitation of grid-forming converters during fault conditions is not well described in the available literature and present solutions often aim to switch the control structure to a grid-following structure during the fault. Yet, for a future converter-based power system with no or little integration of synchronous machines, the converters need to preserve their voltage-mode characteristics and be robust toward weak-grid conditions. To address this issue, this article discusses the fundamental issue of grid-forming converter control during grid fault conditions and proposes a fault-mode controller which keeps the voltage-mode characteristics of the grid-forming structure while simultaneously limiting the converter currents to an admissible value. The proposed method is evaluated in a detailed simulation model and verified through an experimental test setup.

Grid-connected converters exposed to weak grid conditions and severe fault events are at risk of losing synchronism with the external grid and neighboring converters. This predicament has led to a growing interest in analyzing the synchronization mechanism and developing models and tools for predicting the transient stability of grid-connected converters. This paper presents a thorough review of the developed methods that describe the phenomena of synchronization instability of grid-connected converters under severe symmetrical grid faults. These methods are compared where the advantages and disadvantages of each method are carefully mapped. The analytical derivations and a detailed simulation model are verified through experimental tests of three case studies. Steady-state and quasi-static analysis can determine whether a given fault condition results in a stable or unstable operating point. However, without considering the dynamics of the synchronization unit, transient stability cannot be guaranteed. By comparing the synchronization unit to a synchronous machine, the damping of the phase-locked loop is identified. For accurate stability assessment, either nonlinear phase portraits or timedomain simulations must be performed. Until this point, no direct stability assessment method is available which consider the damping effect of the synchronization unit. Therefore, additional work is needed on this field in future research.

As grid-connected converters are at risk of losing synchronism with the grid when exposed to extreme voltage sags, this might jeopardize the stability during a fault and a converter's ability to comply with fault ride-through requirements. This paper investigates the synchronization stability of grid-tied converters during severe symmetrical faults with phase jumps. To achieve zero-voltage ride-through capability, a frozen PLL structure can be employed to guarantee stability during faults. However, as the frozen PLL approach is unaware of frequency drifts and phase-angle jumps in the grid voltage, its performance during non-constant frequency and phase is unknown. Therefore, this paper investigates and provides new insight into how the frozen PLL performs during phase jumps and reveals whether phase compensation should be utilized to improve the converter response during a severe symmetrical fault. It is disclosed, that even though phase compensation can improve the injected currents during a fault situation including large phase jumps, a non-compensated frozen PLL can inherently ensure stability and allow for zero-voltage ride-through capability at an acceptable current injection. Furthermore, the robustness of the frozen PLL has been analyzed through a comprehensive simulation study where three test cases have been experimentally verified, which confirms the presented findings.

Increased penetration of converter-based power generation has enforced system operators to require ancillary services from distributed generation in order to support the grid and improve the power system stability and reliability. Recent and next generation of grid codes require asymmetrical current provision during unbalanced faults for optimal voltage support. To address this, based on the highly used flexible positive and negative-sequence control method for current reference generation, this paper presents a general current reference strategy for asymmetrical fault control where a direct and explicit method is proposed to calculate power references and controller gains while simultaneously complying with converter current limitation and fulfilling the next generation of grid code requirements. The proposed method is tested for three distinct asymmetrical grid faults considering the requirements for dynamic voltage support of the recently revised German grid code as well as the next-generation grid codes. It is shown that the proposed method can improve the fault ride-through performance during asymmetrical faults compared to conventional solutions and comply with modern grid code requirements in a general and flexible manner.