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http://dx.doi.org/10.6113/JPE.2016.16.2.522

A New Scheme for Nearest Level Control with Average Switching Frequency Reduction for Modular Multilevel Converters  

Park, Yong-Hee (Department of Electrical Engineering, Myongji University)
Kim, Do-Hyun (Department of Electrical Engineering, Myongji University)
Kim, Jae-Hyuk (Department of Electrical Engineering, Myongji University)
Han, Byung-Moon (Department of Electrical Engineering, Myongji University)
Publication Information
Journal of Power Electronics / v.16, no.2, 2016 , pp. 522-531 More about this Journal
Abstract
This paper proposes a new NLC (Nearest Level Control) scheme for MMCs (Modular Multilevel Converters), which offers voltage ripple reductions in the DC capacitor of the SM (Sub-Module), the output voltage harmonics, and the switching losses. The feasibility of the proposed NLC was verified through computer simulations. Based on these simulation results, a hardware prototype of a 10kVA, DC-1000V MMC was manufactured in the lab. Experiments were conducted to verify the feasibility of the proposed NLC in an actual hardware environment. The experimental results were consistent with the results obtained from the computer simulations.
Keywords
DC voltage balancing; HVDC (High-Voltage DC transmission); IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor); MMC (Modular Multi-level Converter); NLC (Nearest Level Control); Redundancy sub-modules; SM (Sub-Module);
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