• Journal of Power Electronics
• /
• v.16 no.5
• /
• pp.1706-1715
• /
• 2016

In this paper, a single phase modified switched-diode topology for both symmetrical and asymmetrical cascaded multilevel inverters is presented. It consists of a Modified Switched-Diode Unit (MSDU) and a Twin Source Two Switch Unit (TSTSU) to produce distinct positive voltage levels according to the operating modes. An additional H-bridge synthesizes a voltage waveform, where the voltage levels of either polarity have less Total Harmonic Distortion (THD). Higher-level inverters can be built by cascading MSDUs. A comparative analysis is done with other topologies. The proposed topology results in reductions in the number of power switches, losses, installation area, voltage stress and converter cost. The Nearest Level Control (NLC) technique is employed to generate the gating signals for the power switches. To verify the performance of the proposed structure, simulation results are carried out by a PSIM under both steady state and dynamic conditions. Experimental results are presented to validate the simulation results.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
• /
• v.67 no.7
• /
• pp.846-853
• /
• 2018

In this paper, an improved model predictive control (MPC) method is proposed, which reduces the amount of calculations caused by the increased number of candidate voltage vectors with the increased voltage level in multi-level inverters. When the conventional MPC method is used for multi-level inverters, all candidate voltage vectors are considered to predict the next-step current value. However, in the case that the sampling time is short, increased voltage level makes it difficult to consider the all candidate voltage vectors. In this paper, the improved MPC method which can get a fast transient response is proposed with a small amount of the computation by adding new candidate voltage vectors that are set to find the optimal vector. As a result, the proposed method shows faster transient response than the method that considers the adjacent vectors and reduces the computational burden compared to the method that considers the whole voltage vector. the performance of the proposed method is verified through simulations and experiments.

• Journal of international Conference on Electrical Machines and Systems
• /
• v.2 no.3
• /
• pp.321-329
• /
• 2013

A multilevel inverter employing a cascade transformer is proposed for a silent-discharge-tube ozone generating system. The proposed inverter consists of four full-bridge inverters and fourteen transformers which have a series-connected secondary. It can accurately control the amplitude of the output voltage; hereby, it improves a linear characteristic of the rate of ozone yielding. The power regulation characteristics and operational principle of the proposed system are explained from a practical point of view. High precision ozone generating performance of the proposed multilevel inverter is verified by computer-aided simulations and experiment results.

• Journal of international Conference on Electrical Machines and Systems
• /
• v.1 no.4
• /
• pp.448-456
• /
• 2012

This paper presents a multilevel inverter configuration which is designed by insertion of a bidirectional switch between capacitive voltage sources and a conventional H-bridge module. The modified inverter can produce a better sinusoidal waveform by increasing the number of output voltage levels. By serial connection of two modified H-bridge modules, it is possible to produce 9 output voltage levels including zero. There are 24 basic switching patterns with the 9 output voltage levels. Among the patterns, we select the 2 most efficient switching patterns to get a lower switching loss and minimum dv/dt stress. We then analyze characteristics of Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) of the output voltage with variation of input voltage by computer-aided simulations and experiments.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.10 no.6
• /
• pp.2277-2287
• /
• 2015

In recent times, multilevel inverters are given high priority in many large industrial drive applications. However, the reliability of multilevel inverters are mainly affected by the failure of power electronic switches. In this paper, open-switch and short-switch failure of multilevel inverters and its identification using a high performance diagnostic system is discussed. Experimental and simulation studies were carried out on five level cascaded H-Bridge multilevel inverter and its output voltage waveforms were analyzed at different switch fault cases and at different modulation index values. Salient frequency domain features of the output voltage signal were extracted using the discrete wavelet transform multi resolution signal decomposition technique. Real time application of the proposed fault diagnostic system was implemented through the LabVIEW software. Artificial neural network was trained offline using the Matlab software and the resultant network parameters were transferred to LabVIEW real time system. In the proposed system, it is possible to precisely identify the individual faulty switch (may be due to open-switch (or) short-switch failure) of multilevel inverters.

• Journal of Power Electronics
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.727-743
• /
• 2019

This paper presents a pulse-width modulation strategy to eliminate the common mode voltage (CMV) with reduced CMV spikes in multilevel inverters since a high CMV magnitude and its fast variations dv/dt result in bearing failure of motors, overvoltage at motor terminals, and electromagnetic interference (EMI). The proposed method only utilizes the zero CMV states in a space vector diagram and it is implemented by a carrier-based pulse-width modulation (CBPWM) method. This method is generalized for odd number levels of inverters including neutral-point-clamped (NPC) and cascaded H-bridge inverters. Then it is extended to the over-modulation mode. The over-modulation mode is implemented by using the two-limit trajectory principle to maintain linear control and to avoid look-up tables. Even though the CMV is eliminated, CMV spikes that can cause EMI and bearing current problems still exist due to the deadtime effect. As a result, the deadtime effect is analyzed. By taking the deadtime effect into consideration, the proposed method is capable of reducing CMV spikes. Simulation and experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.

• Journal of Power Electronics
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.296-303
• /
• 2013

This paper proposes a high efficiency three-phase cascaded phase shifted H-bridge multi-level inverter without DC/DC converters for grid-tied multi string photovoltaic (PV) applications. The cascaded H-bridge topology is suitable for PV applications since each PV module can act as a separate DC source for each cascaded H-bridge module. The proposed phase shifted H-bridge multi-level topology offers advantages such as operation at a lower switching frequency and a lower current ripple when compared to conventional two level topologies. It is also shown that low ripple sinusoidal current waveforms are generated with a unity power factor. The control algorithm permits the independent control of each DC link voltage with a maximum power point for each string of PV modules. The use of the controller area network (CAN) communication protocol for H-bridge multi-level inverters, along with localized PWM generation and PV voltage regulation are implemented. It is also shown that the expansion and modularization capabilities of the H-bridge modules are improved since the individual inverter modules operate more independently. The proposed topology is implemented for a three phase 240kW multi-level PV power conditioning system (PCS) which has 40kW H-bridge modules. The experimental results show that the proposed topology has good performance.

• Journal of Power Electronics
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.106-114
• /
• 2017

In this paper, the Selective Harmonic Mitigation-PWM (SHM-PWM) method is used in single-phase and three-phase Cascaded H-Bridge (CHB) inverters in order to fulfill different power quality standards such as EN 50160, CIGRE WG 36-05, IEC 61000-3-6 and IEC 61000-2-12. Non-equal DC link voltages are used to increase the degrees of freedom for the proposed SHM-PWM technique. In addition, it will be shown that the obtained solutions become continuous and without sudden changes. As a result, the look-up tables can be significantly reduced. The proposed three-phase modulation method can mitigate up to the 50th harmonic from the output voltage, while each switch has just one switching in a fundamental period. In other words, the switching frequency of the power switches are limited to 50 Hz, which is the lowest switching frequency that can be achieved in the multilevel converters, when the optimal selective harmonic mitigation method is employed. In single-phase mode, the proposed method can successfully mitigate harmonics up to the 50th, where the switching frequency is 150 Hz. Finally, the validity of the proposed method is verified by simulations and experiments on a 9-level CHB inverter.

• Journal of international Conference on Electrical Machines and Systems
• /
• v.1 no.4
• /
• pp.457-463
• /
• 2012

Cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverters shows a useful circuit configuration to increase the number of output voltage levels to obtain high quality output voltage. By applying the concept of the power of three to dc voltage sources, it can increase the number of output voltage levels effectively. To realize this concept, two approaches may be considered. One is to use independent dc voltage sources pre-scaled in the power of three, and the other is to use instantaneous dc voltage sources generated from a cascaded transformer, which has the secondary turn-ratios scaled in the power of three in sequence. A common feature in both approaches is to use the concept of the power of three for dc voltage sources, and a point of difference is whether it adopts a low frequency transformer or not, and where the transformer is located. According to the difference, application areas are limited and show different characteristics on THD of output voltages. We compare and analyze both approaches for their circuit configurations, voltage level generating method, THD characteristics of output voltage, efficiency, application areas, limitations, and other characteristics by experiments using 500 [W] prototypes when they generate a 27-level output voltage.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
• /
• v.27 no.12
• /
• pp.133-140
• /
• 2013

Cascaded H-Bridge multi-level inverters can be implemented through the series connection of single-phase modular power bridges. In recent years, multi-level inverters are becoming increasingly popular for high power applications due to its improved harmonic profile and increased power ratings. This paper presents a control method for balancing the dc-link voltage and ride-through enhancement, a modified pulse width-modulation Compensation algorithm of cascaded H-bridge multi-level inverters. During an under-voltage protection mechanism, causing the system to shut down within a few milliseconds after a power interruption in the main input sources. When a power interruption occurs finish, if the system is a large inertia restarting the load a long time is required. This paper suggests modifications in the control algorithm in order to improve the sag ride-through performance of ac inverter. The new proposed strategy recommends maintaining the DC-link voltage constant at the nominal value during a sag period, experimental results are presented.