• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.472-480
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• 2009

This paper describes the overmodulative SVPWM technique and harmonics analyses of three phase NPC type three-level inverter to the modulation index. Three phase NPC type three-level inverter adopted SVPWM to extend the linear region to 0.907, moreover, the following voltage compensation using Fourier series was adopted in the region of overmodulation to make it work to six-step level. PD type of multi carrier method is used with the double Fourier series for the analysis of output power harmonics characteristic. Simulation was performed by PSIM, and the harmonics characteristics of 3-level inverter in each region are analyzed. The side band harmonics of carrier frequency are dominant in the linear region, but these harmonic components are decreased as the inveter goes to overmodulation region, and the harmonics due to the fundamental frequency is increased gradually at the same time. The harmonic analyses are verified through the simulation and experimental results under the same condition.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.481-490
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• 2009

This paper describes a SVPWM overmodulation scheme of NPC type three-level inverter for traction drives which extends the modulation index from MI=0.907 to unity. SVPWM strategy is organized by two operation modes of under-modulation and over-modulation. The switching states under the under-modulation modes are determined by dividing them with two linear regions and one hybrid region the same as the conventional three-level inverter. On the other hand, under the over-modulation mode, they are generated by doing it with two over-modulation regions the same as the conventional over-modulation strategy of a two level inverter. Following the description of over-modulation scheme of a three-level inverter, the system description of a vector controlled induction motor for traction drives has been discussed. Finally, the validity of the proposed modulation algorithm has been verified through simulation and experimental results.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.738-750
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• 2017

In this paper, carrier-based pulse width modulation (CBPWM), space vector PWM (SVPWM) and reduced switching losses PWM (RSLPWM) for the three-level neutral point clamped (NPC) inverter are introduced. In the case of the neutral point (NP) potential (NPP) offset, an asymmetric disposition PWM (ASPDPWM) strategy is proposed, which can output PWM sequences correctly and suppress the lower order harmonics of the inverter effectively. An NPP balance strategy based on carrier based PWM (CBPWM) is analyzed. A hybrid modulation strategy combining RSLPWM and the NPP balance based on CBPWM is proposed, and hysteresis control is adopted to switch between the two modulation strategies. An experimental prototype of the three-level NPC inverter is built. The effectiveness of the hybrid modulation is verified with a resistance-inductance load and a permanent magnetic synchronous motor (PMSM) load, respectively. The experimental results show that reduced switching losses and an acceptable NPP can be effectively achieved in the hybrid modulation strategy.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.583-590
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• 2011

Three-level NPC inverters have been put into practical use for years especially in high voltage high power grids. This paper researches three-level active power filters (APFs). In this paper a mathematical model in the d-q coordinates is presented for 3-phase 3-wire NPC APFs. The deadbeat control scheme is obtained by using state equations. Canceling the delay of one sampling period and providing the predictive value of the harmonic current is a key problem of the deadbeat control. Based on this deadbeat control, the predictive output current value is obtained by the state observer. The delay of one sampling period is remedied in this digital control system by the state observer. The predictive harmonic command current value is obtained by the repetitive predictor synchronously. The repetitive predictor can achieve a better prediction of the harmonic current with the same sampling frequency, thus improving the overall performance of the system. The experiment results indicate that the steady-state accuracy and the dynamic response are both satisfying when the proposed control scheme is implemented.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.291-296
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• 2022

Capacitor is one of the reliability-critical components in power converters. The lifetime of the capacitor decreases as the operating temperature increases, and power losses caused by capacitor current are the main cause of the capacitor temperature increase. Therefore, various studies are being conducted to improve the lifetime of the capacitor by reducing the current of DC-link capacitors. In this study, pulse width modulation methods proposed for improving the lifetime of DC-link capacitors of the three-level NPC inverter are comparatively analyzed. The lifetime evaluation of the DC-link capacitor under different modulation methods is performed at component level first and then system level by considering all capacitors by applying Monte Carlo simulation. Furthermore, their effects on the efficiency and THD of the output current are also considered.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.72-77
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• 2015

Three-level diode clamped multilevel inverter, generally known as neutral point clamped (NPC) inverter, has an inherent problem causing neutral point (NP) potential variation. Until now, the NP potential problem of variation has been investigated and lots of solutions have also been proposed. This paper presents a neutral point voltage control technology using the anti-windup PI controller and offset technology of PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) to control the variation of NPC 3-phase three-level inverter neutral point voltage. And the proposed algorithm is tested and verified using a PLL (Phase Locked Loop) in order to synchronize the phase voltage from the line voltage of grid. It significantly improves the voltage balancing under a solar fluctuation conditions of the inverter. Experimental results show the good performance and effectiveness of the proposed method.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.369-372
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• 2017

This paper presents a control scheme for three-level NPC inverters using small DC-link capacitors. To reduce the inverter system volume, the film capacitor with small capacitance is a promising candidate for the DC-link. When small capacitors are applied in a three level inverter, however, the AC ripple component increases in the DC-link NPV (neutral point voltage). In addition, the three-phase input grid currents are distorted when the DC-link capacitors are fed by diode rectifier. In this paper, the additional circuit is applied to compensate for small capacitor systems defect, and the offset voltage injection method is presented for the stabilization in NPV. These two proposed processes evidently ensure the quality improvement of the input grid currents and output load currents. The feasibility of the proposed method is verified by experimental results.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2109-2118
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• 2016

Based on the space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) theory, this paper realizes an easier SVPWM strategy, which is equivalently implemented by CBSPWM with zero-sequence voltage injection. The traditional SVPWM strategy has no effect on controlling the neutral-point voltage balance. In order to solve the neutral-point voltage unbalance problem for neutral-point-clamped (NPC) three-level inverters, this paper proposes a neutral-point voltage balance controller. The proposed controller realizes controlling the neutral-point voltage balance by dynamically calculating the offset superimposed to the three-phase modulation waves of an equivalent SVPWM strategy. Compared with the traditional SVPWM strategy, the proposed neutral-point voltage balance controller has a strong ability to balance the neutral-point voltage, has good steady-state performance, improves the output waveforms quality and is easy for digital implementation. An experiment has been carried out on a NPC three-level inverter prototype based on a digital signal processor-complex programmable logic device (DSP-CPLD). The obtained experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed neutral-point voltage balance controller.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2013.07a
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• pp.112-113
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• 2013

본 논문에서는 부트스트랩 게이트 드라이브 회로가 적용된 3-레벨 NPC 인버터의 전동기 저속 운전에 적용하기 위한 PWM 스위칭 전략을 제안한다. 3-레벨 NPC 인버터를 이용하여 전동기를 제어할 경우, 일반적으로 구현의 편리성 때문에 CBPWM이 주로 사용된다. CBPWM 중 Unipolar 방법이 주로 사용되지만 부트스트랩 회로를 적용한 3-레벨 NPC 인버터의 전동기 저속 운전 시 부트스트랩 캐패시터 방전에 의한 전압 감소 크기가 증가한다. 캐패시터 전압이 정상적인 인버터 동작을 위한 한계 전압 이하로 감소하면 정상적인 제어는 불가능하다. 따라서 본 논문에서는 부트스트랩 회로가 적용된 3-레벨 NPC 인버터의 전동기 저속 운전에 적용하기 위한 PWM 스위칭 전략에 대해 제안 하였으며 시뮬레이션을 통하여 그 타당성을 증명하였다.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2008.06a
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• pp.385-387
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• 2008

Three-level Diode Clamped Multilevel Inverter, generally known as Neutral-Point-Clamped(NPC) inverter, has an inherent problem causing Neutral Point(NP) potential variation. Until now, in many literatures NP potential problem has been investigated and lots of solutions have also been proposed. However, in the case of NP potential variation was rarely published from the standpoint of reliability. In this paper, NP potential is analytically investigated both normal and fault conditions under carrier based PWM. Subsequently, relation between fault detection time and size of capacitor is analyzed. This information is explored by simulation results, which contribute to enhance the reliability of the NPC inverter system.