• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.171-180
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• 2008

One of the major problems in electric power quality is the harmonic contents. There are several methods of indicating the quantity of harmonic contents. The most widely used measure is the total harmonic distortion (THD). Various switching techniques have been used in static converters to reduce the output harmonic content. This paper presents and compares the two harmonic optimization techniques, known as optimal minimization of the total harmonic distortion (OMTHD) technique and optimized harmonic stepped-waveform (OHSW) technique used in multi-level inverters with unequal dc sources. Both techniques are very effective and efficient for improving the quality of the inverter output voltage. First, we describe briefly the cascaded H-bridge multi-level inverter structure. Then, we present the switching algorithm for the inverter based on OHSW and OMTHD techniques. Finally, the results obtained for the two techniques are analyzed and compared. The results verify the effectiveness of the both techniques in multi-level voltage-source inverter with non-equal dc sources, clarifying the advantages of each technique.

• Journal of international Conference on Electrical Machines and Systems
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.77-83
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• 2012

In this paper, an optimal solution to the harmonic reduction problem in a cascaded multilevel inverter with non-equal DC sources using a genetic algorithm (GA) is presented. Switching angles are generated for different values of modulation index by the proposed algorithm, considering minimum voltage total harmonic distortion (THD) whereas selected harmonics are controlled within the allowable limits at all desired modulation indices including the point of discontinuity. Results are stored as a look-up table to be used to control the inverter for a certain operating point. The computed angles are used in a simulated circuit in Matlab\Simulink to validate the results.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.292-301
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• 2014

This paper presents a new configuration for a three-phase multilevel voltage source inverter. The main bridge is built from a classical three-phase two-level inverter and three bidirectional switches. A variable DC-link employing two unequal DC voltage supplies and four switches is connected to the main circuit in such a way that the proposed inverter produces four levels in the output voltage waveform. In order to obtain the desired switching gate signals, the fundamental frequency staircase modulation technique is successfully implemented. Furthermore, the proposed structure is extended and compared with other types of multilevel inverter topologies. The comparison shows that the proposed inverter requires a smaller number of power components. For a given number of voltage steps N, the proposed inverter requires N/2 DC voltage supplies and N+12 switches connected with N+7 gate driver circuits, while diode clamped or flying capacitor inverters require N-1 DC voltage supplies and 6(N-1) switches connected with 6(N-1) gate driver circuits. A prototype of the introduced configuration has been manufactured and the obtained simulation and experimental results ensure the feasibility of the proposed topology and the validity of the implemented modulation technique.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.334-345
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• 2017

In order to meet the increasing needs of the hybrid energy source system for electric vehicles, which demand bidirectional power flow capability with a wide-voltage-conversion range, a bidirectional three-level DC-DC converter and some control strategies for hybrid energy source electric vehicles are proposed. The proposed topology is synthesized from Buck and Boost three-level DC-DC topologies with a high voltage-gain and non-extreme duty cycles, and the bidirectional operation principle is analyzed. In addition, the inductor current ripple can be effectively reduced within the permitted duty cycle range by the coordinated control between the current fluctuation reduction and the non-extreme duty cycles. Furthermore, benefitting from duty cycle disturbance control, series-connected capacitor voltages can also be well balanced, even with the discrepant rise and fall time of power switches and the somewhat unequal capacitances of series-connected capacitors. Finally, experiment results of the bidirectional operations are given to verify the validity and feasibility of the proposed converter and control strategies. It is shown to be suitable for hybrid energy source electric vehicles.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.811-818
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• 2011

Modulation strategies for multilevel inverters have typically focused on synthesizing a desired set of sinusoidal voltage waveforms using a fixed number of dc voltage sources. This makes the average power drawn from different dc voltage sources unequal and time varying. Therefore, the dc voltage sources are unregulated and require that corrective control action be incorporated. In this paper, first two new selections are proposed for determining the dc voltage sources values for asymmetric cascaded multilevel inverters. Then two modulation strategies are proposed for the dc power balancing of these types of multilevel inverters. Using the charge balance control methods, the power drawn from all of the dc sources are balanced except for the dc source used in the first H-bridge. The proposed control methods are validated by simulation and experimental results on a single-phase 21-level inverter.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1051-1066
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• 2018

This study presents a novel step-up switched capacitor multilevel inverter (SCMLI) structure. The proposed structure comprises 2 unequal DC voltage sources, 4 capacitors, and 14 unidirectional power switches. It can synthesize 21 output voltage levels. The important features of the proposed topology are its self-voltage boosting and inherent capacitor voltage balancing capabilities. Furthermore, a cascaded structure of the proposed SCMLI with an asymmetric DC voltage source configuration is presented. The proposed topology and its cascaded structure are compared with conventional and other recently developed topologies in terms of different aspects, such as the required components to produce a specific number of output voltage levels, the total standing voltage (TSV) and peak inverse voltage of the structure, and the maximum number of switches in the conducting path. Furthermore, a cost function is developed to verify the cost-effectiveness of the proposed topology with respect to other topologies. The TSV of the proposed topology is significantly lower than those of other topologies. Moreover, the developed topology is cost-effective compared with other topologies. A detailed operating principle, power loss analysis, and selection procedure for switched capacitors are presented for the proposed SCMLI structure. Extensive simulation and experimental studies of a 21-level inverter structure prove the effectiveness and merits of the proposed SCMLI.