In this paper, a duty-cycle correction-based model predictive current control (DC-MPCC) is proposed for permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) supplied by a neutral-point clamped three-level ...voltage source inverter (NPC-3LVSI). Unlike the conventional MPCC, which evaluates the impact of basic voltage vectors on the concerned state variables, the proposed DC-MPCC modifies the output voltage levels with optimized duty-cycle corrections. Firstly, the last three-phase voltage levels are assumed to be kept during the next control period. Then, the current tracking error and neutral-point potential are predicted. After that, the voltage levels are modified with zero, one, or two state changes, which formulate seven candidate solutions. Subsequently, the duty-cycle corrections of the modified voltage levels are computed based on the principle of minimizing current tracking error and neutral-point voltage drift. Finally, the optimal switch sequence is generated by evaluating and sorting a cost function with a penalty on switch actions. The proposed DC-MPCC features variable switching instants, relatively lower sampling frequency, and satisfactory performance under low switching frequency. Experimental tests carried out on a NPC-3LVSI fed PMSM drive, with 100 Hz fundamental frequency and 400 Hz switching frequency, accompanied by a video demonstration, validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
A novel soft-switched three-level T-type inverter (3LT 2 I) is proposed in this paper. The proposed inverter provides turning-on by zero voltage transition (ZVT) and turning-off by zero voltage ...switching (ZVS) for main switches without any voltage or current stresses. The switching energies are transferred to the snubber capacitors, so the turning-off process of the main switches is improved by these snubber capacitors. Besides, the auxiliary switches are turned on by zero current switching (ZCS) and turned off by ZVS. Furthermore, all snubber diodes are operated by soft switching (SS), and the proposed SS snubber cell decreases the electromagnetic interference (EMI) noises. The novel snubber cell has a simple structure, ease of application, common-ground switches, and low-cost features. The theoretical analysis of the inverter is clarified, and the operating modes for steady-state analysis are presented in detail. The experimental results rated 1 kW output power and 100 kHz switching frequency are provided to justify the theoretical analysis. The proposed unique snubber cell can be easily implemented in other three-level inverters (3LIs), and the practice is demonstrated in the paper.
This paper briefly reviews the common-mode voltage (CMV) and neutral point (NP) voltage for neutral point clamped three-level inverter (NPC TLI). Then, the space vector pulsewidth modulation (SVPWM) ...and traditional virtual SVPWM (VSVPWM) are discussed in terms of these two issues, revealing the drawbacks in reducing CMV or eliminating NP voltage oscillation. A novel virtual space vector modulation, named as RCMV_VSVPWM, is proposed in this paper to reduce CMV and eliminate NP voltage oscillation for NPC TLI. By selecting vectors with lower CMVs, a set of novel virtual voltage vectors are generated. The highlight of the method is zero average NP current in one control cycle and lower CMV. Furthermore, the active NP voltage control suitable for RCMV_VSVPWM is presented and evaluated. The corresponding experimental results are given, which are well-consistent with theoretical analysis.
Three-level inverter has an outstanding performance and is more advantageous in the switching vector selection than two-level inverter. In particular, the neutral-point voltage unbalance and ...common-mode voltage (CMV) reduction of three-level inverter should be carefully regulated for the appropriate operation, both of which, however, are mutually coupled resulting that the conventional space vector modulation (SVM) scheme cannot deal with them properly. To overcome this limitation, this paper proposes an improved space vector modulation (ISVM) technique to reduce the CMV and neutral-point voltage imbalance simultaneously. The generating mechanism of neutral-point voltage oscillation is derived. Based on the analysis, the proposed ISVM method adopts four voltage vectors (large, medium, small, and zero vectors) with adjusted dwell times to eliminate the ac unbalance of the neutral-point voltage. Considering the occurrence of neutral-point voltage disturbances, the dc neutral-point unbalance voltage is controlled by selecting the P-type or N-type small vector and adjusting the dwell times of small vectors for neutral-point voltage recovery. In addition, a novel switching sequence arrangement method with the minimal number of switches transition in one switching cycles and between switching cycles is proposed to reduce the total switching loss. Theoretical analysis and verification results show that the proposed ISVM scheme can reduce the magnitude of CMV to half of value using the conventional SVM, and an accurate control of ac and dc unbalanced neutral-point voltage can be obtained.
The switching frequency of high-power medium-voltage three-level inverters is relatively low due to the limitation of switching loss. Thus, the output performance of the inverter will be deteriorated ...if the fundamental frequency is increased (in other words, the pulse number is decreased). To solve the aforementioned issue, synchronized modulation strategies are necessary to be adopted to ensure the synchronization and symmetry of the output waveform. However, the output waveform of the inverter will be still rich in low-order harmonics. In this article, the amplitude of the average current ripple vector is introduced as the evaluation index of the output waveform quality. And output performances of different synchronized switching sequences (continuous switching sequence and discontinuous switching sequences) are calculated and compared quantitatively. On this basis, the optimal synchronized switching sequence for each specific pulse number is determined and an improved multimode synchronized modulation strategy for three-level inverters is proposed. Experimental results show that the harmonic distortion of the output waveform is effectively reduced by the proposed strategy.
The output performance of three-level inverters will be deteriorated under two-phase loads condition if conventional discontinuous PWM (DPWM) strategies are adopted. To solve the above issue, the ...amplitude and the phase angle of basic voltage vectors are modified in this article. Accordingly, sectors and triangles of the space vector diagram are reconsidered, duty cycles of basic vectors synthesized the reference vector are recalculated. And then four types of DPWM applicable for two-phase load are put forward. Although the harmonic distortion of the output waveform is reduced, discontinuous intervals are not optimum distributed. To further improve the output waveform quality, the amplitude of average current ripple vector is introduced as the evaluation index to redistribute discontinuous intervals of phase voltage in each fundamental period. Then, a hybrid DPWM strategy is presented and the harmonic distortion of the output waveform is minimized. Meanwhile, the neutral-point voltage ripple and the switching loss are also suppressed. The effectiveness of the hybrid DPWM strategy is verified by both simulation and experimental results.
This paper describes a diode-clamped three-level inverter-based battery/supercapacitor direct integration scheme for renewable energy systems. The study is carried out for three different cases. In ...the first case, one of the two dc-link capacitors of the inverter is replaced by a battery bank and the other by a supercapacitor bank. In the second case, dc-link capacitors are replaced by two battery banks. In the third case, ordinary dc-link capacitors are replaced by two supercapacitor banks. The first system is supposed to mitigate both long-term and short-term power fluctuations while the last two systems are intended for smoothening long-term and short-term power fluctuations, respectively. These topologies eliminate the need for interfacing dc-dc converters and thus considerably improve the overall system efficiency. The major issue in aforementioned systems is the unavoidable imbalance in dc-link voltages. An analysis on the effects of unbalance and a space vector modulation method, which can produce undistorted current even in the presence of such unbalances, are presented in this paper. Furthermore, small vector selection-based power sharing and state of charge balancing techniques are proposed. Experimental results, obtained from a laboratory prototype, are presented to verify the efficacy of the proposed modulation and control techniques.
Finite-state predictive torque control (FS-PTC) of an induction motor (IM) drive has been widely investigated for two-level voltage source inverter recently. This control method suffers from high and ...variable switching frequencies in a wide range, due to the limited number of available voltage vectors of the power converter. In order to take advantage of multilevel inverter drives which offer the benefits of low harmonic distortion of the stator currents, torque ripple, and low switching frequency, this paper proposes the integration of the FS-PTC with a three-level neutral-point clamped (3L-NPC) inverter driven IM drive. The drawback inherited from the topology of 3L-NPC voltage source inverter (VSI), such as neutral-point voltage, is easily handled by treating it as a variable to the cost function. Similarly, apart from the inverter topology itself, the average switching frequency is reduced further, and is maintained almost constant over a wide speed range. The effectiveness of the proposed FS-PTC in terms of torque and flux responses, capacitor voltage balancing, and low average switching frequency is validated through experimental results.
•This paper presents a three-phase three-level neutral-point-clamped quasi-Z-source inverter as a novel solution for photovoltaic application.•A novel special modulation technique for shoot-through ...states distribution during the whole operation period was developed.•All theoretical findings have been confirmed by simulation and experimental results.
This paper presents a three-phase three-level neutral-point-clamped quasi-Z-source inverter as a novel solution for photovoltaic applications. The topology was derived by combining properties of the quasi-Z-source networks with those of three-level neutral-point-clamped inverters. A case study system, a steady state analysis and a novel special modulation technique for shoot-through states distribution during the whole operation period are described. Component design guidelines for a three-phase system are presented. All theoretical findings have been confirmed by simulation and experimental results. A “full SiC” experimental prototype was developed. A comprehensive study of the converter's efficiency is provided.
This article proposes a small-scale high-precision digital closed-loop modulation method for a flying-capacitor three-level inverter to eliminate the influence of dead time. The proposed method only ...uses a resistive voltage divider to collect the state information, without the need for a current sensor and an analog-to-digital converter, enabling a small footprint. This method does not require complex calculations, can be applied to high switching frequencies, and is independent of the original control system, so it is easy to integrate into a controller or a stand-alone IC. Finally, a 450-W/400-Hz prototype is built to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
