Novel multilevel inverter topologies for medium and high‐voltage applications with lower values of blocked voltage by switches

Abstract

In this study, novel multilevel inverter structures for medium and high-voltage applications are proposed. The proposed topologies can generate a great number of output voltage levels with more advantages. Firstly, a new symmetric cascade topology is presented which can be used in medium voltage applications. Then, based on the proposed symmetric structure, a new hybrid structure is recommended. The proposed hybrid structure can be used in high-voltage applications. The comparison between the proposed symmetric topology with conventional symmetric cascade topology and other non-conventional symmetric topologies are presented in terms of the number of insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), anti- parallel diodes, gate drivers and blocked voltage by switches. Moreover, the proposed topologies can be used in bidirectional power flow applications. The validity of the proposed multilevel inverter structures are verified with experimental and simulation results.