Inverter Switching Research Articles

A Hybrid PWM Strategy for Switching Loss Reduction in Three-Level Inverters

The advanced bus-clamping PWM (ABCPWM) sequences are well known to reduce line current THD in a three-level neutral point-clamped inverter. This paper deals with ABCPWM sequences employed optimally to achieve minimum switching loss throughout the linear operating region in a three-level inverter. The work extensively analyzes the performance of these sequences in terms of inverter switching loss and compares them with centered space vector modulation PWM (CSVPWM). Based on the analysis, a hybrid PWM scheme termed as <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">switching loss reduction</i> is proposed by optimally employing ABCPWM sequences in conjunction with variation in power factors. At a given average switching frequency, the proposed hybrid scheme reduces inverter switching loss compared to CSVPWM and the recently proposed discontinuous PWM-based optimization strategy at all power factors and modulation indices. With this scheme, switching loss reduces to 22% to 36% compared to CSVPWM and a maximum of 12% reduction than the existing optimization strategy. Furthermore, the scheme gives lower harmonic distortion compared to these two existing PWM schemes near high modulation indices and near unity power factor load. The theoretical, simulated, and real-time simulation results are presented with experimental results using TMS320F28335 DSP controller for validating the proposed work.

A Novel Single-Phase Five-Level Current-Source Inverter Topology

Recent technological advances have renewed the research interest in current-source inverters (CSIs). Nonetheless, CSI research still falls behind its voltage-source counterpart with regards to topologies, modulation, and control. Acknowledging the above, this paper presents a novel single-phase five-level CSI topology. The proposed circuit utilises eight switches and two inductors for the generation of five distinct output levels while maintaining low output voltage THD and dv/dt. Furthermore, by offsetting the inductor currents from a binary 1:2 to a trinary 1:3 ratio, the proposed inverter can generate seven current levels at its output. The inverter offers built-in short-circuit protection and can boost a low input DC voltage to a higher peak AC output voltage. These merits, alongside an electrolytic-capacitor-free design, simple current balancing mechanism, and fault-tolerant characteristics, make it a promising candidate for PV module-integrated inverter (MII) systems. The current topology utilises two inductors but is fully functional with single-inductor operation. The paper provides a functional analysis of the inverter topology alongside the inverter switching states and corresponding conduction paths. A detailed analysis of the inductor current dynamics as well as a current-balancing algorithm for dual- and single-inductor operations are given. The theoretical analysis of the proposed circuit and its functional operation are verified using simulations and experimental results carried out on a laboratory prototype.

Neural network based variable DC-link voltage control of electric vehicle driveline

ABSTRACT The variable DC link direct torque control (DTC) for induction motors was proposed in this paper utilizing an artificial neural network (ANN). Variable DC-link voltage is utilized as the inverter’s controlling input to improve the induction motor’s performance. By injecting the dynamically variable dc-link voltage, inverter switching losses are decreased and inverter efficiency is increased. Two significant limitations are the torque ripple in DTC and the speed regulation of induction motors at low speeds. The driveline of an electric vehicle is modeled, and the suggested control is put into practice to enhance low-speed speed regulation, high dynamic performance, and minimal torque ripple. With variable DC-link voltage based on ANN, an improvement in torque and speed is made possible. Additionally, the suggested strategy minimizes the current ripples. To verify the improved efficacy of the electric driveline under various operating scenarios, a proposed control of the electric driveline is implemented using MATLAB SIMULINK, and the results are compared with the conventional scheme. The recommended speeds for the three speed ranges are as follows: 300 rpm for low speed, 900 rpm for medium speed, and 1275 rpm for high speed. The torque ripples decreased from 0.39 to 0.24 in the low-speed region, 0.38 to 0.24 in the medium-speed region, and 0.36 to 0.24 in the high-speed region while the motor was operated at a constant load torque of 2 N-m. The torque ripples decreased from 0.4 to 0.274 in the low speed region, 0.4 to 0.274 in the medium speed zone, and 0.2 to 0.274 in the medium speed region when the motor operated at various speed regions with a constant load. The main effect of running the motor at different load torques, such as 1.5 N-m, 2.5 N-m, and 2.0 N-m, is shown in Table 9 and numerical data of torque ripples is presented in Table 9.

Research on strategy of load-side resonant soft-switching inverter based on interconnection and damping assignment-passivity based control

Soft-switching technologies can effectively solve the problem of switching losses caused by increasing switching frequency of grid-connected inverters. As a branch of soft-switching technologies, load-side resonant soft-switching is a hotspot for applications of high-frequency inverters, because it has the advantage of achieving soft-switching without using additional components. However, the traditional PI control strategy based on the linear model is prone to destabilization and non-robust dynamic performance when large signal perturbation occurs. In this paper, a novel Passivity-Based Control (PBC) method is proposed to improve the dynamic performance of load-side resonant soft-switching grid-connected inverter. Besides, the model based on the Port Controlled Hamiltonian (PCH) model of the soft switching inverter is carried out, and the passivity-based controller is designed based on the established model using the way of interconnection and damping assignmentpassivity based control (IDA-PBC). Both stable performance and dynamic performance of the load-side resonant soft-switching inverter can be improved over the whole operating range. Finally, a 750 W load-side resonant soft-switching inverter simulation model is built and the output performance is compared with the traditional PI control strategy under stable and dynamic conditions. The simulation results show that the proposed control strategy reduces the harmonic distortion rate and improves the quality of the output waveforms.

Selective harmonic elimination in PUC‐5 multilevel inverter using hybrid IGWO‐DE algorithm

AbstractThe use of a multilevel inverter has received significant attention in recent years due to its numerous advantages. Because of the widespread use of multilevel inverters in industries and applications that require a wide range of voltages, achieving high‐quality voltage has presented a number of challenges. Many studies have been carried out to address the problem of unwanted harmonics in multilevel inverters. The inverter switching can be done at a low frequency using the Selective Harmonic Elimination (SHE) technique, and the unwanted harmonics can be significantly reduced; however, the issue with SHE is solving the transcendental equations and determining the optimum switching angle. To address this problem, a new and improved hybrid algorithm is proposed that combines two evolutionary algorithms, gray wolf optimization (GWO) with an improved and new convergence factor and Differential evolution (DE) with a dynamic scaling factor using a crossover operator. In this paper, the optimum switching angles for a packed U cell 5‐level inverter are estimated using the proposed algorithm for distinct modulation index values, and simulation results are compared with different algorithms. The simulation result of the proposed algorithm, IGWO‐DE is confirmed through experiment.

New Speed Control Scheme for a Three-Phase Induction Machines - (3~IM) Based on Sine Duty Cycle Modulation (SDCM)

This paper proposes a new control scheme for three-phase induction machines based on the sinusoidal duty cycle modulation control strategy combined with V/f control. This technique allows efficient open-loop control of inverter switches. The proposed diagram shows the main characteristics:1 0.1   ,0 50 ,Hzf 21.44 ,base KHzf  2 ,12ref V Vu  . In addition, it guarantees optimum operation of the inverter with the torque and speed parameters of the three-phase induction machine complying with current requirements:10rC Nmmax 6,5A/50Hz/ THD=1,2%

Analysis of longitudinal-vertical coupling vibration of four hub motors driven electric vehicle under unsteady condition

The influence of hub motor unbalanced magnetic force (UMF) on the vibration of electric vehicle under steady state conditions has been known, but under unsteady conditions, the hub motor UMF will change with the vehicle operation condition, and there would exist complex coupling vibration for the hub motors driven electric vehicle. Here, the longitudinal-vertical coupling dynamics of the four hub motors driven electric vehicle under unsteady condition is studied. Integrating the motor electromagnetic excitation and electric vehicle dynamics, a longitudinal-vertical coupling dynamics model of the four hub motors driven electric vehicle is established. Based on the variable switching frequency field-oriented control model, analytical model of the UMFs acting on the motor stator and rotor parts under unsteady condition are developed. For model validation, a four hub motors driven electric vehicle has been tested, the accuracy of the longitudinal-vertical coupling dynamics model established in this paper was verified. Then, longitudinal-vertical coupling vibration characteristics of the four hub motors driven electric vehicle under road excitation and coupling excitation are analyzed. The results show that the longitudinal and vertical movement of the four hub motors driven electric vehicle is coupled by hub motor. In addition, under unsteady condition, the motor UMFs will cause vertical vibration of the electric vehicle body and hub motor stator, the vibration shows order characteristics including low order harmonic hfc and inverter switching frequency sideband harmonic k1 fs±k2 fc ( fc = pn/60, fs is inverter switching frequency, k1 and k2 are positive integers, p is the number of pole pairs and n is motor speed.). The motor electromagnetic torque will cause longitudinal vibration of the electric vehicle body, the vibration shows order characteristics including harmonics fs±3 fc and 2 fs. The main harmonic of vehicle body pitch angle acceleration is 2 fs.

Finite control set model-free predictive current control of permanent magnet synchronous motor

This thesis proposes finite control set model-free predictive current control (FCSMFPCC) algorithm of permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM). To address issue of degraded performance during motor operation due to parameter mismatch, a model-free predictive current control arithmetic is devised, which utilizes ultra-local model (ULM) of PMSM. This proposition takes sum of known and sealed disturbances of the system as an unknown quantity, and uses sliding mode observer (SMO) to take stock of sealed quantity. To address the issue of operation delay in predictive control, a two-step method is used to make up for the system. When using price function to choose the first-rank voltage vector, vector selection optimization link is added, which effectively simplifies the algorithm while optimizing the inverter switching action. The simulation outcomes highlight the advantages of the described control algorithm in terms of better dynamic response performance and stronger robustness.

Development of method for frequency regulation of output current in high-voltage transformerless resonant chargers of capacitive energy storage devices

The object of research is high-voltage systems of electric discharge installations for various technological purposes. The work reports solving the problem of enabling the rate of charging of a capacitive energy storage, set by the requirements of a certain high-voltage technology. The quantitative characteristics of the deviation of the output current of the resonant inverter from the set stabilized value when changing the switching frequency of inverter switches in the range of output voltage change from 0 to 20 kV were determined. Using the Fourier transform of the rectangular input voltage, the frequency regulation possibility of the output current of the charger for capacitive energy storage devices was analyzed. Estimation dependences of the output current of resonant inverter on the load resistance and frequency deviation from resonant frequency were derived. These dependences could be used to implement frequency control over the switching inverter transistors, with the help of which the given effective value of the output current of the resonant inverter is obtained. A method of frequency regulation of the output current in high-voltage transformerless resonant charging devices of capacitive energy storage devices has been developed. Special feature of this method is that it is based on the frequency dependence of reactive resistances of the inductance and capacitance of the resonant circuit connected in series. Owing to that, it makes it possible to adjust the switching frequency of the inverter’s power switches depending on the relative resistance of the load and the specified growth rate of the capacitive energy storage voltage. The results reported here could be used in the design of benches for testing the electrical strength of high-voltage cables, as well as for the construction of high-voltage transformerless chargers in systems of electric discharge impulse processing of materials

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TRADITIONAL PWM INVERTERS AND MULTILEVELS INVERTERS

The need of higher powers in electrical drives has forced the researchers to develop new power source possibilities. Multilevel inverters have been presented as a cost effective solution for various high voltage and high power applications including power quality and motor drive problems. The traditional pulse width modulated (PWM) Inverter does not completely eliminate the unwanted harmonics in the output waveform. Using the multilevel inverter as an alternative to traditional PWM inverters for electric motor drive applications is investigated. The concept of the Optimized Harmonic Elimination Stepped-Waveform (OHESW) technique for a multilevel inverter is presented. The effectiveness of this technique in minimizing the inverter switching losses and its output voltage harmonic content which cause reducing harmonic losses and torque pulsations of an induction motor fed form is investigated analytically. Comparison between the Selective Harmonic Eliminated PWM (SHEPWM) as a traditional PWM technique for three-level inverter and the OHESW technique for multilevel inverter with regard to the switching losses, harmonic distortion, additional harmonic losses in the motor and the pulsating torques is also presented.

Reversed trend comprehensive assessment-based inverter fault diagnosis under various complex interferences in microgrid

The healthy operation of inverter is the basic issues to ensure the quality of engineering power supply. However, the various complex interferences from microgrid engineering applications are relatively a difficult problem for fault diagnosis of inverter, e.g. harmonic components and unbalanced state. It increases the difficulty of the failure analysis, model design, algorithm realization and thresholds selection, even may lead to false alarm and erroneous triggering of protection units. Hence, a new fault diagnosis algorithm is proposed. Firstly, the reversed coordinate two-dimensional processing (RCT-dP) method is proposed to obtain reversed two-dimensional data (RTD) by inserting a moving reversed coordinate, which is very convenient for data attenuation segmentation and reversed trend extraction. Secondly, the obtained RTD are used for a proposed reversed trend comprehensive assessment (RTCA) method to obtain assessment variables based on multiple reversed trends and corresponding reliability, which can effectively extract the fault component, effectively reduce the influence of harmonic components and unbalanced state. Thirdly, the relative location information of detected signals are extracted. Then, the obtained assessment variables and relative location information are processed by variable regularization processing. Finally, the diagnosis results are obtained through a fault decision. Compared with existing fault diagnosis methods, the proposed fault diagnosis method can accurately detect and locate fault for any switch of inverter under harmonic components and unbalanced state. Meanwhile, because the fault diagnosis algorithm is based on saltatory driving, it can realize very low number of start-up without affecting the accuracy of the diagnosis. The experimental results are shown to validate the proposed algorithm.

An Application of Neural Network-based Sliding Mode Control for Multilevel Inverters

Multi-level 3-phase inverters using cascaded H-bridges are becoming prominent in the electric drive and renewable energy sectors due to their high capacity and ability to withstand high voltage shocks. Therefore, the modulation and control techniques used in these multilevel inverters have a crucial influence on the quality of the output voltage they produce. The significantly high common-mode voltage amplitude they generate is one of their disadvantages, causing leakage currents and harmonics. This article proposes a new technique using sliding mode control combined with neural networks to manage a three-phase multi-level inverter. The research objective of this innovative technique is to eliminate the need for current controllers and conventional modulation that relies on carrier signals, reducing hardware calculations and enhancing dynamic response. In addition, it demonstrates the ability to minimize harmonics, common mode voltage, and the number of switching counts, thereby limiting the inverter switching losses and increasing device performance. Simulation results performed on a 5-level 3-phase inverter using cascaded H-bridges have confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Shared External Driver for VHF Converter With a Synchronous Rectifier Based on Matching Network Parameters Optimization

In order to reduce the conduction loss of diode, synchronous rectification is usually adopted in very-high-frequency (VHF) converters, in which the rectifier diode is replaced by a MOSFET with very low on-state resistance. And to ensure normal operation of the synchronous rectifier switch, it is necessary to design a suitable driver with accurate timing. The widely used self-oscillating resonant drive circuit has a limited range of duty cycle adjustment, and the body diode of synchronous rectifier switch has long on-state time and a large conduction loss. Therefore, based on the analysis and parameters optimization of matching network, a shared external drive circuit is put forward. That is, the drive signals of the inverter switch and the synchronous rectifier switch come from the same external oscillation signal. On the premise of ensuring accurate drive timing, it can improve the drive signal's duty cycle of synchronous rectifier switch, reduce the conduction loss of body diode, and improve the efficiency of converter. Then on the basis of the proposed drive circuit, a VHF converter prototype with operating frequency of 10 MHz, 13 V input and 8 V/10 W output is designed, and the feasibility of the proposed drive circuit is verified by simulations together with experiments.

Efficiency Optimization of the High-Power Isolated DC/DC Converters through THD and Losses Reduction in Isolation Transformers

This paper describes a method of improving efficiency of the high-power transformer-isolated DC/DC converters by means of proper selection of an inverter switch duty cycle. The paper revises old suggestions and recommendations for choosing the maximal duty cycle value on the basis of physical limits imposed by new solid-state devices. The resulting improved efficiency of the converter is described considering losses in separate energy conversion stages

Deduction and Application of the Average Switch Model in Power Electronic Devices for Simulation Time Reduction

Context: Time is a crucial issue in the simulation of power electronics (PE) devices, even more when these elements are integrated into microgrids.Method: This paper deals with the deduction of the average switch model for PE devices with the purpose of reducing simulation times. For doing this, the average model is only applied over the power switches of PE devices, not being applied over the complete topology as traditionally done. The proposed average model switch permits eliminating the ripple of voltage and currents but keeping the transient of the signals. The average model switch is derived for Boost and Buck converter switches and then generalized to power inverter switches. The proposed approach is validated using OpenModelica software.Results: A system featuring a battery, a DC/DC converter, and an inverter connected to the power grid was simulated. A comparison was performed between a simulation that considers the power switches and a simulation that uses the proposed average model switch, the time simulation was reduced up to 99.788 %, which validates the proposed approach.Conclusions: The proposed average switch model significantly reduces simulation times. This method offers a promising way to streamline power electronics device simulations, particularly in the context of microgrids and other applications where time efficiency is critical.

INSULATED GATE BIPOLAR TRANSISTOR TEMPERATURE CALCULATION USING SIMSCAPE/SIMULINK ENVIRONMENT WITH VARIOUS SWITCHING FREQUENCY

Because of developments in high-power converters, it has become crucial to investigate how effective inverter performance is. consequently, via being aware of the temperature value of the junction for the inverter switch. The rise in the switching frequency of the inverter, as well as the kind of control technique used, all have an impact on the value of junction temperature. The traditional methods for determining the junction temperature are imprecise and challenging to use. Therefore, a novel approach was used in this study to compute the junction temperature in a simple manner utilizing the MATLAB/Simulation SIMSCAPE environment. The junction temperature of the inverter's switches is easily estimated, where the heat conveyed over the layers of the IGBT can be indicated by using the simple thermal model of Foster. Because the semiconductors within the SIMSCAPE environment exhibit boosted design together with a direct thermal port. As a result, the estimation of the junction temperature is more precise and direct. This feature is only openable in the newest categories of the MATLAB program (2019-2023) This paper presents the losses formed in an Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors, and thermal behavior analysis to represent IGBT's layers. The simulation included the influence of various operating switching frequencies on the temperature value of the junction. The results show that the temperature value of the junction increases as the switching frequency value increases and the Space Vector pulse width modulation technique has a value of junction temperature lower than the Sinusoidal pulse width modulation technique at the same switching frequency.

Proper magnetic materials selection method for AC filter inductor design used in single phase PWM inverters

The use of wide-bandgap devices such as SiC and GaN has improved the efficiency and power density of power converters compared with conventional Si devices. However, a significant portion of the efficiency loss and volume in power converters is attributed to the magnetic components, particularly the challenges of miniaturization and loss reduction. This is due to the use of nonsinusoidal waveforms, with high-frequency switching of the PWM inverter introducing ripple components that exhibit complex loss characteristics. In this study, we propose a method for selecting magnetic materials for AC filter inductors based on loss and volume considerations. In addition, the effectiveness of the proposed method is validated through experiments.

Model Predictive Control With Reduced Common-Mode Voltage Based on Optimal Switching Sequences for Nested Neutral Point Clamped Inverter

This paper proposes a new model predictive control strategy with reduced common-mode voltage (CMV) based on optimal switching sequences (OSS-MPC) for a three-phase (3PH) four-level nested neutral point clamped (4L-NNPC) inverter. The proposed method controls load current, mitigates the voltage fluctuations of flying capacitors (FCs) in the entire operating frequency range, and provides a constant inverter switching frequency. In this work, the switching sequences (SSs) are configured so that the peak CMV is limited to <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{dc}/6$</tex-math></inline-formula> . By involving time in the optimization process, the balance of FCs voltages is realized in the entire operating frequency, especially in low-frequency operating mode. Also, the voltage fluctuations of FCs are further mitigated through a mathematical-logic technique. To implement the proposed method on the digital signal processor, the deadbeat control technique is also used to reduce the search space and thus, computation burden. The performance of the proposed method is verified in MATLAB/SIMULINK. The experimental results are carried out based on a scaled-down hardware prototype validating the theoretical claims.

An Extended State Observer Based Adaptive Backstepping Controller for Microgrid

This paper proposes development of a robust distributed secondary control scheme for a photovoltaic (PV) source integrated and inverter-interfaced islanded AC microgrid (MG). The control objective is to regulate the voltage, frequency, and achieve the desired active and reactive power sharing among the distributed generations (DGs) while supporting plug and play operation (PnP) and handling abnormal situations. The above objectives are to be achieved in face of uncertainties in inverter switching pulses, intermittent nature of PV source, dynamic load changes, and disturbances. A backstepping (BS) controller is designed to track the nominal voltage and frequency, whilst an extended state observer (ESO) is designed to estimate the disturbance. The stability of the MG with ESO-BS controller is proved by using Lyapunov stability theory, and graph theory. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed controller, both numerical simulation in MATLAB, and experimentation on OPAL-RT at different operating conditions are pursued. The proposed controller is compared with the distributed averaging based secondary control [15], secondary controller based on MG centralized controller (MGCC) [16]. It is observed that the proposed controller outperforms in terms of enhanced robustness and steady-state performance.

Analysis of the Influence of the 6-Pulse Thyristor-Bridge Input Reactor Size on the Shunt Active Power Filter Work Efficiency: A Case Study

This paper presents a case study in which the influence of the 6-pulse thyristor-bridge input reactor size on the shunt active power filter (SAPF)’s work performance is investigated. The purpose of using an SAPF in the power system is in most cases for fundamental harmonic reactive power compensation, harmonics and asymmetry mitigation. The work efficiency of such a filter depends not only on the designed control system, interface filter and dc-link capacitor parameters, but also on the parameters of the electrical system in which it is connected. Therefore, it is necessary to study and know the power system (supplier and consumer sides) before its installation. For instance, in the electrical system with diode or thyristor-bridge as loads, the SAPF performance efficiency may not be satisfied due to the high rate of current change (di/dt) at the points of commutation notches. In this paper, the performed simulation and laboratory experiments show that for a better operating efficiency of the SAPF, the input reactor parameters should be selected based not only on the effective reduction in the inverter switching ripple or the control system demand, but also on the parameters of the load, such as the parameters of the diode or thyristor-bridge input reactor. Apart from the experimental demonstrations on how the input reactor size influences the SAPF work efficiency, the novelties in this paper are: the formulated recommendations on how to choose the SAPF input reactor parameters (the SAPF is more efficient in terms of harmonics, asymmetry and reactive power mitigation when the inductance of its input reactor (L-filter) is smaller than the one of the diode or thyristor-bridge input reactor); the proposed SAPF control system; the proposed expressions to compute the SAPF input reactor inductance, DC voltage and capacitor.