Output Current Waveform Research Articles

A Five-Level Common-Ground Inverter with Dynamic Voltage Boost and Fewer Elements for Photovoltaic Applications

Transformer-less multilevel inverters (TL-MLIs) are the subject of recent research due to their high-voltage or high-power capacity to convert low-voltage output from renewable energy sources into the desired output. They are also less expensive and smaller than traditional varieties. Nevertheless, leakage current is a common problem with these inverters. The proposed inverter aims to address this issue to the maximum extent possible. In the proposed inverter structure, there is a common ground for the input and output terminals. As a result, the overall common mode voltage (CMV) remains constant. This common ground feature short-circuits the Photovoltaic (PV) source to the grid parasitic capacitor, resulting in negligible leakage current. Furthermore, the proposed inverter boosts output voltage using the least amount of power devices and a single voltage source. The proposed inverter can be used modularly, increasing the number of output levels that can be achieved. The simulation results from MATLAB/Simulink and the conclusion of the mathematical analysis for the proposed inverter are shown. The results also demonstrate the output voltage boost capability, zero leakage current, and an appropriate total harmonic distortion for the output voltage and current waveforms.

MPPT algorithm based on metaheuristic techniques (PSO & GA) dedicated to improve wind energy water pumping system performance

This paper presents a comparative study between four techniques recently used to improve the wind energy conversion system (WECS) to water pumping systems. The WECS is a renewable energy source which has developed rapidly in recent years. The use of the WECS in the water pumping field is a free solution (economically) compared to the use of the electricity grid supply. The control of WECS, equipped with a permanent magnet synchronous generator, has the objective of carefully maximising power generation. A comparative study between the proposed Fuzzy Logic Control, optimised using a genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimisation algorithm, and the conventional Perturb and Observe MPPT method using Matlab/Simulink, is presented. The performance of the proposed system has been verified against the generated output voltage, current and power waveforms, intermediate circuit voltage waveform, and generator speed. The presented results demonstrate the effectiveness of the control strategy applied in this work.

Design of a high-efficient SiC-based interleaved voltage source converter

The paper deals with some peculiar aspects of the design of interleaved voltage source converter (IVSC) topology in high-power applications such as renewable energy systems and electric vehicles. The IVSC offers advantages like power sharing among multiple modules, improved power quality, redundancy, and fault tolerance. The design of an IVSC mainly involves the selection of the number of deployed converters and the choice of suitable semiconductor devices with the aim to reach a desired overall efficiency for an assigned operating condition. The paper develops an approach to characterize through a straightforward procedure the dependence of the IVSC' power losses on the number of the interlaced converters, on the employed semiconductor devices used and on a properly conceived set of key parameters which define the system operating conditions. The proposed methodology allows to highlight the system performance' dependence on the chosen power devices and it is showcased in this work by considering silicon carbide (SIC) devices with different current ratings. The main goal of the paper is to formulate a smart design procedure able to guide the configuration of an IVSC towards an optimal choice with respect to the power module rating, the number of interleaved levels, the system efficiency, and the output current waveforms. The proposed procedure has been experimentally validated.

An Interactive Pedagogical Tool for Simulation of Controlled Rectifiers

Active learning approaches, incorporating student engagement through experimentation and problem solving, effectively foster higher-level thinking abilities and enhance academic performance. Interactive tools like simulators align with these methodologies, but commercially available simulators have limitations; particularly, their high cost and lack of customization features pose significant challenges for many educational institutions. This article presents CORES, a web-based educational application designed to simulate controlled rectifier circuits. CORES eliminates the need for intricate circuit assembly and software installation by providing pre-built circuits so that users can concentrate on analyzing circuit behavior by manipulating the thyristor firing angle and load characteristics, while the application generates output voltage and current waveforms under steady-state conditions, minimizing computation time. CORES has proven to be a valuable pedagogical tool, surpassing commercial simulators in terms of accessibility, ease of use, and enriched learning experiences for power electronics students and educators.

Hierarchical Control of AC/DC Hybrid Microgrid Based on Primary Model Predictive Optimization and Secondary Switching Control

The fluctuating characteristics of renewable energy generation in hybrid AC/DC microgrids, combined with timevarying loads, can result in high total harmonic distortion (THD) and distorted output voltage and current waveforms. To address these issues, a faster and more comprehensive primary and secondary hierarchical control method is required. In this paper, a faster model predictive optimization algorithm is introduced as a primary control method to predict operational states in advance, maintain a low THD state, and reduce the impact on power quality. Then, a secondary switching control is added to correct frequency and power allocation errors caused by primary control, recover microgrid voltage and frequency to their rated values, and ensure stable reactive power. Finally, simulation and comparison results prove the proposed method's effectiveness and applicability.

Phase Shift APOD and POD Control Technique in Multi-Level Inverters to Mitigate Total Harmonic Distortion

Multi-level inverters are widely employed to generate new energy because of their huge capacity and benefits in sound control performance. One of the critical areas of study for multi-level inverters is control strategy research. In this study, the control strategy for a multi-level inverter—which is frequently employed in HVDC and FACTS systems—is designed. An asymmetrical D.C. voltage source is supplied to create the appropriate output voltage waveform with fewer total harmonic distortions (THDs) at the output voltage and current waveforms. In this work, the pulse width modulation techniques of POD (phase opposition disposition) and APOD (alternative phase opposition disposition) MC PWM are applied to a multi-level inverter to generate the seven-level output voltage waveform. This study presents an enhanced variable carrier frequency APOD control approach that can successfully lower the overall harmonic distortion rate. The design and completion of the phase-shifting POD and APOD control strategies are followed by an analysis and comparison of the THD situation under various switching frequencies and a simulation and verification of the control strategy using MATLAB simulation. The TI DSP-based control approach has been programmed. The APOD technique increases the output voltage’s THD to 18.27%, while the output current waveform’s THD is reduced to 15.67% by utilizing the APOD PWM technique. Using the POD PWM approach increases the total harmonic distortion (THD) of the voltage waveform by 18.06% and the output current waveform’s THD by 15.45%.

Integrated Voltage Vector–Based SVPWM for Reliability and Performance Enhancement of Five-Level HANPC Inverters

Power converters are designed to operate over a wide range of voltages to meet various industrial demands. Recently, multilevel inverters have been receiving considerable attention owing to their ability to reduce the current ripple and its associated harmonic distortion. However, for applications requiring high voltage/power ratings, large electrolytic capacitors are essential, which are significantly affected by the ripple in the DC-link current. This causes a significant reduction in the lifespan and reliability of the power converter and necessitates expensive diagnosis and maintenance procedures. Therefore, an effective method of integrated voltage vector-based space vector pulse-width modulation is proposed in this study for minimizing the ripple in the DC-link and common-mode voltage of five-level hybrid active neutral-point-clamped (5L-HANPC) inverters. The proposed method uses a unique control algorithm that can smoothly select the required voltage vectors without a noticeable distortion in the output current waveforms. Moreover, the proposed method can be applied without modifying the original topology of the 5L-HANPC inverter or adding complex compensations to the control algorithm. Extensive simulation and experimental results are provided to demonstrate the capability of the proposed approach to reduce the DC-link current ripple over a wide range of modulation indices.

A dual source fed eleven level switched capacitor multilevel inverter with voltage boosting capability

This work introduces an 11-level switched-capacitor multilevel inverter (SCMLI) designed for solar photo-voltaic (PV) applications, capitalizing on the growing popularity of multilevel inverters due to their superior power quality. With a 1.67-times boosting capability, the proposed SCMLI employs 10 switches, 2 DC supplies, and 2 capacitors to achieve an 11-level output voltage waveform. The topology requires only seven driver circuits, incorporating 2 bidirectional switches and 3 complementary pairs of switches. The proposed inverter has intrinsic capacitor self-balancing features since the capacitors are connected across the DC voltage source at different times throughout a basic cycle to charge the capacitors at a level of input voltage. A thorough comparison between the topology and recently developed SCMLI’s has been presented. The comparison demonstrates the effectiveness in terms of switches, capacitors, sources, efficiency, total standing voltage (TSV), and boosting capacity. To experimentally validate its performance, the suggested SCMLI undergoes testing using a frequency-based switching method. The topology exhibits low total harmonic distortion (THD) of 7.65% in its output voltage waveform and 0.89% in the output current waveform.

Single PCB sensor-based output current reproduction for three-phase inverter systems

This study proposes a practical output current measurement system in a three-phase inverter with a single printed circuit board (PCB) Rogowski coil sensor inserted in the bus between the DC-link capacitor and the power semiconductor module. This system demonstrates its advantage over conventional output current sensors, such as the Hall effect current sensors, in terms of the size, weight, operation temperature and cost. The system can be applied to 6-in-1 power modules as it does not require sensors in the inverter phase legs.In our previous works, we have developed a method called “envelope tracking”, which is used in this system as well. This method traces the switching current instead of the output current to reproduce the output current signal in real-time. Envelope tracking successfully reproduced the output current waveform for single phase inverters under certain conditions. However, a large error is observed in the three-phase inverter demonstration under a high switching frequency (narrow pulse) or when the switching of different phases overlap each other. These errors must be completely suppressed to implement the system for feedback control in three-phase inverters.In this study, a new analog basis output current waveform reproduction system is introduced to suppress the above mentioned errors. This system is implemented in a three-phase insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) inverter and successfully reproduces the output current with a single PCB sensor inserted between a 6-in-1 IGBT power module and DC-link capacitor, operating under a switching frequency of 3.5–7.0 kHz and output current of 6 A with DC-link voltage of 150 V.

Analysis of the Performance of a 5-Level Modular Multilevel Inverter for a Solar Grid-Connected System

The main purpose of a multilevel inverter is to combine numerous levels of dc voltage to create a nearly sinusoidal voltage. The synthesized output waveform has more stages as the number of levels rises, creating a staircase ripple which resembles the preferred waveform. As the number of voltage levels rises, the output wave's harmonic distortion diminishes and eventually approaches zero. In particular, the performance analysis of a five-level inverter with variable loads is highlighted in this paper. This topology has fewer devices than traditional multilevel inverters for the same five output levels, which makes it more affordable due to lesser driver circuits. The proposed modular five level topology is simulated using both high frequencies switching pulse width modulation and basic frequency switching modulation techniques. The output voltage, current waveform, and THD are examined and compared using Simulink to confirm the viability of the modular multilevel inverter topology.

A 4-Channel Neural Stimulation IC Design With Charge Balancing and Multiple Current Output Modes.

This article proposes a neural stimulation integrated circuit design with multiple current output modes. In the cathodic stimulation phase and anodic stimulation phase, each output current waveform can be independently selected to either exponential waveform or square wave, so the stimulator holds four stimulation modes. To minimize the headroom voltage of the output stage and enhance the power efficiency of the proposed stimulator, we introduce the exponentially decaying current which is realized by the exponential current generation circuit in this work. It can enhance the longer duration of the stimulation pulse as well. In case the residual charge may cause harm to patients, a charge balancing technique is implemented in this work for all operation modes. The four-channel stimulator IC is implemented in a 180-nm CMOS process, occupying a core area of 1.93 mm2. The measurement results show that the proposed stimulator realized a maximum power efficiency of 91.3% and the maximum stimulation duration is 3 times larger than previous works. Moreover, even in exponential output waveform mode, the maximum residual charge in a single cycle is only 255 pC due to the proposed charge balancing technique. The experiment results based on the PBS solution also show that the stimulator IC can remove residual charges within 60 μs, and the electrode voltage remains stable within a safe range under multicycle stimulation.

Research on the control strategy of LCL grid-connected inverters based on improved auto disturbance rejection.

The grid-connected inverter is the key to ensure stable, reliable, safe, and efficient operation of the power generation system; the quality of the grid-connected output current waveform directly affects the performance of the entire power generation system. To improve the anti-interference performance and reduce the output current harmonic content of the grid-connected inverter, an improved control strategy that combined repetitive control (RC) and auto disturbance rejection control (ADRC) is designed in this paper. Firstly, decoupled the ADRC to realize the individual adaptation between tracking performance parameters and anti-interference performance parameters of the controller, through which the difficulty of adjusting parameters is reduced. Secondly, the control approach is devised by adding RC to ADRC. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in this paper, detailed experimental studies are conducted using proportional integral control, traditional ADRC, and the proposed method under normal power grids, weak power grids, and periodic disturbances. And dynamic performance simulation experiment is done to verify the dynamic performance of the self-disturbance rejection controller before and after the addition of RC links. The results indicated the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method. Finally, after simulation, the steady state and dynamic performance are conducted on a hardware testing platform. The impacts of the obtained results indicate the effectiveness and feasibility of the control algorithm proposed, the ability to suppress intermediate frequency disturbances is improved, the bandwidth of the auto disturbance rejection controller is expanded, and the harmonic content of the output current is depressed.

Hybrid Modulation Strategy for Common-mode Voltage Suppression in Three-level Inverters

A hybrid modulation strategy is proposed to suppress the common-mode voltage (V com) of the three-level PWM inverter on the strength of the SVPWM modulation algorithm (space vector pulse width modulation) for V com generated during the run of the three-level inverter. The three-level space vector is classified as two different modulation areas by modulation ratios. In the low modulation ratio region, according to the nearest three vectors principle, the spatial voltage vector is obtained by combining the small vector with the medium vector, which suppresses V com and ensures that only one bridge arm is switched for any voltage vector. In the high modulation ratio region, the vector with large common-mode voltage is discarded, and the zero-vector, medium-vector, and large-vector are selected to synthesize the space voltage vector, which suppresses V com and ensures the good output current waveform of the PWM inverter. From the simulation results, we can see the hybrid modulation strategy of dividing the region by modulation ratio reduces the magnitude of V com to 1/6 of the dc bus voltage, and at the same time, a good current waveform is obtained at the output of the three-level inverter.

Design of Hybrid multi-level inverter for photovoltaic(PV) application

Nowadays the demand and consumption of energy increase in the word. Due to high cost of fossil fuel it’s not able to meet the required power generation demand. But the developed and developing countries encourage to generate power from renewable energy sources. The developed countries manage their resources in such a manner that they will fulfill their needs today and in the future as well. Nevertheless, the developing countries have limited sources of fossil fuels, which may decrease day by day. For this problem, the alternate solution is required, which is renewable energy. The output of renewable i.e. photovoltaic (PV) is DC. Now this is a challenging task for the researcher to integrate the renewable energy into the ac grid. For the reliable future of the power system, it is imperative for the modern era to integrate non-conventional sources into the AC power grid.The use of photovoltaic cells is increasing dramatically in all areas of life because of their small environmental impact, pollution-free, minimal maintenance, and zero noise. The real work focuses on the integration of PV systems with the proposed new topology called Multi-level inverters based on switch dc sources for low, medium and high power applications. An inverter is a power electronics device that converts DC input to AC output voltage. Input DC voltage is obtains from PV cell array, fuel cell or any other source.The output of PV panels is use as DC input voltage source for the proposed inverter. Single-phase multi level inverter is use to convert dc power receiving form PV array to AC power. First single phase two level inverter introduce which have many problems like those that high value capacitor required at output and high total harmonics distortion’s (THD). Nevertheless, as the number of level increased in inverter output the number of electronic switches also increased which may increase the losses.Multi-level inverters are gave more attention for high power applications. In recent years, lower order harmonic components has been developed to operate at higher switching frequencies.On the other side as the number of level increased the output waveform approach to sinusoidal waveform and the harmonics decreased. Output voltage and current waveforms are obtains and THDs are analyze. The multi-level inverter used in un-interrupted power supply (UPS), variable frequency drives (VFD), pumps etc. The performance of single-phase multi-level inverter will be analyzed in MATLAB / Simulink software.

Hybrid Switching Control-Based DC to AC Inverter for Microgrid Using Renewable Energy Sources

Hybrid switching control-based direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) inverter is a method of controlling the flow of power from DC sources such as solar panels or wind turbines to AC loads in a microgrid. In a microgrid, renewable energy sources are often used to supplement traditional sources of energy and improve overall energy efficiency. To simulate micro-grid systems, an effective three-legged IGBT inverter has been developed using Matlab R2016a/Simulink. The inverter switches are controlled by a pulse controller, which creates the switching gate pulses. This work models the output voltage and current waveforms of the three-phase 180° voltage source inverter that supplies nonlinear loads. To lower the total harmonic distortion (THD) of the current and voltage outputs of the three-phase voltage source converter (VSC), a filter circuit and a two-level pulse width modulation (PWM) generator have been presented. This pulse-width modulation generator compares the modulating signal and a high-frequency triangular carrier wave. Sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM) is used for PWM control. Moreover, the hybrid switching control-based DC-to-AC inverter utilizes a combination of pulse width modulation (PWM) and hysteresis current control techniques to maintain a constant AC output voltage and frequency. PWM control is used to regulate the voltage, while hysteresis current control is used to regulate the current. Additionally, an inductor-capacitor-inductor (LCL) filter is used to improve the stability of the power converter by providing a damping effect on the system. Overall, the LCL filter is a versatile and effective tool for improving the performance of power inverters, especially in applications where high efficiency and low harmonic distortion are important. IUBAT Review—A Multidisciplinary Academic Journal, 6 (1): 25-46

Design of a multi-level inverter for solar power systems with a variable number of levels technique

<p>Overall harmonic distortion and losses will grow during an energy conversion process, while power stability will be reduced. Multilevel inverter technologies have recently become very popular as low-cost alternatives for a variety of industrial purposes. The design's minimal benefits include reduced component losses, decreased switching and conduction losses, along with enhanced output voltage and current waveforms. Also, a reduction of the harmonic components of the current and output voltage of the inverter are the most important requirements in multilevel inverters. A seven-level inverter design is presented in this paper that is simulated using MATLAB/Simulink. The inverter converts the DC voltage from three photovoltaic (PV) systems into AC voltage at seven levels. During an outage of one of the PV systems, the inverter will make a switching reduction and supply the AC voltage as a five-level inverter. The inverter’s total harmonic distortion (THD) when it performs as a five-level or seven-level inverter is 4.19% or 1.13% respectively. The modulation technique used is phase disposition via four carriers and a single reference signal at the fundamental frequency.</p>

An improved modulation method for modular multilevel converters based on particle swarm optimization

Modular multilevel converter (MMC) is the first topology choice for flexible DC transmission systems. This paper presents a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm aided modulation method to calculate the improved selective harmonic elimination pulse width modulation (iSHE-PWM) switching angles with the aim of reducing the total harmonic distortion (THD) and output voltage error of MMC. The SHE-PWM has more controllable variables compared with the staircase modulation so that it can be used to improve the output current waveform quality. This method retains the advantages of easy to control and low frequency from the staircase modulation. But amplitude of its high-order harmonic is high and this paper improves it. Firstly the mathematical model of MMC is set up and corresponding expressions of THD and voltage error are given. The joint function of THD and voltage error is considered as the fitness function. The PSO algorithm was used to minimize the joint function for solving the optimal switching angles. Finally the proposed method is verified through simulation results showing its potential to successfully solve the problem of difficulty in obtaining the iSHE-PWM switching angles while minimizing the THD and output voltage error of the MMC.

Keeping a Constant Level of Losses in the Low-Voltage Cells of a High-Voltage Multilevel Frequency Converter in Emergency Modes of Its Operation

High-voltage adjustable-frequency drives require special inverters for their operation. A cascaded multilevel frequency converter constructed on the basis of a multi-winding transformer and a set of low-voltage cells has received a widespread use. The main advantage of this converter topology are a low harmonic distortion level of the output voltage and current waveforms, as well as high reliability owing to the possibility to exclude a failed cell from operation without the need to shut down the drive. For equalizing the losses among the converter’s power cells, a pulse-width modulation (PWM) algorithm with a “walking” cell has been developed. Owing to a series connection of the cells, the effective PWM frequency is increased in proportion to the number of cells. However, if one cell fails, the switching frequency of the cells remained in operation increases in comparison with the switching frequency of phase cells when all of them are in the healthy state. This results in a growth of switching losses in the phase with one of its cells taken out from operation. The article discusses a control algorithm with which the nominal level of losses is kept in the cells of all phases under emergency operation conditions. The proposed algorithm has been verified on a model, in which a uniform distribution of losses and high quality of the output voltage have been obtained.

Hybrid matrix converter for grid connected multiphase wind generation

ABSTRACT This paper presents a novel multiphase hybrid matrix converter topology dedicated to grid-connected five-phase wind generation. The proposed converter, named Five-phase Ultra-Sparse Series Z-source Matrix Converter (FUSSZMC), aims to facilitate the integration of the five-phase wind turbine generators. This is done by taking into account the improvement of the injected power quality and allowing the fixed output converter voltage level to that of the grid, thanks to the use of the series Z-source, under the variable voltage magnitude of the wind turbine generator, which depends on the wind speed. The proposed space vector modulation as a control strategy for FUSSZMC was detailed, where it was demonstrated that a suitable use of both large and small current vectors improves the input current waveforms. The global model of the proposed system was tested by simulation under Matlab/Simpowersys environment. The obtained results demonstrate clearly the advantages of using FUSSZMC and its modulation strategie. These benefits includea good input and output current waveforms, as reflected by the obtained total harmonic distortion (THD) values, that fall within the range prescribed by international standards. Additionally, FUSSZMC is capable of operating with unity input power factor, regulating input voltages and improving the quality of injected power into the grid.

Adaptive Control Based on LMS Algorithm for Grid-Connected Inverters

The grid-connected inverter is the key component for the reliable and safe operation of grid-interconnected renewable energy systems. In order to ensure that the inverter output current is in-phase synchronized with the grid voltage, a highly efficient and fast control strategy is required. This paper proposes an algorithmically driven approach for designing the adaptive controller for a grid-connected DC/AC inverter. The controller consists of two adaptive IIR filters based on the LMS algorithm and has two modes of operation. During the learning mode, the controller uses the filters to estimate the coefficients of the inverse transfer function of the PWM-driven inverter at several grid frequencies within a specific range. During the online mode, the controller generates the driving signal for the inverter block using a set of learned coefficients corresponding to the current grid frequency. By constantly monitoring the grid voltage and reconfiguring the controller accordingly, a fast adaptation of the inverter output current to grid frequency variations is achieved. For grid frequency variations in the range of 48 to 52 Hz, the MATLAB simulation results show that the phase difference between the grid voltage and inverter output current waveforms becomes less than 1 degree after at most four periods.