Phase Shifted Carrier Pulse Width Research Articles

Dual-Phase-Shifted Pulsewidth Modulation of Three-Phase Modular Multilevel Converters

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) has been a crucial component for medium/high-power energy conversion systems due to its modular structure. In the literature, the harmonic analysis of MMC with different modulation methods, including the conventional carrier phase-shifted pulse width modulation (CPS-PWM) method, have been extensively investigated. However, the influence of the carrier displacement angles between three-phase legs on the output performance of an MMC is normally ignored. This paper proposes a dual-phase-shifted PWM (DPS-PWM) for a three-phase MMC which further enhances the performance of the conventional CPS-PWM scheme through proper selection of carrier displacement angles between three phases. First, the operation principle and implementation of the proposed DPS-PWM method is described. Then a two-dimensional (2D) Fourier model is derived to analyze how the carrier displacement angles between stacks and legs affect the harmonics of output voltage and circulating current. It is found that DPS-PWM can suppress specific harmonics in the line-to-line voltage by coordinating the carriers' phase shifting between the three-phase legs without affecting phase voltage and circulating current. Finally, the effectiveness of the DPS-PWM method is verified by simulation and experimental results.

VSG Control for Cascaded Three-Phase Bridge Based Battery Inverter

With the increasing number of new energy sources connected to the grid, the unbalanced output of three-phase grid-connected inverters and the lack of no inertia and damping characteristics in the traditional microgrid control system will seriously affect the stability of voltage, frequency, and power angle for microgrids. This paper proposes a novel cascaded three-phase bridge inverter topology for the battery system used for the electric vehicle. Compared with traditional cascaded H-bridge inverters, the proposed multilevel inverter can achieve self-adaptive balance for three phases. The mathematical model of a cascaded three-phase bridge inverter is established in this paper. Based on the voltage and current equations of a multilevel inverter, a new modulation strategy named carrier phase-shifted-distributed pulse width modulation (CPSD-PWM) was developed, which is more suitable for cascaded three-phase bridge inverters. The harmonic analytic equations of carrier phase-shifted pulse width modulation (CPS-PWM) and CPSD-PWM are constructed by the double Fourier analysis method. Compared with the traditional PWM modulation strategy, the CPSD-PWM can reduce the output harmonics and improve the balance of the three-phase output, which can realize the three-phase adaptive balance in the cascaded three-phase bridge inverter. This paper develops a cascaded three-phase bridge multilevel power converter system based on the virtual synchronous generator (VSG) control strategy. The voltage and frequency of inverter output can be accurately controlled in both island mode and grid-connected mode through active power-frequency regulation and reactive power–voltage regulation, and the stability of primary frequency regulation for the multilevel microgrid inverter can be improved by collaborative optimization of virtual inertia and virtual damping. The CPSD-PWM modulation strategy and VSG control strategy are verified by the simulation results and experimental data for the cascaded three-phase bridge inverter.

Topology and Modulation of Fractional-Level MMC for DC Distribution Grids

For the modular multilevel converter (MMC) with a small quantity of submodules, neither nearest level modulation (NLM) nor carrier phase-shifted pulse width modulation (CPS-PWM) can achieve high voltage quality and low operation loss simultaneously. In this paper, a novel fractional-level MMC (FLMMC) topology is proposed, in which fractional-level submodules are introduced to multiply the output levels. To balance the capacitor voltages between conventional submodules and fractional-level submodules, this paper develops a fractional-level modulation (FLM) method suitable for FLMMC. Considering control complexity and device quantity, the FLMMC with two half-level or one-third-level submodules in each arm is investigated in this paper. Simulation and experiment tests are carried out to validate the effectiveness and superiority of FLMMC under FLM. FLMMC can improve the voltage quality without increasing control complexity, circulating current and switching loss, so as to comprehensively adapt to the power quality requirements of dc distribution grids.

A modified CPS-PWM for capacitor voltage reduction of MMC based variable speed drive

<span>In recent years, modular multilevel converters (MMC) have become one of the most popular multilevel converter topologies. Despite its growing popularity, MMC is still less widespread in variable speed drives (VSDs) applications. The reason for this is that the voltage ripple of the MMC submodules (SM) increases during the low-speed constant torque operation. In this paper, carrier phase shift-pulse width modulation (CPS-PWM) is modified to reduce the average voltage of SM and thus accommodate more ripples without exceeding the maximum SM voltage. The proposed method does not involve the injection of circulating current components, thereby resulting in less power loss. In addition to that, the necessity for increasing the SM capacitor rating during low-speed operation is not required. Extensive simulation has been conducted under various speed commands to validate the effectiveness of this method.</span>

An isolated modular multi‐level AC/AC converter with high‐frequency link and pulse flip circuit for fractional frequency transmission system application

Based on the modular topology and the traditional voltage-sourced converter (VSC) model, this paper presents an isolated modular multi-level AC/AC converter with high-frequency (HF) link and pulse flip circuit for fractional frequency transmission system (FFTS) application. The proposed converter uses the HF transformer to realize electrical isolation, omitting the industrial frequency (IF) transformer with large volume and heavy weight. In the primary side of the HF transformer, the power transmission is realized by the rectifier and the inverter. In the secondary side of the HF transformer, the double H-bridges are used to realize the natural freewheeling of the leakage current, which solves the problem of voltage overshoot. On the basis of carrier phase-shifted pulse width modulation (CPS-PWM), an improved modulation strategy is proposed to realize the HF output voltage of the inverter. It has the advantages of easy expansion, no circulation current, good output voltage quality, low cost and no need of offshore converter station, so it has great potential in the field of offshore wind power grid connection. The working principle, natural freewheeling modes, modulation method and overall system control scheme of the proposed topology are introduced in detail, and the feasibility of the proposed topology is verified by simulation in MATLAB/Simulink environment and test through APPSIM platform.

Analytical Modelling and Optimization of Output Voltage Harmonic Spectra of Full-Bridge Modular Multilevel Converters in Boost Mode

This article develops a new closed-form analytical solution to the harmonic spectrum of the full-bridge (FB) modular multilevel converter (MMC) with phase shifted carrier pulse width modulation. It considers FB-MMC operation in boost mode where the negative-voltage states of the FB submodules (SMs) are utilized to extend the ac operating voltage range and/or reduce the dc link voltage which is known to reduce the energy storage requirement. The solution is based on double Fourier series expansion in two variables. The harmonic distribution of the output voltage is analyzed and the effects of the modulation index and the number of SMs on the output voltage harmonics are revealed. The influence of the upper/lower arm carrier phase shift angle is also investigated. Using the analysis, selection of the number of SMs, the modulation index and the upper/lower arm carrier phase shift angle are specified for output voltage harmonic minimization. The findings are verified by simulation and experimental results.

PCCPS-PWM based vehicle-network high frequency resonance suppression method

In recent years, the safe and stable operation of electrified railways has attracted more and more attention. In particular, the stability of vehicle-grid coupling, which focuses on the phenomenon of vehicle-grid high frequency resonance (HFR), has become a hot research topic. Based on the instability mechanism of vehicle-grid coupling, and from the perspective of grid-side converter modulation strategy, measures to suppress HFR are further proposed. Based on the improvement of commonly used modulation strategies, Periodic Control Carrier Phase-Shift Pulse Width Modulation (PCCPS-PWM) is proposed, this solves the HFR problem caused by the switching characteristic frequency harmonics caused by the inaccurate phase shift angle between the grid-side converters. And it is verified by Matlab simulation and hybrid electric train sets.

Model Predictive Arm Current Control for Modular Multilevel Converter

Arm current control is a promising candidate for modular multilevel converter (MMC) due to it can effectively regulate ac-side current and control the ac component of circulating currents simultaneously. The conventional arm current controller designed in frequency domain based on classical control theory have to design the separate controller for each frequency reference signal. As a result, the controller structure is complicated. And limited by the bandwidth of the arm current compound controller, the control performance will be affected by the grid-side voltage harmonics. Model predictive control (MPC) is an optimal control method in time domain. It not only has fast dynamic response, but also can track multi-band composite signals with high accuracy. To address the above issues of traditional arm current control, this paper proposes a model predictive arm current control strategy. Combined with phase-shifted carrier pulse width modulation (PSC-PWM), the computation burden of the presented method can be independent of the number of cascaded sub-modules (SMs). Simulation and experimental results reveal the proposed MMC integrated control strategy has fast dynamic response with small tracking errors even under non-ideal grid conditions.

High Quality NLM Method for Medium Voltage Hybrid Bridge MMC

Medium voltage hybrid bridge multilevel converter (MMC) usually has a lower number of links. Therefore, the traditional Nearest Level Modulation (NLM) method has the problems of low equivalent switching frequency and poor output quality. And the traditional Carrier Phase-shifted Pulse Width Modulation (CPS-PWM) modulation has problems such as difficulty in hybrid bridge control, difficulty in redundant configuration, and large amount of calculation. In response to the above problems, this paper proposes a new high-quality NLM method. Based on the traditional NLM modulation method, PWM modulation output and module voltage equalization are realized through the time difference between one module input and one module exit in each control cycle. It achieves the purpose of improving the equivalent switching frequency and output power quality, and at the same time has the advantages of the traditional NLM modulation method with small calculation amount, redundant configuration and hybrid bridge modulation. This article describes the three modulation methods and compares their effects. Finally, the theoretical analysis is verified by PSCAD simulation.

Circulating Current Suppression Strategy of Modular Multilevel Converter Based on Model Predictive Control

Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) has the characteristics of high voltage level and low switching frequency. The traditional modular multilevel converter circulating current control strategy mostly adopts the PI control principle, and the parameter setting is complicated and the accuracy is not high, and the control process is more difficult. Model predictive control strategy is the optimal control method based on the model in the existing time domain. This paper proposes a Model Predictive Control (MPC) method based on carrier phase-shifted pulse width modulation (PSC-PWM) to suppress the circulating current, and output the optimal modulation wave through model prediction. Compared with the traditional control strategy, this strategy is simple to implement, does not require complex tuning calculations, and combines with the traditional capacitor voltage equalization strategy to obtain the output modulation wave. A 7-level MMC simulation control system is built in MATLAB / SIMLINK to verify the theory, comparing with existing control methods, it can be concluded that the proposed method has high calculation efficiency, good control accuracy and strong robustness.

A Novel 2$N$ + 1 Carrier-Based Pulse Width Modulation Scheme for Modular Multilevel Converters With Reduced Control Complexity

This article presents a simple pulse width modulator to achieve both N + 1 and 2N + 1 modulation in a modular multilevel converter. The proposed implementation needs a single triangular waveform to control a modular multilevel converter with a large number of submodules. Hence, the proposed approach significantly reduces the required triangular carrier count and solves the practical implementation issues associated with the carrier-based pulse width modulation schemes in the digital control platforms. The performance of the proposed approach is validated with detailed experimental studies. The results show that the proposed strategy effectively generates a multilevel voltage waveform at the load terminals. Furthermore, the performance of the proposed approach is compared with the traditional phase-shifted carrier pulse width modulation schemes. In addition, it can be easily applied to the n-level modular multilevel converter with any type of submodule configuration.

Modular Multilevel Converter Switching Frequency Harmonics Analysis and Suppression Through Cell Voltage Control

This paper investigates the impact of reference's bias on the high frequency voltage spectrum for the modular multilevel converters (MMC). Analytical solution of the voltage spectrum under carrier Phase Shifted Pulse Width Modulation (PSPWM) is derived using double Fourier integral analysis. The distribution of the switching frequency voltage harmonics is found to be directly related to the ratio between the dc-link voltage and the cell voltage. A control method utilizing this phenomenon is thereby proposed to suppress switching frequency harmonics in the Differential Mode Voltage (DMV) and Common Mode Voltage (CMV). Cell voltage control trade-offs considering different cell numbers, different ac voltages, 3rd harmonics injection, and cell voltage stress are also investigated. The analysis and control method are validated through experiments on a 1.25 megawatt MMC testbed.

Investigate on a Simplified Multi-Port Interline DC Power Flow Controller and Its Control Strategy

A DC power flow controller (DCPFC) can help to facilitate power flow routing in the multi-terminal high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system. Realizing its multi-port output can effectively improve the device regulate range and capability. Based on analysis of the traditional multi-port interline DC power flow controller (MI-DCPFC), this paper presents a switches reduced topology of MI-DCPFC. In addition, for solving the problem of coupling of the port-output voltage of the traditional MI-DCPFC, a novel control strategy based on carrier phase shifting pulse width modulation (CPS-PWM) is proposed. It implements the decoupling of the port-output voltage of MI-DCPFC, which can ensure completely independent tracking of the power flow regulating commands for different controlled lines. Moreover, key relationships between the system state variables are also analyzed and detailed in this study. Finally, the performance of the proposed controller and control strategy are confirmed with the simulation and experiment studies under different conditions.

Performance Comparison of Variable-Angle Phase-Shifting Carrier PWM Techniques

This paper analyzes the performances of different carrier phase-shifting pulse width modulation (PWM) techniques to be used with a multilevel cascaded H-bridge converter in case of unbalanced operational conditions. In fact, in many practical applications, the ideal condition of equal dc voltages and equal reference signals for each H-bridge cannot be achieved. In such conditions, the conventional carrier phase-shifting PWM technique loses its harmonic canceling capabilities and then the multilevel ac voltage harmonic quality is deeply affected. To overcome this limit of the original technique, different variations have been proposed. All of them still rely on the carrier phase-shifting concept and propose to use a different value of the shifting angle for each carrier (unlike the original technique) whenever unbalanced operational conditions occur. In this paper, the three main solutions proposed over the last years to extend the capabilities of the carrier phase-shifting PWM technique are compared. The analysis is focused on a three-cell cascaded H-bridge converter. Simulation and experimental results are presented.

Applied methods of power supply and galvanic isolation of gate drivers of power transistors in bridging end stages of Class D amplifiers and inverters

Various methods used for a floating high-side gate drive power supply and galvanic isolation of the Class-D amplifiers and different DC-AC or DC-DC converters have been reviewed and evaluated in the paper. On the basis of the literature, the bootstrap floating supply and self-boost charge pump topology for a gate drive high-side power supply, as well as control signal isolated systems with optically-isolated signals or with capacitive signal isolation have been described and compared. New topologies of the Class-BD amplifiers with Common-Mode (CM) free outputs using PSC PWM - Phase Shifted Carrier Pulse Width presented in the paper, shows that almost all gate drivers of the output stage transistors require floating power supply and galvanic isolation of the control signals. In the case of such circuits with multi-level PWM output, the most reliable and robust method for the floating gate drive power supply and galvanic isolation is self-boost charge pump topology with capacitive control signal isolation. Correct operation of the output stage of the proposed Class-BD amplifiers as well as the PWM modulator and self-boost charge pump topologies with capacitive control signal isolation have been verified using intensive Pspice simulation.

A Submodule Fault Ride-Through Strategy for Modular Multilevel Converters With Nearest Level Modulation

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) with nearest level modulation (NLM) is widely used in the high voltage applications for low switching frequency and easy implementation. Existing literature has not provided a complete submodule (SM) fault ride-through scheme for MMC with NLM. In this paper, a strategy including fault detection, localization, redundancy, and recovery is proposed to ensure continuous operation of MMC under IGBT open-circuit faults conditions. It only requires a few hardware and software resources. The features of MMC and SMs with three types of failures are studied, respectively. Based on these, the fault detection method is proposed by using a simple hardware circuit, thus high computation complexity is avoided. Since current fault localization schemes are limited to MMC with carrier phase shifted pulse width modulation, this paper further proposes a strategy for MMC with NLM to locate the faulty SM and identify the fault type. After this, the fault redundancy and the proposed fault recovery method are applied to eliminate the fault and then exit the failure state. Therefore, the ability of SM fault ride-through can be realized. Analysis of failure characteristics are verified in simulation. Experimental results based on a single-phase MMC prototype with 11 SMs per arm are presented to demonstrate the validity of the proposed fault ride-through strategy.

Comparison of Multicarrier PWM Techniques for Cascaded H-Bridge Multilevel Inverter

<p>One of the preferred choices of electronic power conversion for high power applications are multilevel inverters topologies finding increased attention in industry. Cascaded H-Bridge multilevel inverter is one of these topologies reaching the higher output voltage, power level and higher reliability due to its modular topology. Level Shifted Carrier Pulse Width Modulation (LSCPWM) and Phase Shifted Carrier Pulse Width Modulation are used generally for switching cascaded H-bridge (CHB) multilevel inverters. This paper compares LSCPWM and PSCPWM in terms of total harmonics distortion (THD) and output voltage among inverter cells. Simulation for 21-level CHB inverter is carried out in MATLAB/SIMULINK and simulation results are presented.</p>

Flux-Balancing Scheme for PD-Modulated Parallel-Interleaved Inverters

A simple scheme to realize phase-disposition carrier pulse width modulation (PD PWM) for parallel two-level voltage-source converters (2L-VSCs) is presented in this paper. The proposed implementation only uses a single carrier signal and can easily be implemented using a digital signal processor. The operation of the parallel VSCs with the coupled inductor (CI) under the PD PWM is briefly discussed, and the associated dc flux injection problem is investigated. A CI saturation issue during the band transition under the PD PWM scheme is also explored, and the strategy to avoid this problem is presented. In addition, the proposed strategy also maintains a volt-second balance to synthesize desired reference space voltage vector during the band transition. As a result, a smooth transition from one modulation band to the other is ensured without causing disturbances in the line-to-line voltage. The switching losses and the harmonic performance of the proposed implementation are also compared with the commonly used phase-shifted carrier pulse width modulation. The implementation issues are discussed and the experimental results are also presented.

Control of Active Power Exchange With Auxiliary Power Loop in a Single-Phase Cascaded Multilevel Converter-Based Energy Storage System

Cascaded multilevel converter (CMC)-based energy storage system, which consists of cascaded H-bridge converters and energy storage components, is a promising option to compensate fluctuating electric power of renewable energy. This paper proposes a novel single-phase CMC-based battery storage system, which includes an LC branch. The cascaded converter cells and the LC branch form an auxiliary power loop, which could realize active power exchange between different cells with the proposed dual-frequency phase-shifted carrier pulse width modulation (DF-PSC PWM). The principle and effectiveness of DF-PSC PWM and the power transfer mechanism are analyzed. Meanwhile, the design of the tuned filter, output filter, and the state of charge balancing control system is introduced. The operation principle of the power exchange in the proposed energy storage system has been successfully verified by simulation and experimental results.

A New Reduced-Component Hybrid Flying Capacitor Multicell Converter

This paper presents a new multicell topology based on flying capacitor (FC) structure suitable for multilevel converters. The proposed topology employs the concept of phase-shifted carrier pulse width modulation (PWM) with modified modulating signals to generate appropriate PWM signals. The modulation strategy along with all possible switching states are explained. The implementation of the proposed PWM technique is shown by the help of illustrating waveforms. To show the advantages of the proposed structure, different performance criteria are compared with other FC multicell (FCM) structures. Simulation results are used to further evaluate the potential merits of the proposed topology. It is shown that the proposed structure is superior to other FCM-based structures from different standpoints. Specifically, it reduces the number of high-frequency switches, the number of FCs, and at the same time improves the quality of output voltage. A laboratory-type experimental setup is used to validate the modulation strategy and other theoretical findings.