Switching Frequency Pulse Width Modulation Research Articles

A nearest level control technique for an asymmetric source configuration of multi-level inverter topology

In this paper, an asymmetric source configuration of Multilevel Inverter (MLI) topology has been proposed. It consists of eight unidirectional switches, two bidirectional switches and four isolated DC sources. By considering 1:5 and 1:4 source configurations, the inverter produces 25-level and 21-level outputs respectively with the same switching action. For producing negative voltage levels, there is no requirement of separate backend H-bridge and inherently produces both positive and negative voltage levels. The main advantage of this topology is that in every state, only four switches are in ON mode and else are in OFF state. It also gives less per unit Total Standing Voltage (TSV) and thereby cost requirement of semiconductor devices can become decreases. For generating gate pulses, the simple Nearest Level Control (NLC) has been used by considering the round function. This technique is basically a fundamental switching frequency technique thereby switching losses are greatly reduces as compared with high switching frequency Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) techniques and it is particularly suitable for large number of levels. With this control technique, there is no inrush current has been developed at the input of DC sources. Finally, with step change in Modulation Index (MI) values the proposed topology with two different source configurations have been validated through MATLAB/Simulink platform.

Experimental Assessment of Induction Motors Fed by Sub-MHz-PWM Wide Band Gap Inverters

Three phase inverters with switching frequencies above 100 kHz have recently become feasible thanks to the significant progress made in wide band gap (WBG) semiconductor technology. The main drivers behind the intense research and development of these ultrahigh switching frequency pulsewidth modulation (PWM) inverters are the extraordinary gravimetric and volumetric power densities that can be achieved. On the other hand, not as much attention has been devoted to the loads that these inverters supply, quite frequently consisting in ac motors. The impact of sub-MHz PWM and of the associated tens of nanoseconds range switching transients on motor terminal overvoltage, common mode currents, and losses are still to be discussed exhaustively. The authors have thus decided to investigate what happens to induction motors (IM) supplied by inverters having switching frequencies up to 350 kHz. After an introduction on WBG semiconductor devices, the article presents some interesting experimental observations conducted on a 1.1 kW four-pole IM fed by a silicon carbide (SiC) inverter. Further insight is provided by tests on a laminated steel toroid, supplied by a single-phase full bridge SiC inverter. Discussions on the experimental results highlight the previously unreported impact of common mode losses, which become a predominant part of the PWM harmonic losses.

Improved power quality operation of symmetrical and asymmetrical multilevel inverter using invasive weed optimization technique

Low switching frequency pulse width modulation (PWM) technique for modulation and control of multilevel inverter in medium voltage high power applications is preferred in order to reduce the switching losses. In this context, a multilevel inverter operated with Selective harmonics minimization PWM technique offers better quality waveform at reduced switching losses. After the Fourier series analysis, the system of non-linear simultaneous transcendental equations is obtained. These equations are then solved to obtain switching angles to have certain low order harmonics at minimum value and regulation in the fundamental voltage magnitude. In this paper, a novel invasive weed optimization (IWO) technique is proposed to compute switching angles. The proposed technique can compute switching angles for both symmetrical and asymmetrical multilevel inverters. Thus it has superiority over well-known optimization techniques such as GA, PSO, DE, and ACO, etc. Moreover, in certain modulation index ranges, it provides faster convergence and accurate results which have been demonstrated in the paper. The computational results have been verified with the experimental result on the prototype developed in the laboratory. The field programming gate arrays (FPGA) based controller is used to implement the proposed technique. The hardware results have been found in close agreement with the computed results.

A Modified Variable Switching Frequency Spread-Spectrum PWM Technique With Reduced Torque Ripple for a Vector-Controlled PMSM Drive

The discrete tonal bands introduced in an AC machine’s stator current spectrum by constant switching frequency pulse width modulation schemes, have adverse impacts on the vibration, the acoustic noise, and the electromagnetic interference. Spreading the harmonic spectrum and reducing the magnitude of dominant harmonics is one solution to this problem. Ripples in the electromagnetic torque developed is another major concern in AC drives. Inspired by these factors, this study proposes two novel variable switching frequency schemes for a vector-controlled PMSM drive to disperse the frequency spectrum with a significant reduction in torque ripple. The modulation techniques use linear and trapezoidal variation of sub-cycle sampling period; <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">T_s</i> during their implementation. Further, these methods would be able to eliminate the difficulty in compensator design, which is a major problem with other variable switching frequency schemes. The presented strategies achieve a maximum of 27 % reduction in torque ripple, 51.8 % reduction in dominant harmonics, and a dispersion index of 1.63, demonstrating their competency as promising variable switching frequency schemes. The suggested techniques also show excellent torque ripple reduction capability in comparison with latest spread-spectrum techniques in literature. The proposed techniques are implemented in simulation using MATLAB/Simulink and are experimentally validated using WAVECT-FPGA controller on a 1.07 kW, surface-mounted PMSM drive.

Novel Variable Switching Frequency PWM Strategy for a SiC-MOSFET-Based Electric Vehicle Inverter to Increase Battery Usage Time

In this study, a novel variable switching frequency pulse width modulation (VSFPWM) strategy is proposed to achieve improved electric vehicle inverter efficiency. The silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET inverter has excellent switching characteristics, thus enabling pulse width modulation control with a high switching frequency. The high switching frequency can reduce the voltage ripples in DC-link capacitors, which enables their use at a reduced capacitance. The switching frequency is typically set to a level that is within the limits of the voltage ripple in the maximum output region. Given that the same switching frequency is applied to the entire operating region, there is a sufficient margin with respect to the limits of the voltage ripple in the low-to-medium output range. The proposed method is designed to consider the real-time minimum switching frequency by considering the voltage ripple of the capacitor during operation under loaded conditions, thereby minimizing the switching loss. In addition, the method is suitable for high-switching frequency control because the calculation time is short. Because it does not require additional hardware, it is easy to apply to the existing inverter. The validity of the proposed method was verified based on simulations and experiments.

Bipolar and unipolar schemes for confined band variable switching frequency PWM based inverter

The single phase inverter performance through the unipolar and bipolar strategies has been previously analyzed based on the constant switching frequency pulse width modulation (CSFPWM). However, the confined band variable switching frequency PWM (CB-VSFPWM) is currently proposed as a new variable switching frequency PWM technique through unipolar strategy to facilitate the design of high order filter, to reduce the switching losses, and to reduce the current total harmonics distortion (THD) as well. To evaluate the performance of a single phase inverter based on the CBVSFPWM through bipolar strategy, this paper presents a comparative study of the CB-VSFPWM based inverter performance using the unipolar PWM and the bipolar PWM strategies. The study adopts MATLAB/Simulink to simulate the inverter and to analyze the simulation results in terms of harmonics spectrum, total harmonic distortion (THD), and fundamental components. The analysis of the study results gives an indication about the appropriate type of CB-VSFPWM strategy (unipolar PWM or bipolar PWM) to guarantee the desired performance of the connected inverter in terms of the electrical grid standards like THD, and harmonics spectrum of the inverter current.

Analysis and Optimization of Torque Ripple Reduction Strategy of Surface-Mounted Permanent-Magnet Motors in Flux-Weakening Region Based on Genetic Algorithm

One of the parameters required for a high-performance drive of a surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor (SPMSM) operating in the flux-weakening region is the torque ripple reduction. In general, the torque ripple results from many reasons, such as the machine structure, oscillations of measured speed, etc. Hence, this article proposes an optimized strategy that works in conjunction with a variable switching frequency pulsewidth modulation algorithm to reduce the torque ripple peak. For the modulating algorithm, the updated frequency changes linearly with the desired torque ripple and its predicted maximum peak. For the proposed strategy, the reflection of proportional-integral (PI) parameters is observed at the torque ripple caused by the current ripples. Therefore, a robust method for adjusting PI parameters is proposed that relies on the improved fitness function that can minimize the regulators' error and maximize the drive stability bandwidth in the flux-weakening region. This objective function is optimized offline using a genetic algorithm optimization technique. Meanwhile, a third-order generalized integral flux observer is applied in this article, providing evidence of torque ripple reduction. For driving in the flux-weakening region, the reference magnitude of the duty cycles can produce the required <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">d</i> -axis reference current to prevent the saturation of current controllers. Finally, comprehensive simulations and experiments are presented to validate the proposed strategy effectively. In comparison with the conventional method, the proposed strategy can reduce the copper and switching losses simultaneously and control the current and speed in the flux-weakening region efficiently.

Comprehensive Analysis of Hexagonal Sigma-Delta Modulations for Three-Phase High-Frequency VSC Based on Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors

The efficiency of wide-bandgap (WBG) power converters can be greatly improved using high-frequency modulation techniques. This article proposes using single-loop and doubleloop hexagonal sigma-delta (H-ΣΔ and DH-ΣΔ, respectively) modulations for voltage source converters (VSC) that use silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors. These allow high switching frequencies to operate more efficiently than silicon devices. Thus, ΣΔ modulations are excellent candidates for taking advantage of WBG devices. The proposed modulation techniques allow working with a variable switching frequency, thus producing an extreme reduction in switching losses and mitigating the low-order harmonics in comparison with the classical space vector pulsewidth modulation (SVPWM) technique, and with the innovative variable switching frequency pulse-width modulation (VSFPWM). The performance and losses of both ΣΔ techniques are analyzed here using MATLAB/Simulink and PLECS, and then compared with SVPWM and VSFPWM. Furthermore, the frequency spectrum and the total harmonic distortion are evaluated. Experimental results performed on a VSC converter that uses SiC MOSFETs show how H-ΣΔ and DH-ΣΔ greatly improve efficiency and generate fewer low-order harmonics than the SVPWM and VSFPWM strategies do.

Mitigating the dead-time effects on harmonics spectrum of inverter waveform by the confined band VSFPWM technique

The dead-time is necessary to be inserted between the gates drive pulses of the two power electronic switches in a one leg of any inverter to avoid a short circuit in the leg and the DC supply as well. However, adding the dead-time increases the low order harmonics of the output voltage/current waveform of the inverter. This paper investigates the positive effects of decreasing the pulse width modulation (PWM) drive pulses number per fundamental period on the current low order harmonics. In addition, this paper evaluates the impact of the confined band variable switching frequency pulse width modulation (CB-VSFPWM) technique on inverter performance in terms of dead-time mitigating, and consequenctely lowering the low order harmonics. CB-VSFPWM technique reduces the total harmonic distortion (THD) levels in the inverter output current as well. Theoretical analysis of the CB-VSFPWM effectiveness in reducing the negative effect of the dead-time has explained in this study and confirmed by the MATLAB/Simulink simulation results.

Single‐phase hybrid multilevel inverter topology with low switching frequency modulation techniques for lower order harmonic elimination

A new single-phase asymmetrical multilevel inverter (MLI) is presented in this study. The proposed topology generates a staircase output voltage waveform with a maximum number of levels using less number of components compared to several existing and recent topologies. The basic module consists of a combination of two isolated DC sources with ten switches that produce all the possible number of levels. Other advantages of the proposed MLI include improved output voltage performance and a low blocking voltage of the switches. The low switching frequency pulse width modulation (LSF-PWM) technique has been used for the generation of gate pulses. In the LSF technique, selective harmonic elimination (SHE) and fundamental switching frequency PWM techniques have been discussed for the better output voltage waveform. The optimised switching angles with SHEPWM has been calculated using particle swarm optimisation considering the different combination of the elimination of lower order harmonics. Simulation work was carried out using MATLAB/SIMULINK, and a prototype was implemented to validate the proposed MLI module. Simulation and experimental results have been provided in the study to show the performance of the proposed topology with these modulation techniques.

Reduction of Electromagnetic Interference for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Using Random PWM Switching Method Based on Four-Switch Three-Phase Inverters

The four-switch three-phase inverters have become an effective approach for fault-tolerant reconstruction and operation of the six-switch three-phase topology. However, the conventional control strategy for four-switch three-phase inverters can result in a large number of current harmonic components, high electromagnetic acoustic noise, and electromagnetic interference (EMI). Therefore, this paper proposes a random switching frequency pulse width modulation method under the centrosymmetry period with a two-state Markov chain based on four-switch three-phase inverters (RSFPWM-CPTMC). In this method, random numbers are optimized and evenly distributed on both sides of the center frequency within a specific frequency bandwidth range, which significantly reduces the current harmonics and EMI at the switching frequency and frequency multiplication. The spectral characteristics generated by the random switching frequency under the centrosymmetry period with the two-state Markov chain are evaluated and compared to that provided by the traditional fixed switching frequency pulse width modulation (FSFPWM). Simulations and experiments are carried out to illustrate the superiority of the proposal.

The Impact of VSFPWM on DQ Current Control and a Compensation Method

The variable switching frequency pulsewidth modulation (VSFPWM) is varying the carrier frequency of pulsewidth modulation (PWM) based on the prediction model to reduce the switching losses and lower the electromagnetic interference (EMI). However, it may cause some deterioration in digital dq current control of voltage source converters. This article takes the L -type grid-connected converter as the research object, and first presents the generation mechanism of the varying time delay caused by VSFPWM. In the case of proportional-integral current regulator implemented with VSFPWM, the varying time delay is accompanied by the frame rotation, which causes a varying phase lag in output voltages, degrading the system performance. Subsequently, an analytical method based on complex coefficient transfer functions is developed to provide an accurate explanation of the relation between the VSFPWM and the corresponding impacts. A compensation method is then proposed to eliminate the varying phase lag of output voltages when the VSFPWM is employed, improving the steady state and dynamic performance of dq current control. Finally, the simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the analysis and the effectiveness of the proposed compensation method.

Zero-Voltage-Switching Current Source Inverter Fed PMSM Drives With Reduced EMI

The silicon carbide (SiC) devices have attracted more and more attention due to the capability of withstanding higher blocking voltage, higher switching frequency, and higher temperature. However, challenges for SiC devices applied in voltage-source-inverter fed motor drives such as electromagnetic interference (EMI) issues and limited over-current capability still limit the further application of SiC devices. In this article, a novel SiC devices based zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) current-source-inverter (CSI) is proposed for permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drive. The key is to propose an auxiliary resonant circuit, which achieves ZVS conditions for all switches in power circuits and reduces the dv/dt of high speed SiC devices. The resonant capacitor in the auxiliary circuit can clamp overvoltage caused by possible open-circuit faults. To further reduce the EMI, the random switching frequency pulsewidth modulation is designed for the proposed CSI motor drive. The system configuration, working principle, circuit design, and control schemes are described in detail. Both simulations and experiments are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed ZVS-CSI fed PMSM drive system.

Saliency-Based Permanent Magnet Machine Position Sensorless Drive Using Proposed PWM Injection and Shunt-Based Current Sensing for Position Estimation

For saliency-based position sensorless drives, the switching frequency pulsewidth modulation (PWM) voltage injection can achieve noise-free position estimation which is suited for high-performance motion systems. However, considering the switching frequency injection, multiple phase currents should be sampled per PWM cycle instead of single average current. It leads to the implementation issue on the space-vector PWM (SVPWM) inverter using shunt resistor current sensing for machine control. In this article, a modified PWM injection instead of SVPWM injection is proposed for the saliency-based drive using shunt current sensing. It is concluded that at least two transient currents can be sampled per PWM cycle based on the proposed PWM control. More importantly, the field-oriented control is maintained when the saliency-based drive is applied. A 2 kW permanent magnet (PM) machine is used for the experimental verification. This article includes the position estimation comparison using either the proposed PWM injection with shunt resistors or standard SVPWM with Hall-effect sensors.

Analysis and Calculation of Current Ripple Considering Inductance Saturation and Its Application to Variable Switching Frequency PWM

The inductance is an important parameter impacting current ripple calculation, usually with the assumption that the designed inductance performs ideally in most of voltage source inverters (VSIs) applications. However, the initial permeability of magnetic material usually descends when the winding current reaches or goes beyond the saturation limit. In such region of saturation, the implemented inductor does not perform as expected in design stages and its value varies with the bias current. In this paper, analysis and calculation of the current ripple are presented for a three-phase VSI with powder cores-based inductors, which reveals the calculation error of current ripple caused by the soft saturation nature of powder cores. Based on the equivalent single-phase model, the influence of inductance saturation on current ripple can be quantitatively evaluated. Then, a comparison of the current ripple calculation between considering and ignoring inductance saturation of implemented inductors is drawn in detail. Furthermore, under the condition of inductance saturation, the output current ripple peak-to-peak value of three phases is used as the constraint for variable switching frequency pulsewidth modulation (VSFPWM) design. A comprehensive method is developed to compensate the effect of inductance saturation in VSFPWM. At last, the effectiveness of the proposed strategy is verified by the detailed simulation and experiment.

Uniform Distribution Pulsewidth Modulation Strategy for Three-Phase Converters to Reduce Conducted EMI and Switching Loss

It is necessary to suppress the emission level of conducted electromagnetic interference (EMI) for the power electronics converters, and the variable switching frequency pulsewidth modulation (VSFPWM) is an alternative approach to reduce conducted EMI without adding bulky passive components. However, the experimental results indicate that many obvious EMI spikes in spectrum remain so that the conducted EMI reduction for VSFPWM is limited. In order to eliminate the EMI spikes in spectrum, this article first investigates the cause of the EMI spikes for VSFPWM, and the analysis results show that the nonuniform distribution of switching frequency is the primary reason. Then, a novel PWM strategy called uniform distribution PWM (UDPWM) is proposed to eliminate the EMI spikes and to further reduce conducted EMI. The design of a UDPWM is based on the uniform distribution of switching frequency and the principle of less switching loss. Moreover, the analytical formula of switching frequency is also deduced in detail, which adopts fixed variation range of switching frequency whatever the modulation index is. Finally, the experiments are carried out to validate the effectiveness of the UDPWM in reducing conducted EMI and switching loss. The UDPWM can approximately reduce conducted EMI by 20 dB compared with the conventional constant switching frequency PWM, and all obvious spikes in the spectrum are eliminated compared with VSFPWM.

Multimode Control Strategy for SiC mosfets Based Semi-Dual Active Bridge DC–DC Converter

In order to meet the full load range operation requirement for a semi-dual active bridge (semi-DAB) dc–dc converter working as a battery charger, a multimode control strategy was presented. Under heavy load, it works with single phase-shifted control. Under light load, it works with pulsewidth modulation (PWM) and variable switching frequency. Under very light load conditions, it works with PWM and constant switching frequency mode. Light load conversion efficiency can be improved significantly by using the proposed multimode control strategy. Detailed loss breakdown is analyzed and compared with different switching frequencies under light load conditions. The implementation of the control strategy was given and a seamless transition can be obtained among three operating modes according to the load power. The effectiveness of the control strategy was validated by the experimental results of a 1.6-kW hardware prototype.

Prediction and Evaluation of PWM-Induced Current Ripple in IPM Machines Incorporating Slotting, Saturation, and Cross-Coupling Effects

This paper presents an improved analytical model for estimating the high-frequency current ripple of interior permanent magnet synchronous machines due to pulsewidth modulation (PWM) switching. The proposed model accounts for the impact of slotting effect, magnetic saturation, and cross-coupling between the $d$ - and $q$ -axis. The model is subsequently used to investigate several factors that influence the PWM-induced current ripple. These include the PWM switching frequency, fundamental frequency (i.e., machine speed), dc-bus voltage, current control angle (i.e., γ angle), and the excitation current amplitude (i.e., saturation level). Experiments have been conducted to verify the analytical prediction results. These results show that the analytical model can predict the PWM-induced current ripple waveshape very well for many operating conditions and accurately estimate its rms value over a complete fundamental period.

Fast Torque Response and Reduced Pulse Width Modulation Switching Frequency Based on Model Predictive Direct Torque Control and Selective Harmonic Elimination

Fast Torque Response and Reduced Pulse Width Modulation Switching Frequency Based on Model Predictive Direct Torque Control and Selective Harmonic Elimination

Attenuation of Conducted EMI for Three-Level Inverters Through PWM

This paper presents two typical modulations to reduce conducted electromagnetic interference (EMI) for three-level voltage-source inverters. The first modulation called variable switching frequency pulse-width modulation (VSFPWM) based on real-time current ripple prediction is used to reduce differential-mode (DM) EMI noise. This technique can make conducted EMI between kHz and MHz achieve great attenuation. The other method named zero common-mode (CM) PWM is used to decrease CM voltage and current. A comprehensive analysis and comparison between normal SVPWM and zero-CM PWM state that zero-CM PWM pays the prices of higher Total Harmowic Distortion (THD), serious neutral voltage unbalance, more switching loss and lower modulation index to achieve theoretical elimination of CM voltage. Then, combination of VSFPWM and zero-CM modulation is designed to avoid the disadvantages such as large switching loss produced by zero-CM PWM, and the new method has obvious predominance of reducing conducted EMI noise. Relevant experimental results validate the advantages of these modulations.