Study of the Modulation Schemes in the Hybrid Three-Phase Multilevel Inverter

Marcos Vinicius Bressan; Marcello Lobo Heldwein; Alessandro Luiz Batschauer

doi:10.18618/REP.2018.1.2727

Authors

Marcos Vinicius Bressan UDESC/nPEE, Joinville – SC, Brazil
Marcello Lobo Heldwein UFSC/INEP, Florianópolis – SC, Brazil
Alessandro Luiz Batschauer UDESC/nPEE, Joinville – SC, Brazil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18618/REP.2018.1.2727

Keywords:

Cascade Multilevel Converter, Hybrid Modulation, Hybrid Multilevel Inverter, Medium-voltage, Pulse Width Modulation, space vector modulation

Abstract

This work proposes and analyzes modulation strategies for a hybrid three- phase multilevel inverter, which employs two different topologies in a cascade connection, a three-phase Neutral Point Clamped (NPC) converter and single- phase half-bridge converters. Two different modulation schemes are proposed: the hybrid modulation and the space vector modulation. The both modulation schemes can synthesize five voltage levels in the output phase voltage at the hybrid three- phase multilevel inverter with symmetrical dc sources. The modulation schemes operate the three-phase NPC in low-switching frequency and the half- bridge converters in high-switching frequency. Thus, semiconductors with low conduction losses can be used for three-phase NPC, decreasing the semiconductor losses. The hybrid three-phase multilevel inverter structure and modulation schemes are explained in detail and verified by simulation and experimental results.

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Author Biographies

Marcos Vinicius Bressan, UDESC/nPEE, Joinville – SC, Brazil

received the B.S. and M.S. degree in electrical engineering from the Santa Catarina State University, Brazil, in 2012 and 2014, respectively. He is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree in the same University. Since 2012, he is a power electronics researcher in the Electrical Power Processing Group - nPEE. His research interest includes multilevel converters, multilevel modulations and control systems.

Marcello Lobo Heldwein, UFSC/INEP, Florianópolis – SC, Brazil

received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianopolis, Brazil, in 1997 and 1999, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Zurich, Switzerland, in 2007. From 1999 to 2003, he worked with industry, including research at the Power Electronics Institute, Brazil and Emerson Network Power, Brazil and Sweden. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the ETH Zurich and at the UFSC from 2007 to 2009. He is currently an Adjunct Professor with the Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, UFSC. His research interests include power electronics, advanced power distribution, and electromagnetic compatibility. Dr. Heldwein is a Member of the Brazilian Power
Electronic Society.

Alessandro Luiz Batschauer, UDESC/nPEE, Joinville – SC, Brazil

was born in Balneário Camboriú, Brazil, in 1977. He received the B.S., M.Sc. and Ph.D degrees in electrical engineering and from Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), FlorianópolisSC, Brazil, in 2000, 2002 and 2011, respectively. Since 2002, he has been with Department of Electrical Engineering, Santa Catarina State University. His fields of interest include high-frequency switching converters, power quality, multilevel converters and impedance source converters. Mr. Batschauer is currently a member of the IEEE and Brazilian Power Electronic Society (SOBRAEP).

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