Arash Khoshkbar Sadigh

Double Flying Capacitor Multicell Converter Based on Modified Phase-Shifted Pulsewidth Modulation

Multilevel converters are very interesting alternatives for medium and high-power applications. The main reason is the increase in the number of output voltage levels and its apparent frequency. This paper presents a new configuration of flying capacitor multicell (FCM) converter. The main advantages of the proposed converter, in comparison with FCM and stacked multicell converters, are doubling the rms and the number of output voltage levels, improving the output voltage frequency spectrum, and canceling the midpoint of dc source. This progress is achieved by adding only two low-frequency switches to the conventional configuration of FCM converter while the number of high-frequency switches and capacitors, voltage ratings of capacitors and switches, and the number of high-frequency switchings during a full cycle are kept constant. This converter is controlled by a modified phase-shifted pulsewidth modulation, therefore, the self-balancing property of the flying capacitor converter is maintained in the proposed converter. The circuit is simulated using power systems computer-aided design/electromagnetic transients in DC systems (EMTDC) software and simulation results are presented to validate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed configuration as well as its control strategy. Additionally, measurements taken from an experimental setup are presented in order to study the practical configuration.

A New Family of Modular Multilevel Converter Based on Modified Flying-Capacitor Multicell Converters

Modular multilevel converters (MMCs) are one of the next-generation multilevel converters intended for medium/high-voltage high-power market. This paper initially studies a modified topology for flying-capacitor multicell converters (FCMCs) as a modular submultilevel module. The main advantage of the modified FCMC, in comparison with the conventional one, is that the number and voltage rating of the required dc voltage sources are halved. Afterward, the MMC that comprises the series connection of the modified FCMCs used as submultilevel modules is proposed. Simulation results and experimental measurements taken from the four-cell-five-level laboratory prototype system of the modified FCMC as a modular submultilevel module are presented in order to validate its performance and advantages. Moreover, simulation results and experimental measurements of three cascaded two-cell-three-level modules (ultimately seven-level proposed MMC) and four cascaded two-cell-three-level modules (ultimately nine-level proposed MMC) are presented in order to validate its viability, merits and the proposed control strategy.

Flying capacitor multicell converter based dynamic voltage restorer

One of the major power quality problems in distribution systems are voltage sags. This paper deals with a dynamic voltage restorer (DVR) as one of the different solutions to compensate these sags and protect sensitive loads. However, the quality of DVR output voltage itself, such as THD, is important. So, in this paper a configuration of DVR based on flying capacitor multicell (FCM) converter is proposed. The main properties of FCM converter, which causes increase in the number of output voltage levels, are transformer-less operation and natural self-balancing of flying capacitors voltages. The proposed DVR consists of a set of series converter and shunt rectifier connected back-to-back. To guarantee the proper operation of shunt rectifier and maintaining the dc link voltage at the desired value, which results in suitable performance of DVR, the DVR is characterized by installing the series converter on the source-side and the shunt rectifier on the load-side. Also, the pre-sag compensation strategy and the proposed voltage sag detection and DVR reference voltages determination methods based on synchronous reference frame (SRF) are adopted as the control system. The proposed DVR is simulated using PSCAD/EMTDC software and simulation results are presented to validate its effectiveness.

Analytical Determination of Conduction and Switching Power Losses in Flying-Capacitor-Based Active Neutral-Point-Clamped Multilevel Converter

Multilevel converters are mainly used in medium-voltage high-power applications. Active neutral-point-clamped (ANPC) flying capacitor multicell (FCM) converter is a well-known type of multilevel converters which is commercially available in high-power medium-voltage motor drive market. Since power loss investigation can be very advantageous in the design phase of multilevel converters, this paper presents an analytical approach to calculate and investigate the conduction and switching power loss in ANPC-FCM converter. First, the RMS and average currents of insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and antiparallel diodes are analytically calculated by considering the associated duty cycle of each IGBT and diode, converter modulation index, load current, and load power factor. Numerical results of the derived closed-form equations to calculate the RMS and average currents of IGBTs/diodes are compared with simulation results and experimental measurements. Numerical results match the simulation results and experimental measurements which validates the derived closed-form equations. Afterward, the obtained equations for RMS and average current computations are utilized to calculate the conduction power losses in a 12.1-MVA 6.6-kV nine-level (line-to-line) ANPC-FCM multilevel converter. For this purpose, a 4.5-kV 1.2-kA IGBT module from ABB is considered as a power switch and its parameters are employed in analytical computations and simulation of the ANPC-FCM multilevel converter for conduction power loss determination. Moreover, closed-form equations are derived for analytical determination of switching power losses for ANPC-FCM converter using Kapteyn (Fourier-Bessel) series. Based on the derived closed-form equations for conduction loss and switching loss calculation, a method is presented to determine the junction temperature in IGBTs and diodes for ANPC-FCM converter.

New Multilevel Converter Based on Cascade Connection of Double Flying Capacitor Multicell Converters and Its Improved Modulation Technique

This paper proposes a new multilevel converter based on the cascade connection of double flying capacitor multicell (DFCM) converters, as multilevel modules, to decrease the voltage diversity of the flying capacitors. Furthermore, a new switching pattern based on the phase-shifted pulse-width modulation technique is proposed to reduce the voltage ripple across the flying capacitors. Moreover, the proposed modulation technique reduces the rms value of the current flowing through flying capacitors. This results in an increase in the life time of flying capacitors and a decrease in the capacitance of the flying capacitors, to keep the same amount of the ripple, meaning a reduction in the physical size of the converter. In addition, this paper presents an analytical approach to calculate the average and rms currents of the insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs)/diodes in the DFCM converter in a closed-form expression. The derived closed-form equations to calculate the average and rms currents of the IGBTs/diodes are utilized to investigate the conduction power losses in a DFCM converter and the proposed multilevel converter. Numerical results of the derived closed-form equations match the simulation results well, which validates the derived equations. Furthermore, simulation results and experimental measurements of the proposed multilevel power converter, configured by cascading two two-cell five-level DFCM converters, are presented to validate the performance of the proposed converter as well as the suggested modulation technique.

Stacked multicell converter based DVR with energy minimized compensation strategy

One of the major power quality problems in distribution systems are voltage sags. This paper deals with a dynamic voltage restorer (DVR) as one of the different solutions to compensate these sags and protect sensitive loads. However, the quality of DVR output voltage, such as THD, is important. This paper present a new configuration of DVR based on stacked multicell (SM) converter. The main properties of SM converter, which causes increase in the number of output voltage levels, are transformer-less operation and natural self-balancing of flying capacitors voltages. To avoid any exchange of active power in compensation process, the proposed DVR is controlled by energy minimized compensation strategy which is explained in details for balanced and unbalanced voltage sags. Also, the proposed voltage sag detection method as well as proposed DVR reference voltage determination method based on synchronous reference frame (SRF) is adopted as the control system. The proposed DVR is simulated using PSCAD/EMTDC software and simulation results are presented to validate its effectiveness.

A New Breed of Optimized Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Cascaded Multilevel Power Converters

Multilevel voltage source power converters are the state-of-the-art and key elements for medium-voltage (MV) high-power applications. The cascaded multicell (CM) topologies reach higher output voltage and power levels, and also retain higher reliability due to their modular and fault-tolerant features. This paper initially proposes an optimized topology for symmetrical CM (SCM) multilevel converters. The superiority of the proposed SCM, as compared with the conventional CM converter structure, is that the number of required high-frequency power switches is reduced. Next, a new topology of an asymmetrical CM (ACM) converter, which is formed based on the proposed optimized modules of an SCM converter, is suggested. The advantage of the proposed new ACM converter in comparison with the traditional ACM topology is that the variety of the dc links with different voltage ratings reduces, which makes the proposed topology more modular. The simulation results and the experimental measurements taken from the laboratory prototypes are presented for the proposed converters in order to validate the effectiveness and the advantages of these converters as well as their control strategy.

Voltage sag and swell compensation with DVR based on asymmetrical cascade multicell converter

This paper deals with a dynamic voltage restorer (DVR) as a solution to compensate the voltage sags and swells and to protect sensitive loads. In order to apply the DVR in the distribution systems with voltage in range of kilovolts, series converter as one of the important components of DVR should be implemented based on the multilevel converters which have the capability to handle voltage in the range of kilovolts and power of several megawatts. So, in this paper a configuration of DVR based on asymmetrical cascade multicell converter is proposed. The main property of this asymmetrical CM converter is increase in the number of output voltage levels with reduced number of switches. Also, the pre-sag compensation strategy and the proposed voltage sag/swell detection and DVR reference voltages determination methods based on synchronous reference frame (SRF) are adopted as the control system. The proposed DVR is simulated using PSCAD/EMTDC software and simulation results are presented to validate its effectiveness.

Topologies and Control Strategies of Multilevel Converters

Multilevel converters have been continuously developed in recent years due to the necessity of increase in power level of industrial applications especially high power applications such as high power AC motor drives, active power filters, reactive power compensation, FACTS devices, and renewable energies [1-9]. Multilevel converters include an array of power semiconductors and capacitor voltage sources which generate step-waveform output voltages. The commutation of the switches permits the addition of the capacitors voltages and generates high voltage at the output [8, 10, 11]. The term multilevel starts with the three-level converter introduced by Nabae [12]. By increasing the number of levels in the converter, the output voltage has more steps generating a staircase waveform which has a reduced harmonic distortion [13]. However, a high number of levels increases the control complexity and introduces voltage unbalance problems [10].

Dual Flying Capacitor Active-Neutral-Point-Clamped Multilevel Converter

Hybrid multilevel converters combine features of conventional multilevel topologies to provide an acceptable tradeoff between the advantages and disadvantages of these converters. For many industrial applications, common dc link is a requirement that limits the choice of topologies to neutral point clamped (NPC) and flying capacitor multicell (FCM) hybrid types. This paper investigates the operation of a hybrid five-level topology and proposes a modulation method that takes the advantage of the combined features of NPC and FCM. The dual flying capacitor (FC) active-neutral-point-clamped (DFC-ANPC) converter provides certain advantages such as natural soft switching of line frequency switches, elimination of the transient voltage balancing snubbers, and a more even loss distribution. Simulation results and experimental verification of the five-level DFC-ANPC converter are presented to validate the performance of the converter as well as the applied modulation technique.