Date

Page

lerel elina putitar malhilee

lnveter,
VJd2
CA Sat
T
Sa2
C
Ve
T A.

SLz

-Vde/2

Eve levels o e/4,\Vel23Vde/Vie

V Vte
SuSaSaa
S43S1S |Sas |SS
L1 1

(2 V as 3 Vdc/4Sfgy cambi naians

S2 Sa2 Sa3 Sa4 Si Sas Sz Sa
Ve-Vady -
Vae/
VAc-3+Ve
 Date
Page

A Vief2 Sise, a'enibinatins

S11 Sar S43 S Sas SngSiz S
Vae-Vd2
VAe/2
3 VVd 1
/a a 1 1 1

*****

ds Cmbnuti'on
Sau S12 Sa S Ss Sa S22 S4
V43ta
Va-V
VA 1 1

S1 S12 S13 1a Sa5_S16

Q S1z S1
SC
 9.6 Cascaded Multilevel Inverter 417
Features of FIying-capacitors Inverter
52
952

The main features are as follows:

1, Large number ojf capacitors: The inverter

pacitors. Assuming that the voltage rating requires
a large number of storage
of each capacitor is the same as
ca
a switching device, an m-level converter that o
requires a total of (mn 1) x (m 2)/2
-
-

auxiliary capacitors per phase leg in addition to (m 1) main dc bus

capacitors.
-

On the contrary, an m-level diode-clamp inverter

only
tors of the same voltage rating. Thus, for m = 5, Nc =requires (m
4 X 3/2 4 1)
-

= 10 capac
com-
pared with Nc= 4 for the
diode-clamped type.
2. Balancing capacitor voltages: Unlike the diode-clamped inverter, the FCMLI has
redundancy at its inner voltage levels. A voltage level is redundant if two or more
valid switch combinations can synthesize it. The availability of voltage redundan-
cies allows controlling the individual capacitor voltages. In producing the
same
output voltage, the inverter can involve different combinations of capacítors al-
lowing preferential charging or discharging of individual capacitors. This flexibil-
ity makes it easier to manipulate the capacitor voltages and keep them at their
proper values. It is possible to employ two or more switch combinations for mid-
dle voltage levels (i.e., 3Va4, Vael2, and Vae4) in one or several output cycle to
balance the charging and discharging of the capacitors. Thus, by proper selection
of switch combinations, the flying-capacitors multilevel converter may be used in
real power conversions. However, when it involves real power conversions, the
selection of a switch combination becomes very complicated, and the switching

frequency needs to be higher than the

fundamental frequency.
inverter can be summarized as follows:
Themajor advantages of the flying-capacitors
can provide capabilities during power outages
Large amounts of storage capacitors
combination redundancy for balancing different
These inverters provide switch
voltage levels.
with more levels, the harmonic content is
low
Like the diode-clamp inverter
for filters.
enough to avoid the need
flow can be controlled.
Both real and reactive power
inverter can be summarized as
T of the flying-capacitors
ne major disadvantages
follows: when the number of levels
capacitors is required
excessive number of storage dificult to package with
the bulky power
An are more
Is high. High-level inverters
too.
and are more expensive
capacitors and the switching frequencv and
be very complicated,
The inverter control can transmission.

for real power

Switching losses are high

96 CASCARED MULTILEVEL INVERTER J nm1 hoso f11

 iVe
to generate a
phase-leg-switching timings. Figure 9.9 shows the switching timin=
quasi-square waveform of an H-bridge. It should be noted that
switching device always conducts for eac
of the half-cycle), regardless of the pulse widt
quasi-square wave. This switching method
180° (or
makes all of the switching device
rent stresses equal. cu
9.6.2 Features of Cascaded Inverter
The main features are as follows:
For real power
conversions from ac to dc and then dc to ac, the cascaded
ers need
separate dc sources. The structure of invert-
for various separate dc sources is well suitec
renewable energy sources such as fuel cell,
photovoltaic, and biomass.
Connecting dc sources between two converters in a back-to-back fashion is not
possible because a short circuit can be introduced when two
verters are not back-to-back con-
switching synchronously.
The major advantages of the cascaded
inverter can be summarized as follows:
Compared with the diode-clamped and flying-capacitors ínverters, it
least number of requires the
components to achieve the same number of voltage levels.
Optimized circuit layout and packaging are possible because each level has the
same structure and there are
no extra
clamping
diodes or voltage-balancing
capacitors.
Soft-switching techniques can be used to reduce switching losses and device
stresses.
The major disadvantage of the cascaded inverter are as follows:
It needs separate dc for real power
sources conversions, thereby limiting its
applications.
evel-i aC St
SOOI er than the
level-5 dc source.
switching pattern-swapping scheme among the various However, by ussim
own in Figure 9.10, all batteries can be equally used levels every half-cycle, aE
avample, if the first pulse sequence is P, P2.. (discharged)
example, or charged [7. Fo-

P, P, Pa, Ps, Pi, and so on. Ps, then the next sequence i

APPLICATIONS

There is considerable interest in applying voltage source inverters in

cations such as in
utility systems for
high-power appli-
controlled sources of reactive power. In the
steady-state operation, an inverter can produce a
controlled reactive current and
22 Chapter 9 Multilevel Inverters

operates as a static volt-ampere reactive (VAR)-compensator (STATCON). Als

these inverters can reduce the physical size of the compensator and improve its perfo.
mance during power system contingencies. The use of a high-voltage inverter maka
possible direct connection to the high-voltage (e.g, 13-kV) distribution system, elim!
nating the distribution transformer and reducing system cost. In addition, the harmoni
content of the inverter waveform can be reduced with
appropriate control technique
and thus the efficiency of the system can be
improved. The most common applicatior
of multilevel converters include (1) reactive power compensation, (2) back-to-backin
tertie, and (3) variable speed drives.
.7.1 Reactive Power Compensation
An inverter converts de
a
voltage to
voltage; with a phase shift of 180°, the in-
an ac
verter be operated as a dc-ac
can
converter, that is, a controlled rectifier. With a
purely capacitive load, the inverter operating as a dc-ac
current from the ac converter can draw reactive
supply. Figure 9.11 shows the circuit diagram of a
converter directly connected to a
power
multileve=
The load side is system for reactive power compensation-
connected to the ac supply and the de side is open, not connected t
any dc voltage Far thno