Design and Hardware Implementation Considerations of Modified Multilevel Cascaded H-Bridge Inverter for Photovoltaic System

Inverters are an essential part in many applications including photovoltaic generation. With the increasing penetration of renewable energy sources, the drive for efficient inverters is gaining more and more momentum. In this paper, output power quality, power loss, implementation complexity, cost, and relative advantages of the popular cascaded multilevel H-bridge inverter and a modified version of it are explored. An optimal number of levels and the optimal switching frequency for such inverters are investigated, and a five-level architecture is chosen considering the trade-offs. This inverter is driven by level shifted in-phase disposition pulse width modulation technique to reduce harmonics, which is chosen through deliberate testing of other advanced disposition pulse width modulation techniques. To reduce the harmonics further, the application of filters is investigated, and an LC filter is applied which provided appreciable results. This system is tested in MATLAB/Simulink and then implemented in hardware after design and testing in Proteus ISIS. The general cascaded multilevel H-bridge inverter design is also implemented in hardware to demonstrate a novel low-cost MOSFET driver build for this study. The hardware setups use MOSFETs as switching devices and low-cost ATmega microcontrollers for generating the switching pulses via level shifted in-phase disposition pulse width modulation. This implementation substantiated the effectiveness of the proposed design

Multilevel Converters: An Enabling Technology for High-Power Applications

| Multilevel converters are considered today as the state-of-the-art power-conversion systems for high-power and power-quality demanding applications. This paper presents a tutorial on this technology, covering the operating principle and the different power circuit topologies, modulation methods, technical issues and industry applications. Special attention is given to established technology already found in industry with more in-depth and self-contained information, while recent advances and state-of-the-art contributions are addressed with useful references. This paper serves as an introduction to the subject for the not-familiarized reader, as well as an update or reference for academics and practicing engineers working in the field of industrial and power electronics.Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología DPI2001-3089Ministerio de Eduación y Ciencia d TEC2006-0386

A Reduced Switch Asymmetric Multilevel Inverter Topology Using Unipolar Pulse Width Modulation Strategies for Photovoltaic Application

A new design of multilevel inverter configuration is proposed for reducing the component count and improving the quality of waveform in a photovoltaic system. The proposed configuration operates at the binary asymmetric condition for generating the large amount output voltage level with small amount harmonic distortion. Unipolar trapezoidal reference with triangular carriers is used for generating the desired switching pulses to generate the required output voltage level. The proposed configuration requires eight unipolar switches for generating the 31-level output voltage level with total harmonic distortion of 3.18% without using any filters. The value of %total harmonic distortion (THD) satisfies the IEEE 519 harmonic standard. Separate DC sources of proposed configuration are replaced by the array of photovoltaic panels for testing the configuration with the renewable energy source. The proposed configuration is tested with an experimental setup for proving the operation of it. Selected simulation and experimental results are shown for the verification of proposed configuration ability

Experimental verification of trinary DC source cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter using unipolar pulse width modulation

Multilevel inverters (MLIs) are an imperative solution for high power and high voltage applications. The MLIs can be classified into two categories such as symmetric and asymmetric. The asymmetric type MLIs has large number of output voltage steps with less number of input DC voltage sources and switching devices. In this paper, a single phase asymmetric (trinary sequence DC source) Cascaded H-Bridge MLI has been developed using unipolar PWM control schemes. The topology can produce 27-level output voltage with the help of 12 switches and 3 DC sources. It has been examined with a diverse combination of multicarrier unipolar PWM control. The PWM control includes Phase Disposition (PDPWM), Alternative Opposition Disposition (APODPWM), Carrier overlapping (COPWM), and Variable Frequency (VFPWM). The harmonic content of output voltage for each technique has been observed with different modulation indices. The demonstration of proposed topology for generating 27-level output voltage has been tested through simulation in MATLAB-SIMULINK and verified with laboratory-based experimental setup. From the results, it is evident that the APODPWM offers quality output voltage with relatively low harmonic distortion. Also, it has been observed that COPWM performance is superior since it delivers relatively higher fundamental RMS output voltage

Switched capacitor based multi-level boost inverter for smart grid applications

To link DC power sources to an AC grid, converters are needed. Inverters are the power electronic devices, which are used for this purpose. Conventional inverters employ harmonic filters and transformers that are lossy and expensive. Multilevel inverters (MLIs) are an alternative to conventional ones, proposing reduced total harmonic distortion (THD), increased range of control, and inductor-less design. They generate a stepped waveform, with close similarity to a sine wave. Many distributed sources may be employed in a smart grid. If those sources have minimal THD, the filtering process could be reduced at the point of common coupling. This paper presents two switched capacitor based MLIs, proposing boost capability and low THD. Inverters have inherent charge balancing capability, which eliminates the need for auxiliary circuits and voltage sensors. Inverters switches are modulated using phase opposition disposition pulse-width modulation (PODPWM) method that ease the balancing of the voltage and decrease the losses of switching. Designs were verified by simulation and the output waveforms were introduced

A New Three-Phase Multi-Level Asymmetrical Inverter With Optimum Hardware Components

In this article, a novel three-phase asymmetrical multilevel inverter is presented. The proposed inverter is designed with an optimal hardware components to generate three-phase nineteen output voltage levels. The proposed inverter exhibits various advantages like a suitable output voltage waveform with improved power quality, lower total harmonic distortion (THD), and more moderate complexity, reduction in cost, reduced power losses, and improved efficiency. A comparison of the proposed topology in terms of several parameters with existing methods illustrates its merits and features. The proposed inverter tested with steady-state and dynamic load disturbances. Various experimental results are included in this article to validate the performance of the proposed inverter during various extremities. In addition, a detailed comparison is tabulated between simulation and experimental results graphically. The proposed inverter has been stable even during load disturbance conditions. The simulation and feasibility model are verified using a prototype model

Modular multilevel inverter for renewable energy applications

This paper proposes a Multilevel Inverter (MLI) which focuses on two objective , minimal voltage sources and lesser switching component. The proposed Asymmetrical Cascaded Multilevel Inverter (ACMLI) is able to achieve the objective by selectively opting the voltage level of DC sources chosen and implementing the mathematical operation of addition and subtraction on the DC sources. This system also utilizes multiple carrier sinusoidal pulse width modulation technique (MCS-PWM) for operating the switches. It is found that the number of switches required for proposed modular bridge ACMLI and modified H bridge ACMLI was lesser than the traditional Cascaded H bridge Multilevel Inverter (CHB-MLI). It is also evident that the number of DC voltage sources and filter required for smoothing the output waveform is reduced compared to the traditional MLI. The Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) for the proposed circuit was simulated and analyzed in MATLAB Simulink environment and the results are found to be very less and satisfactory. The proposed circuit can find its application in integrating Renewable Energy Sources (RES) to the utility grid, Electrical Vehicle (EV) , harmonic reduction and so on. The simulation results of the proposed circuits are tabulated and compared with the traditional cascaded MLI