Five-level selective harmonic elimination PWM strategies and multicarrier phase-shifted sinusoidal PWM: A comparison

The multicarrier phase-shifted sinusoidal pulse-width modulation (MPS-SPWM) technique is well-known for its important advantage of offering an increased overall bandwidth as the number of carriers multiplied with their equal frequency directly controls the location of the dominant harmonics. In this paper, a five-level (line-to-neutral) multilevel selective harmonic elimination PWM (MSHE-PWM) strategy based on an equal number of switching transitions when compared against the previously mentioned technique is proposed. It is assumed that the four triangular carriers of the MPS-SPWM method have nine per unit frequency resulting in seventeen switching transitions for every quarter period. Requesting the same number of transitions from the MSHE-PWM allows the control of sixteen non-triplen harmonics. It is confirmed that the proposed MSHE-PWM offers significantly higher converter bandwidth along with higher modulation operating range. Selected results are presented to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed technique

A Seven-level defined selective harmonic elimination PWM strategy

Selective harmonic elimination pulse-width modulation (SHE-PWM) techniques offer an optimized control approach for a given converter and are therefore suitable for the low switching frequency high-power applications. Optimization techniques can be successfully used to obtain the solutions of the equations defining the SHE-PWM waveform. In this paper, a seven-level multilevel strategy (MSHE-PWM) defined on the line-to-neutral basis and based on a ratio of a variable number of angles distributed over three levels to be able to calculate the transition points is reported. The technique provides eighteen switching transitions for every quarter period in the standard modulation index range. In the overmodulation region, this can be changed in order to increase the gain of the modulator which in turn results in a compromised bandwidth. The switching angles as a function of the modulation index are reported for the standard as well as the overmodulation range. Selected simulation results are presented to verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method

Active Harmonic Elimination in Multilevel Converters

The modulation technique for multilevel converters is a key issue for multilevel converter control. The traditional pulse width modulation (PWM), space vector PWM, and space vector control methods do not completely eliminate specified harmonics. In addition, space vector PWM and space vector control method cannot be applied to multilevel converters with unequal DC voltages. The carrier phase shifting method for traditional PWM method also requires equal DC voltages. The number of harmonics that can be eliminated by the selective harmonic elimination method is restricted by the number of unknowns in the harmonic equations and available solutions. For these reasons, this thesis develops a new modulation control method which is referred to as the active harmonic elimination method to conquer some disadvantages for the existing methods. The active harmonic elimination method contributes to the existing methods because it not only generates the desired fundamental frequency voltage, but also completely eliminates any number of harmonics without the restriction of the number of unknowns in the harmonic equations and available solutions for the harmonic equations. Also the active harmonic elimination method can be applied to both equal DC voltage cases and unequal DC voltage cases. Another contribution of the active harmonic elimination method is that it simplifies the optimal system performance searching by making a tradeoff between switching frequency and harmonic distortion. Experiments on an 11-level multilevel converter validate the active harmonic elimination method for multilevel converters

Eliminating Harmonics in a Cascaded H-Bridges Multilevel Inverter Using Resultant Theory, Symmetric Polynomials, and Power Sums

This thesis studies a multilevel converter with assumed equal dc sources. The multilevel fundamental switching scheme is used to control the needed power electronics switches. Also, a method is presented where switching angles are computed such that a desired fundamental sinusoidal voltage is produced while at the same time certain higher order harmonics are eliminated. Using Fourier Series theory, the transcendental equations eliminating certain higher order harmonics were derived in terms of the switching angles. Furthermore, these transcendental equations were transformed into polynomial equations by making some simple changes of variables. Resultant theory was used to solve the polynomial equations. Furthermore, using the ideas of Symmetric Polynomials and Power Sums, these polynomials were reduced further to form smaller degree polynomials, which are much easier to solve. This approach will find all solutions. Numerical techniques, such as Newton-Raphson, will only find one solution. The computer algebra software package Mathematica was used to symbolically solve the above polynomials. When five dc sources were used, it was found that quite often the switching angles could be selected such that the output voltage Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) was less than 7%. When six dc sources were used, quite often the switching angles could be selected such that the output voltage THD was less than 6%

Optimal HSE-PWM based on genetic algorithm for seven levels diode clamped multilevel inverter

In this paper, the control of seven level diode clamped inverter with selective harmonic elimination (SHE) pulse width modulation (PWM) technique based on genetic algorithm (GA) has been developed. In standard SHE-PWM, the seven level inverters allow the elimination of only two low order harmonics. To improve the total harmonic distortion (THD), and without any modification to the inverter structure, five low order harmonics can be eliminated by suitably adding holes in the stairecase voltage leg. Furtheremore, a hole distribution in agreement with the sin function shape is proposed. For this, a real-coded genetic algorithm is applied under the standard constraints with a proposed cost function minimization that allow a better near sin function reshape of the output voltage leg. This GA computation allow to determine the switching angles for a seven-level diode clamped inverter to produce the required fundamental voltage and to eliminate undesirable harmonics. This developed procedure can eliminate a desired number of low harmonics and is only restricted by the maximal switching frequency of the power switches. The results of the suggested method are compared to the conventional SHE-PWM involved with a seven level staircase wave. They reveal that the developed method is a very effective one for optimal harmonic elimination technique

Real-Time Selective Harmonic Minimization for Multilevel Inverters Using Genetic Algorithm and Artificial Neural Network Angle Generation

This work approximates the selective harmonic elimination problem using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to generate the switching angles in an 11-level full bridge cascade inverter powered by five varying DC input sources. Each of the five full bridges of the cascade inverter was connected to a separate 195W solar panel. The angles were chosen such that the fundamental was kept constant and the low order harmonics were minimized or eliminated. A non-deterministic method is used to solve the system for the angles and to obtain the data set for the ANN training. The method also provides a set of acceptable solutions in the space where solutions do not exist by analytical methods. The trained ANN is a suitable tool that brings a small generalization effect on the angles\u27 precision and is able to perform in real time (50/60Hz time window)

Sequential Selective Harmonic Elimination and Outphasing Amplitude Control for the Modular Multilevel Converters Operating with the Fundamental Frequency

With the growing use of DC voltage for power transmission (HVDC) and DC links for efficient AC motor drives, the R&D efforts are directed to the increase of DC/AC converter’s efficiency and reliability. Commonly used DC/AC converters, based on the carrier-frequency pulse-width modulation (PWM) to form a sinusoidal output voltage with a low level of higher harmonics, have switching time and switching loss issues. The use of multimodule multilevel converters (MMC), operating with the fundamental switching frequency and phase-shift control to form the ladder-style output voltage, reduces switching losses to minimum while keeping the low level of higher harmonics in the output voltage. The discussed sequential harmonic elimination method for MMC, using identical power modules operating with 50% duty cycle and fundamental frequency, is based on the combination of the multiple fixed phase shifts to form a ladder-style sinusoidal voltage with low total harmonic distortion (THD) and symmetrical variable phase shifts to control the output voltage amplitude. The principles of the sequential selective harmonic elimination for MMC topology and amplitude control are described with two examples. The first example is the industrial-frequency DC/AC converter complying with THD requirements of IEEE 519 2014 standard without the output filter. The second example is a high-frequency converter, used as a transmitter, loaded with the resonant antenna, where the evaluation criteria are decreasing of the transmitter losses and increasing of the reliability or life expectancy at elevated temperature

Modular Multilevel Converters for Medium Voltage Applications: Low Switching Frequency Modulation Strategies and Circulating Current Control Techniques.

233 p.El objetivo de la presente tesis ha sido el aumento de la eficiencia y la mejora del funcionamiento de convertidores multinivel modulares (MMCs) en aplicaciones de media tensión (drives, STATCOMs, redes de media tensión en DC o colectores de energía en parques eólicos). Para ello se ha propuesto la utilización de una modulación de baja frecuencia de conmutación como la Eliminación Selectiva de Armónicos (SHE-PWM). De esta forma se reducen las pérdidas de conmutación significativamente. Las contribuciones de la tesis son:- Nueva formulación para implementar SHE-PWM: Esta nueva formulación, a diferencia de las existentes, proporciona un sistema único de ecuaciones que es válido para cualquier forma de onda. De esta forma, es posible buscar los ángulos de disparo y los patrones de conmutación, que resuelven el problema de SHE-PWM, sin necesidad de predefinir ninguna forma de onda. Por lo tanto, la búsqueda de ángulos de disparo se simplifica significativamente y se puede encontrar un alto número de soluciones diferentes, pudiendo optimizar el diseño de la forma de onda. Además, esta formulación es válida con simetrías de cuarto de onda y de media onda.- Controles de la corriente circulante en MMCs cuando se utiliza SHE-PWM: estos controles, a diferencia de los existentes, no distorsionan la tensión de fase de salida cuando se utiliza SHE-PWM y permiten mantener equilibradas las tensiones de los condensadores de los sub-módulos del MMC, además de reducir rizado de la corriente circulante. En concreto, se han propuesto dos controles, uno con (N+1) SHE-PWM y otro con (2N+1) SHE-PWM