Professional Documents
Culture Documents
a Technology
That Has
Potential in
Current and
Future Power
Applications
DIGITAL VISION
The Age of
Multilevel
Converters
Arrives
LEOPOLDO G. FRANQUELO,
JOSE RODRGUEZ, JOSE I. LEON,
SAMIR KOURO, RAMON PORTILLO,
and MARIA A.M. PRATS
1932-4529/08/$25.002008IEEE
Development Race
for High Power
Applications
High Power
Applications
Medium Power
Semiconductors
High Power
Semiconductors
Semiconductor
Technology Under
Development
Mature Semiconductor
Technology
C2
Sx1
Vdc
Sx 2
Vdc
0
Sx 3
C1
Vdc
C2
Sx 1
Cx 1
Sx 2
Vx 1
Sx 1
Sx 2
C1
Sx 4
Diode-Clamped
Flying Capacitor
Multilevel Converters
Vdc1
Sx 1
Sx 2
C1
Sx 1
x
Vdc
Sx 3
C2
S1
0
Sx 3
Vdc2
Sx 4
Vdc
C2
Sx 3
Sx 4
Cascade
S3
a
C1
S2
S5
b
S4
c
S6
n
Classic Two-Level Converters
FIGURE 1 Classic two-level power converters versus most common multilevel power converters. Development race between two different solutions
in high-power applications.
Voltage [pu]
the same characteristics as the twolevel case, the voltage can be doubled.
The NPC converter was generalized in
[21], [22] in order to increase the number of output levels and was referred to
as a multipoint clamped converter
(MPC), although it has not reached the
medium-voltage market yet.
Years later, other multilevel converter topologies such as the FC [18] or
CHB [19], [20] appeared. These multilevel converters present different characteristics compared with NPC, such as
the number of components, modularity, control complexity, efficiency, and
fault tolerance. Depending on the application, the multilevel converter topology can be chosen taking into account
these factors as shown in Table 1.
Nowadays, there are several commercial multilevel converter topologies that are sold as industrial
products for high-power applications
[23][25]. However, although the
advantages of using multilevel converters have been demonstrated, there has
not been an industrial boom in the
application of these power systems in
1
0
0.005
0.01
0.015
(a)
0.02
0.025
0.03
0.005
0.01
0.015
(b)
0.02
0.025
0.03
0.005
0.01
0.015
(c)
Time [s]
0.02
0.025
0.03
Voltage [pu]
1
0
1
0
1
Voltage [pu]
0
1
0
FIGURE 2 Comparison of output phase voltage waveforms: (a) two-level inverter, (b) three-level
inverter, and (c) nine-level inverter.
Direct Conversion
Cycloconverter
Current Source
PWM Current
Source Inverter
Voltage Sources
Load Commutated
Inverter
Multilevel
Converters
Multiple Isolated
dc Sources
Single dc Source
NPC
Flying Capacitor
Cascaded H-Bridge
Equal dc Sources
Unequal dc
Sources
FC
CHB
Specific requirements
Clamping diodes
Additional capacitors
Isolated dc sources
Modularity
Low
High
High
Low
Medium (capacitors)
High (input
transformer)
Control concerns
Voltage balancing
Voltage setup
Power sharing
Fault tolerance
Difficult
Easy
Easy
FIGURE 4 Multilevel cascaded H-bridge converter with six cells per phase, 13 levels, and 15 MW
for regenerative drives.
ac
dc
Battery
dc
ac
ac
IM
CE
ac
dc
dc
ac
ac
IM
Conveyor
ac
dc
dc
ac
IM
HEV
EV
ac
Mining
Apps.
ac ac
dc dc
Automotive
Apps.
ac
H
Cell
H
Cell
H
Cell
H
Cell
H
Cell
H
Cell
H
Cell
H
Cell
H
Cell
STATCOM
Multilevel
Converters Application
Active
Filters
Utility
Interfacing
FACTS
A3
A4
A5
B1
B2
B3
B4
B5
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
IM
ac ac
dc
FOC
ac
dc
Photovoltaic
Apps.
Renewable
Energy Convertion
Magnetic Res.
Imaging
HVDC
A2
UPS
Adjustable
Speed Drives
Traction
Apps.
A1
DTC
dc dc
ac ac
L
o
a
d
ac
+24
+24
+24
+12
+12
+12
0
0
0
12
12
12
24
24
24
Wind Energy
Apps.
dc
dc
dc
dc
dc
dc
X
Axis
Y
Axis
Z
Axis
ac
dc
ac
dc
dc
dc
dc
dc
dc
dc
dc
dc
dc
dc
ac
ac
VC 2 +
Vdc
Modeling Describing the
Possible Discrete State of
the Power Converter
O
VC 1 +
S1
S2
a
Averaged Modeling Using a as
Averaged Voltage of the Power
Converter Phase Over a Switching
Period
S3
S4
Va
P
Vc 2
Vdc
VC2
a
O
+
Vc 1
FP = 1
FO = 0
FN = 0
a Averaged Continuous
Description with
Quadratic Approximation
C1 2 C2 + C1
a +
a
Va = C2
2
2
1
VC1
N
Va = FP . Vc 2 + FO . 0 + FN . (Vc 1)
Currents (A)
Currents (A)
30
20
10
0
10
20
30
0.7
0.75
0.8
0.85
Time (s)
0.9
VC 2 > VC 1
Exact Averaged
Piecewise
Linear Description
aC 2 a 0
Va =
aC 1 a < 0
0.95
30
20
10
0
10
20
30
0.7
0.75
0.8
0.85
Time (s)
0.9
0.95
Multilevel Modulation
Voltage Level
Based Algorithms
Space Vector
Based Algorithms
Space Vector
Modulation
2-D Algorithms
Space Vector
Control
Multicarrier PWM
Phase Shifted
PWM
3-D Algorithms
Level Shifted
PWM
Nearest Level
Control
3-Leg Inverters
4-Leg
Inverters
Phase Disposition
Opposition
PWM
Disposition PWM
Alternate Opposition
Disposition PWM
tained, permitting the online computation of the switching sequence and the
on-state durations of the respective
switching state vectors. In addition, the
low computational cost of the proposed methods is always the same and
it is independent of the number of levels of the converter.
The three-dimensional SVM (3DSVM) technique presented in [59] is a
generalization of the well known twodimensional (2D)-SVM strategy [60]
used when the power system is balanced (without triple harmonics) and,
therefore, the state vectors are located
in a plane (alpha-beta plane). However,
it is necessary to generalize to a 3D
space if the system is unbalanced or if
there is zero sequence or triple harmonics, because in this case state vectors are not on a plane. The 3D-SVM
technique for multilevel converters is
successfully used for compensating
zero sequence in active power filters
with neutral single-phase distorting
loads that generate large neutral currents. In general, 3D-SVM is useful in
systems with or without neutral, unbalanced load, triple harmonics, and for
generating any 3D control vector.
Moreover, this technique also permits
balancing the dc-link capacitor voltage.
The strategy proposed in [59] is the
first 3D-SVM technique for multilevel
converters that permits the on-line calculation of the sequence of the nearest
space vector for generating the reference voltage vector. The computational cost of the proposed method is very
low and it is independent of the number of levels of the converter. This
technique can be used as a modulation
algorithm in all applications that provide a 3D vector control.
Finally, four-leg multilevel converters
are finding relevance in active power filters and fault-tolerant three-phase rectifiers with the capability for load
balancing and distortion mitigation
thanks to their ability to meet the
increasing demand of power ratings and
power quality associated with reduced
harmonic distortion and lower EMI [64],
[65]. A four-leg multilevel converter permits a precise control of neutral current
due to an extended range for the zero
sequence voltages and currents.
Operational and
Technological Issues
Multilevel converters offer very attractive characteristics for high-power applications; however, the power circuits of
the multilevel topologies have more
complex structures than classic converters and sometimes their operation
is not straightforward and particular
problems need to be addressed. In
other occasions this extra complexity
can also be embraced as an opportunity
to introduce enhanced operating characteristics like efficiency, power quality,
and fault-tolerant operation, which are
not feasible in classic topologies.
One of the most analyzed and extensively addressed drawbacks of multilevel technology is the neutral point
Topologies
NPC
FC
CHB
Modulation Methods
SVM
LS-PWM
PS-PWM
Hybrid
Modulation
SHE
SVC
NLC
Applicable/Recommended
Not Applicable
Applicable/Not Recommended
Conclusions
Multilevel converters have matured
from being an emerging technology to
a well-established and attractive solution for medium-voltage high-power
drives. As presented in this article,
these converters have overcome the
technical barriers that had been the
curb for their deep use as an optimized solution in the power market.
Modeling, control strategies design,
and modulation methods development
have been introduced in recent years
to carry out this technical revolution.
Nowadays, multilevel converter
topologies such as NPC, FC, and CHB
own very interesting features in terms
of power quality, power range, modularity, and other characteristics achieving high-quality output signals being
specially designed for medium- and
high-power applications. Therefore, its
the time for betting on this technology
for actual and future power applications just now when the market is moving forward with more powerful and
distributed energy sources. The current trends and challenges faced by
energy applications, such as renewable
power conversion and distributed generation systems, together with the
recent developments in multilevel converter technology, are opening a new
vast area of applications where this
technology has a lot to offer. It is just a
question of time before multilevel converters will reach an important market
share in these applications. You could
say it is time for multilevel converters.
Biographies
Leopoldo G. Franquelo received the
M.Sc. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Seville,
Spain, in 1977 and 1980, respectively.
In 1978, he joined the University of
Seville and has been a professor since
1986. From 1998 to 2005, he was the
director of the Department of Electronic Engineering. He was the vicepresident of the IEEE Industrial
Electronics Society (IES) Spanish
Chapter (20022003) and member at
large of IES AdCom (20022003). He
has been the vice-president for conferences of the IES (20042007), in which
he has also been a distinguished lec-
turer since 2006. He has been an associate editor for the IEEE Transactions
on Industrial Electronics since 2007 and
currently is IES president elect. His
current research interest lies in modulation techniques for multilevel inverters and their application to power
electronic systems for renewable energy systems. He leads a large research
and teaching team in Spain. In the last
five years, he has been an author of
40 publications in international journals and 165 in international conferences. He is the holder of ten patents
and he is an advisor for ten Ph.D. dissertations and 96 R&D projects.
Jose Rodrguez received the Engineers degree in electrical engineering
from the Universidad Tcnica Federico
Santa Maria (UTFSM), Valparaso, Chile,
in 1977, and the Dr.Ing. degree in electrical engineering from the University of
Erlangen, Germany, in 1985. Since 1977,
he has been a professor with the
UTFSM, where from 2001 to 2004 he was
appointed as director of the Electronics
Engineering Department, from 2004 to
2005 he was the vice rector of academic affairs, and since 2005 has been the
rector. During his sabbatical leave in
1996, he was responsible for the Mining
Division, Siemens Corporation, Santiago, Chile. Prof. Rodriguez has been an
active associate editor with the IEEE
Power Electronics and Industrial Electronics Societies since 2002. He has
served as guest editor of IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics four times.
He has consulting experience in the
mining industry, particularly in the
application of large drives such as
cycloconverter-fed synchronous
motors for SAG mills, high-power conveyors, controlled ac drives for shovels,
and power-quality issues. His main
research interests include multilevel
inverters, new converter topologies,
and adjustable-speed drives. He has
directed over 40 R&D projects in the
field of industrial electronics, he has
coauthored over 50 journal and 130
conference papers, and he has contributed one book chapter. His research
group has been recognized as one of
the two centers of excellence in engineering in Chile from 20052008. He is a
Senior Member of the IEEE.
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