Multilevel converters have been under research and development for more than three decades and have found successful industrial application. However, this is still a technology under development, and many new contributions and new commercial topologies have been reported in the last few years. The aim of this paper is to group and review these recent contributions, in order to establish the current state of the art and trends of the technology, to provide readers with a comprehensive and insightful review of where multilevel converter technology stands and is heading. This paper first presents a brief overview of well-established multilevel converters strongly oriented to their current state in industrial applications to then center the discussion on the new converters that have made their way into the industry. In addition, new promising topologies are discussed. Recent advances made in modulation and control of multilevel converters are also addressed. A great part of this paper is devoted to show nontraditional applications powered by multilevel converters and how multilevel converters are becoming an enabling technology in many industrial sectors. Finally, some future trends and challenges in the further development of this technology are discussed to motivate future contributions that address open problems and explore new possibilities.

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Recent Advances and Industrial Applications of Multilevel Converters

This paper presents a technology review of voltage-source-converter topologies for industrial medium-voltage drives. In this highly active area, different converter topologies and circuits have found their application in the market. This paper covers the high-power voltage-source inverter and the most used multilevel-inverter topologies, including the neutral-point-clamped, cascaded H-bridge, and flying-capacitor converters. This paper presents the operating principle of each topology and a review of the most relevant modulation methods, focused mainly on those used by industry. In addition, the latest advances and future trends of the technology are discussed. It is concluded that the topology and modulation-method selection are closely related to each particular application, leaving a space on the market for all the different solutions, depending on their unique features and limitations like power or voltage level, dynamic performance, reliability, costs, and other technical specifications.

Multilevel Voltage-Source-Converter Topologies for Industrial Medium-Voltage Drives

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel5/5610941/5624686/05624745.pdf

Power electronics

Cascaded multilevel inverters synthesize a medium-voltage output based on a series connection of power cells which use standard low-voltage component configurations. This characteristic allows one to achieve high-quality output voltages and input currents and also outstanding availability due to their intrinsic component redundancy. Due to these features, the cascaded multilevel inverter has been recognized as an important alternative in the medium-voltage inverter market. This paper presents a survey of different topologies, control strategies and modulation techniques used by these inverters. Regenerative and advanced topologies are also discussed. Applications where the mentioned features play a key role are shown. Finally, future developments are addressed.

A Survey on Cascaded Multilevel Inverters

This work is devoted to review and analyze the most relevant characteristics of multilevel converters, to motivate possible solutions, and to show that we are in a decisive instant in which energy companies have to bet on these converters as a good solution compared with classic two-level converters. This article presents a brief overview of the actual applications of multilevel converters and provides an introduction of the modeling techniques and the most common modulation strategies. It also addresses the operational and technological issues.

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The age of multilevel converters arrives

In this paper, a genetic algorithm- (GA-) based approach is discussed for designing heat sinks based on total heat generation and dissipation for a pre-specified size and shape. This approach combines random iteration processes and genetic algorithms with finite element analysis (FEA) to design the optimized heat sink. With an approach that prefers “survival of the fittest”, a more powerful heat sink can be designed which can cool power electronics more efficiently. Some of the resulting designs can only be 3D printed due to their complexity. In addition to describing the methodology, this paper also includes comparisons of different cases to evaluate the performance of the newly designed heat sink compared to commercially available heat sinks.

/pdf/genetic-algorithm-design-of-a-3d-printed-heat-sink-884thsoh1w.pdf

Genetic algorithm design of a 3D printed heat sink

Inductive power transfer has been proposed as a solution to power future automated and electrified highways. In this study, an interoperable wireless charging system is sized so that a light and a heavy-duty vehicle can travel at or near charge-sustaining mode at high speeds using an optimization approach. The conflicting objectives of minimizing the power ratings and the number of inverters, coupler materials, and overall system coverages result in a Pareto Front that is presented in this paper. It is found that a system using short transmitting couplers can ensure high efficiency power transfers to light-duty vehicles (LDVs) and still maintain charge-sustaining operation of heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs). The findings are contextualized by a brief discussion of other aspects relating to the implementation of this technology on roadways such as the impact of the cost of time and travel speeds.

Optimal Sizing of a Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer System for Highway Applications

A hybrid multilevel inverter model based on PSIM and MATLAB/SIMULINK is presented in this paper. It consists of a standard 3-leg inverter (one leg for each phase) and H-bridge in series with each inverter leg. The inverter can be used in hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and electric vehicles (EV). The co-simulation model is employed in order to take full advantage of different power electronics simulation software. Specifically, the main circuit model is developed using PSIM, and the control model is developed using MATLAB/SIMULINK. An experimental 5-level hybrid inverter is tested, which is controlled by multilevel carrier-based PWM signals. The simulation yields a good estimation for the test results of the inverter.

/pdf/hybrid-multilevel-inverter-with-single-dc-source-2g725dbmgb.pdf

Hybrid multilevel inverter with single DC source

The development of semiconductor devices is vital for the growth of power electronic systems. Modern technologies like voltage source converter (VSC) based HVDC transmission has been made possible with the advent of power semiconductor devices like GTO thyristors and their high power handling capability. Silicon carbide is the most advanced material among the available wide band gap semiconductors and most SiC devices are currently in the transition from research to manufacturing phase. This paper presents the modeling and design of a loss model for a 4H-SiC GTO thyristor device. The device loss model has been developed based on the device physics and device operation, and simulations have been conducted for various operating conditions. The loss model was integrated in the HVDC transmission system model to study the effects of the Si and SiC devices on the system. The paper focuses on the comparison of Si devices with SiC devices in terms of efficiency and cost savings for a HVDC transmission system.

/pdf/sic-gto-thyristor-model-for-hvdc-interface-3sp7emhpeq.pdf

SiC GTO thyristor model for HVDC interface

The emergence of silicon carbide- (SiC-) based power semiconductor switches, with their superior features compared with silicon- (Si-) based switches, has resulted in substantial improvements in the performance of power electronics converter systems. These systems with SiC power devices have the qualities of being more compact, lighter, and more efficient; thus, they are ideal for high voltage power electronics applications such as a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) traction drive. More research is required to show the impact of SiC devices in power conversion systems. In this study, findings of SiC research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) including SiC device design and system modeling studies, will be given.

/pdf/system-impact-of-silicon-carbide-power-devices-2m4ohm95t7.pdf

Burak Ozpineci

Papers

Genetic algorithm design of a 3D printed heat sink

Optimal Sizing of a Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer System for Highway Applications

Hybrid multilevel inverter with single DC source

SiC GTO thyristor model for HVDC interface

System impact of silicon carbide power devices