Parallel Inductor Multilevel Current Source Inverter for Input Ripple Current Reduction in PEM Fuel Cell Applications

ABSTRACT

In a power conditioning fuel cell system, the application of a single phase voltage source inverter (VSI) generates a second harmonic (100/120 Hz) ripple current. The harmonic current reduces life, efficiency and performance of the fuel cells due to hysteresis loss effects. This paper proposes current source inverter (CSI) with multilevel features to reduce the second harmonic (100/120 Hz) current ripple drawn from the Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell. The employment of energy recovery scheme in the proposed five-level multilevel current source inverter (MCSI) introduces a single switching state for each output current level. The proposed energy recovery scheme is able to balance the sharing inductor currents effectively. In addition, the proposed MCSI is also integrated with a boost DC current source in order to reduce the size of input DC link inductor and minimize the circuit structure for a reliable power conditioning PEM fuel cell system application.

KEYWORD:

• Current source inverter
• Multilevel current source inverter
• Power conditioning system proton exchange membrane fuel cell
• Voltage source inverter
• Total harmonic distortion

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors appreciate financial support by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) Malaysia [grant number LRGS LR002-2013B], [grant number LRGS/2013/UKM/TP].

Notes on contributors

Nik Fasdi Nik Ismail

Nik Fasdi Nik Ismail was born in Kelantan, Malaysia, in 1978. He received the BSc (Hons.) in 2002 in Tokyo Denki University, Japan and MSc degree from the University of Malaya (UM), Malaysia, in 2008, respectively. He is a senior lecturer with the University of Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Malaysia. His research interest include electric energy, high power dc/dc converter and fuel cell application.

Nasrudin Abd. Rahim

Nasruidn Abdul Rahim received the BSc (Hons.) and MSc degrees from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK, and the PhD degree from the Heriot–Watt University, Edinburgh, UK, in 1995. He is currently a professor at the UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Center (UMPEDAC), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he is also the director of the centre. He has been appointed as an adjunct professor at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, till date. His research interests include power electronics, real-time control systems, and electrical drives. He is a fellow of the IET, UK, and the Academy of Sciences Malaysia.E-mail: [email protected]

Siti Rohani Sheikh Raihan

Siti Rohani Sheikh Raihan (M'06) was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1976. She received the BEng degree from the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the MEng degree from the Hochschule Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences, Rosenheim, Germany, in 2003, and the PhD degree in electrical engineering from the University of Malaya, in 2013. She is currently a Lecturer with the Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre (UMPEDAC), University of Malaya. Her research interests include power electronics and embedded systems.E-mail: [email protected]

Yusuf Al-Turki

Yusuf Al-Turki received the PhD degree in power systems from the University of Manchester, Manchester, U.K., in 1985. Since 1999, he has been a Professor with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he is also currently the Dean of Research. His research interests include system modeling, power system dynamics, renewable energy, and microgrids.E-mail: [email protected]