Cascaded Multi-level Inverter Topology Developed from a Modified H-bridge

Abstract

In this paper, a single-phase cascaded multi-level inverter topology is proposed. It is basically developed from a modified H-bridge module. This topology reduces the switch count, the gate drive requirement, and voltage stress. The significant advantages of the proposed inverter are modular structure, simpler control, and lower number of switches. The Nearest Level Control algorithm is employed to generate the gating signals for the power switches. To verify the performance of the proposed structure, simulation results are carried out by MATLAB (The MathWorks, Natick, Massachusetts, USA)/SIMULINK. Experimental results are presented to validate the simulation results.

Keywords:

• modular multi-level inverter topologies
• modified H-bridge
• capacitor balancing
• reduced switch count
• symmetric and asymmetric configurations
• nearest level control (NLC) method
• power quality improvement
• total harmonic distortion (THD)

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Raghavendra Reddy Karasani

Raghavendra Reddy Karasani received the B.Tech. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Sri Chundi Ranganayakulu Engineering College (SCREC), Guntur, India, in 2003, and the M.Tech. degree in Power Control and Drives from the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela, India, in 2008. He worked as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, E V M College of Engineering and Technology, Narasaraopet, Guntur during 2008–2012 and Sir C R Reddy College of Engineering, Eluru, West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, India, during 2012–2014. He is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree at Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Nagpur, India. His current research interests include power electronic converters, electrical drives, FACTS, and renewable energy systems.

Vijay Bhanuji Borghate

Vijay Bhanuji Borghate was born in 1960. He received the B.E. (Electrical), M.Tech. (Integrated Power System), and Ph.D. degrees from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Nagpur, India, in 1982, 1984, and 2007, respectively. He worked as an Engineer for the Maharashtra State Electricity Board, India, from 1985 to 1985. He became a Lecturer at VNIT (then VRCE), Nagpur, India, in 1985, where he is presently working as a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering. His current research interests include resonant converters and multi-level converters.

Sidharth Sabyasachi

Sidharth Sabyasachi was born in Odisha, India, in 1988. He received the B.Tech. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Synergy Institute of Engineering and Technology, BPUT, Dhenkanal, India, in 2008, and the M.Tech. degree in Power Control and Drives from the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela, India, in 2010. He is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree at the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, India. From 2010 to 2014, he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Odisha, India. He was an SRF at IIT Delhi and NIT Rourkela for 6 months each in 2011 and 2014, respectively. His research interests include power electronics, multi-level converters, and renewable energy systems.

Hiralal Murlidhar Suryawanshi

Hiralal Murlidhar Suryawanshi received the B.E. degree in Electrical Engineering from Walchand College of Engineering, Sangli, India, in 1988, the M.E. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, in 1994, and the Ph.D. degree from Nagpur University, Nagpur, India, in 1999. He is presently working as a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, India. He is an Associate Editor of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS. He is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (FNAE), IETE(I), and IE(I). He was the recipient of the Bimal Bose Award in 2009 from the IETE for his leadership in power electronics in India. His current research interests are in the field of power electronics, emphasizing developmental work in the area of resonant converters, power factor correction, active power filters, FACTS devices, multi-level converters, high-frequency electronic ballasts, and electric drives.

Prafullachandra Madhukar Meshram

Prafullachandra Madhukar Meshram received the B.E. M.Tech. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Nagpur, India, in 1991, 2003, and 2015, respectively. He is presentlyworking as an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Yeshwantrao Chavan College of Engineering (YCCE), Nagpur, India. He received best paper presentation awards for two of his papers at the IEEE Int. Conf. ECTICON 2005, Thailand. His current research interests include multi-level converters, especially Modular Multi-level Converters (MMC) and VSC-HVDC transmission systems.