MULTILEVEL INVERTER WITH REDUCED

NUMBER OF SWITCHING LOSSES

Suriaprakash.K1, Balasubramanian.T2, Dr. S.Ramesh3
1(PG-Scholar (PED) from PSR Engineering College, Sivakasi, Tamilnadu, India)
2(Working as Assistant Professor Department EEE from PSR Engineering College, Sivakasi, Tamilnadu, India)
3(Working as Head of the Department of EEE from PSR Engineering College, Sivakasi, Tamilnadu, India)
ABSTRACT: The paper deals with study and analysis of turbines, and other similar dc voltage sources. Some
multilevel inverters and its configurations. The main advantages of multilevel inverters are good power quality,
purpose of our study is to study the seven level inverter. low switching losses and electromagnetic compatibility due
Their applications have been analyzed according to their to the low dv/dt transitions .
functioning such as the cascaded inverter for example
Some of the fundamental multilevel topologies
could also serve as a rectifier/charger for the batteries of
include the cascaded H-bridge structures, flying capacitor,
an electric vehicle while the vehicle was connected to an
and diode-clamped converter. Other proposed configurations
ac supply.
for multilevel converters are mainly derived from these three
One first impression of a multilevel power basic topologies,. Among these three topologies, cascaded
converter is that the large number of switches may lead multilevel converter has got more attention in literatures.
to complex pulse-width modulation (PWM) switching This paper particularly focuses on Cascaded multilevel
algorithms. However, early developments in this area converters. This topology is divided into two symmetrical
demonstrated the relatively straightforward nature of and asymmetrical structures. If all dc voltage sources are
multilevel PWM. Our project presents the fundamental equal, the inverter is then known as symmetrical multilevel
methods as well as reviews some novel research. The inverter, otherwise it is known as asymmetrical multilevel
methods are divided into the traditional voltage source inverter. In asymmetrical multilevel inverters, the number of
and current-regulated methods. Some discrete current- produced output voltage levels is high when compared to
regulated methods are presented herein, but due to their symmetrical multilevel inverter with the same number of dc
nature, the harmonic performance is not as good as that voltage sources and switches. One of the main challenges in
of voltage-source methods. multilevel inverters is to reduce the number of power
electronic switches while considering operational conditions.
Although we have discussed numerous
Although low voltage rate switches can be utilized in a
topologies and modulation methods, several more can be
multilevel inverter, each switch requires related deriver
found. An additional goal of this project is to introduce
circuits. This may cause the overall circuit to be more
concepts related to reducing the number of isolated
expensive and complex. So in practical implementation
voltage sources and switching devices. This can be
reducing the number of switches and gate deriver circuits are
important in the high power quality cascaded multilevel
very important.
inverters which require several voltage sources and
knowledge of the dc voltage levels. In recent years, many configurations are presented
in order to reduce the number of overall switches used in
cascaded multilevel inverters. Some of these structures are
in references. The presented structures aim in reducing the
number of switches while having the availability to produce
all odd and even levels at the output voltage. The structures
I.INTRODUCTION presented in these literatures have significant reduction in
the number of switches and consequently reduction in
Nowadays, multilevel inverters have become more
installation area. However in the structures of the
attractive for their use in high-voltage and high-power
implemented switches are bidirectional (consisting of two
applications. In multilevel inverters, the desired output
IGBTs and two anti-parallel diodes). So the total number of
voltage is achieved by suitable combination of multiple low
IGBTs is high which increases cost. Nevertheless, because
dc voltage sources used at the input side. As the number of
of using one deriver circuit for each switch, the overall
dc sources is increased, the output voltage becomes closer to
numbers of deriver circuits needed for the recommended
a pure sinusoidal waveform. The required dc voltage can be
topologies are fewer compared to conventional multilevel
chosen from different sources such as batteries, photovoltaic,
inverter.
fuel cells, capacitors, the rectified output voltage of wind
 This paper proposes a new topology for cascaded There are mainly three different basic topologies
multilevel inverters which uses a combination of which remain the basis for many of the recent ones
bidirectional and unidirectional switches. It should be proposed. They are
considered that by suitable combination of bidirectional and
[1] Diode clamped or Neutral Point Clamped inverter
unidirectional switches, fewer deriver circuits and IGBTs
multilevel
can be achieved. Moreover, to produce all odd and even
levels at the output voltage, three procedures for [2] Flying Capacitor or Capacitor Clamped Inverter
determination of dc voltage sources' magnitudes have also
been proposed. The capability of proposed structure in [3] Cascaded H-bridge Multilevel Inverter

producing all odd and even output voltage levels is proved

III. DIODE CLAMPED MULTILEVEL INVERTER
by simulation result for a 7-level inverter.
Here for this inverter model the clamping purpose
II. PROPOSED SYSTEM
is served by using a diode to output the required staircase

Many of the industrial and commercial application voltage waveform. Figure shows connecting series of

require medium and high power equipment in the range of capacitors in the 3 level diode clamped inverter. Multiple

megawatt. For all such applications a single switch shouldn’t voltages will be provided for the M level inverter, 7 each of

be connected and so a family of switches have to be the capacitor has a voltage of VDC/m-1. Maximum output

connected. This led to the introduction of multilevel voltage which can be obtained is half of the input DC

inverters which can be applied effectively in high as well as voltage. This has been the main drawback for this topology.

medium power applications. These inverters are made up of But this problem can be overcome by increasing the number

an array of capacitors voltage sources, power semiconductor of switches, capacitors, diodes. Three level inverters of this

from which they tend to generate stepped output voltage type are extensively being used in industries these days.

waveforms.
Applications

IV.MULTILEVEL INVERTERS
1. They are used for Harmonic compensation purpose.
2. They are used for motor drives with variable
In the recent times many different multilevel
speeds.
inverter topologies were proposed. 3. High voltage DC, AC transmission lines use them.

V.DIODE CLAMPED MULTILEVEL INVERTER

Here for this inverter model the clamping purpose

is served by using a diode to output the required staircase
voltage waveform. Figure shows connecting series of
capacitors in the 3 level diode clamped inverter. Multiple
voltages will be provided for the M level inverter, 7 each of
the capacitor has a voltage of VDC/m-1. Maximum output
voltage which can be obtained is half of the input DC
voltage. This has been the main drawback for this topology.

fig.1 Multilevel inverter

But this problem can be overcome by increasing the number
of switches, capacitors, diodes. Three level inverters of this
type are extensively being used in industries these days.

Comparison between different topologies

 unipolar modulation requires two sinusoidal
waves and a single carrier wave. These techniques
are mainly used for H bridge inverters.

TABLE. 1 Comparison Between Different Topologies

Modulation Techniques in Multilevel Inverters

PWM was considered the most efficient technique Fig.2 Bipolar Modulation Scheme

for controlling the output of multilevel inverters. There are

many different kinds of PWM techniques available. The
most simple and commonly used technique is using a high
frequency triangular carrier signal, and a reference signal.
Both of them were compared using a comparator and the
output was high when the reference signal value exceeded
the carrier signal value and low otherwise. Many other
techniques were also developed like the delta modulation,
Space vector modulation, delta sigma modulation etc. Each
of the methods have their own advantages over the others. Fig.3 Unipolar Modulation Scheme

Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation Multicarrier Pulse Width Modulation Techniques

The best among all the PWM methods is the Cascaded Multilevel inverters use PWM techniques
Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation (SPWM) which can be which are mainly classified as 1. Phase shifted modulation
implemented in two level as well as multilevel inverters. In and 2.level shifted modulation. For both the techniques, (M-
this technique a sinusoidal reference signal and a carrier 1) triangular 15 carrier waves with that of same frequency
signal of very high frequency (triangular signal) are under and with same peak-peak amplitudes will be required for an
comparison to give low or high output. There are 2 types of M level inverter.
SPWM techniques i.e. unipolar and bipolar pulse width
modulation. The bipolar technique requires a single
modulating wave and a single carrier wave whereas

SIMULATION DIAGRAM: CONVETIONAL MULTILEVEL IVERTER

 Fig.4.simulation diagram :conventional multilevel inverter

OUTPUT VOLTAGE

Fig.5 output voltage

FFT

VI. PROPOSED MULTILEVEL INVERTER

OUTPUT VOLTAGE

FFT
 VII.CONCLUSION [2] T. A. Meynard and H. Foch, "Multi-level conversion: high voltage
choppers and voltage-source inverters , "Power Electronics Specialists
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403, vol.1.
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compound unidirectional switches which has the advantage [3] Fang Zheng Peng, Jih-Sheng Lai, J. W. McKeever and J. Van Coevering,
of using fewer IGBTs and deriver circuits. Therefore the "A multilevel voltage-source inverter with separate DC sources for static
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"Developed cascaded multilevel inverter topology to minimize the number
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[5] M. Veenstra and A. Rufer, "Control of a hybrid asymmetric multilevel
including the number of IGBTs, deriver circuit, the variety
inverter for competitive medium-voltage industrial drives," in IEEE
of dc voltage magnitudes, a comparison has been made
Transactions on Industry Applications, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 655-,
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March-April 2005.
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inverter demonstrate that the proposed configuration has [6] L. G. Franquelo, J. Rodriguez, J. I. Leon, S. Kouro, R. Portillo and M.
A. M. Prats, "The age of multilevel converters arrives," in IEEE Industrial
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