3 PHASE MULTILEVEL INVERTER USING

BIDIRECTIONAL CHOPPER CELL

Project report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award
Of the degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING
By
K.MANJU NAGA SRI
(08241A0221)
G.RAMYA
(08241A0236)
B.VANI
(08241A0253)
B.SHRUTHI
(09245A0206)
Under the guidance of
Mr.E.VENKATESWARULU
Associate Professor

Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

GOKARAJU RANGARAJU INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND

TECHNOLOGY, BACHUPALLY, HYDERABAD-72
2012

GOKARAJU RANGARAJU INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND

TECHNOLOGY
HYDERABAD, ANDHRA PRADESH

DEPARTEMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project report entitled 3-PHASE MULTILEVEL INVERTER USING
BIDIRECTIOAL CHOPPER CELL that is being submitted by K.MANJU NAGA SRI,
G.RAMYA, B.VANI, B.SHRUTHI in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree of Bachelor
of technology in Electrical and Electronics Engineering to the Jawaharlal Nehru
Technological University in a record of bonafide work carried out by them under my guidance
and supervision. The results embodied in this project report have not been submitted to any other
University or Institute for the award of any Graduation degree.

Mr.P.M.Sarma
HOD, EEE
GRIET, Hyderabad

Mr.E.Venkateswarlu
Assistant Professor,EEE
GRIET, Hyderabad
(Internal Guide)

External examiner

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This is to place on record my appreciation and deep gratitude to the persons without
whose support this project would never seen the light of day.
We immensely be grateful to Prof.P.S.Raju, Director, G.R.I.E.T. and Prof.Jandhyala N
Murthy, Principal, G.R.I.E.T. for having permitted us to carry out this project.
I wish to express my propound sense of gratitude to DR.Satyendra Saxena,
G.R.I.E.T for his guidance, encouragement, and for all the facilities to complete this project.
I also express my sincere thanks to Prof.P.M.Sarma, Head of the department,
G.R.I.E.T for extending his help.
I have immense pleasure in expressing my thanks and deep sense of gratitude to my
guide Mr.E.Venkateswarlu, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, G.R.I.E.T
for his guidance throughout this project.
Finally I express my sincere gratitude to Mr.M.Chakravarthy, Associate Professor,
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, G.R.I.E.T and all the members of faculty
and my friends who contributed their valuable advice and helped to complete the project
successfully.

K.MANJU NAGASRI

(08241A0221)

G.RAMYA

(08241A0236)

B.VANI

(08241A0253)

B.SHRUTHI

(09245A0206)

i
3

ABSTRACT
This report comprises of the operation of 3 phase multilevel inverter using bidirectional chopper
cells.
This report gives the detailed overview about basic operation of inverter, types of inverters.
The difference of 3 phase multilevel inverter using bidirectional chopper cells and normal basic
inverters is shown
Simulation for a 2 level inverter using bidirectional has been performed .The simulations have
been carried out in PSIM software.
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) calculations have been done practically.
Output voltages at different frequencies and voltages have been observed during simulation.
Output voltages have been observed in the C.R.O.

ii

CONTENTS
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1Inverter

1.2Types of Inverter

Chapter 2: MULTILEVEL INVERTER

2.1 Multilevel Concept

2.2 Types of Multilevel Inverters

2.2.1

Diode Clamped Multilevel Inverter

2.2.2 Flying Capacitor Multilevel Inverter

11

2.2.3 Cascaded Bridge Multilevel Inverter

14

2.2.4 Multilevel Inverter Using Bidirectional Chopper Cell

17

Chapter 3: SIMULATION
3.1 Description

20

3.2 Calculations

23

3.3 Results

24

3.4 Output Graphs

25
iii

3.5 Output voltage waveforms at different frequencies

26

3.6 Pulses to Mosfets

28

Chapter 4: . HARDWARE DESCRIPTION

4.1 Power Supply Circuit
4.2 Main Circuit

33

4.3 Driver Circuit

34

4.4 Over View Of entire circuit

35

4.5 Output Wave Form

36

Chapter 5:CONCLUSION & SCOPE OF FUTURE

iv

31

37

References

38

Appendix A

39

Appendix B

45

Appendix C

46

Appendix D

47

Appendix E

53

Appendix F

57

Appendix G

60

LIST OF FIGURES
Fig 1.1 (a) circuit diagram (b) voltage waveforms
Fig 2.1 Three-phase multi level power processing system
Fig 2.2 Schematic single pole of multi level inverter by a switch
Fig 2.3 Typical output voltage of a five level Multi Level Inverter
Fig 2.4 Diode Clamped Multilevel Inverter
Fig 2.5 line voltage waveform for 6 level diode clamped inverter
Fig 2.6 Diode clamped six level inverter voltage levels and
corresponding switch states
Fig 2.7 Three phase six level structure of a flying capacitor
Fig 2.8 Switching States
Fig 2.9 Single phase structure of a multilevel cascaded H bridge inverter
Fig 2.10 Output phase voltage waveform of an 11-level cascade inverter
with 5 separate dc sources
Fig 2.11 Bidirectional Chopper Cell
Fig 3.1 Circuit diagram
Fig 3.2 Output voltage
vi
8

Fig 3.3 Output Current

Fig 3.4 Output Voltage at Vin=5V, at F=20HZ
Fig 3.5 Output Voltage at Vin=5v, F=40HZ
Fig 3.6 Output Voltage at Vin =5v,F=50Hz
Fig 3.7 Output Voltage at Vin =5v,F=60Hz
Fig 3.8 Output Voltage at Vin=5v,F=100Hz
Fig 3.9 Output Voltage at Vin=5v, F=50Hz
Fig 3.10 Output Voltage at V=5v, F=150HZ
Fig 3.11 Pulses to Mosfets M1, M2
Fig 3.12 Pulses to Mosfets M3, M4
Fig 3.13 Pulses to Mosfets M5, M6
Fig 3.14 Pulses to Mosfets M7, M8
Fig 3.15 Pulses to Mosfets M9, M10
Fig 3.16 Pulses to Mosfets M11, M12
Fig 4.1 Power supply Circuit for microcontroller
Fig 4.2 Main Circuit
vii
9

Fig 4.3 Driver Circuit

Fig 4.4 Overview of entire circuit
Fig 4.5 Output wave form

viii
10

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 INVERTER
Inverter:
Inverter is a device that converts electrical power from dc form to ac form using electronic
circuits.

Fig 1.1 (a) circuit diagram (b) voltage waveforms

A single-phase inverter, in which M1 & M2 Conduct for half a period and M3 & M4 conduct for
the other half. The output voltage can be controlled by varying the conduction time of the
transistors.
Static Switches: Since the power devices can be operated as static switches or contactors, the
supply to these switches could be either AC or DC, and the switches are called as AC static
switches or DC switches.

1.2 Types of inverters:

1. Square wave
11

2. Modified square wave

3. Multilevel
4. Pure sine wave
5. Resonant inverter
6. Grid tie inverter
7. Synchronous inverter
8. Stand-alone inverter
9.

Solar inverter

10. Solar micro-inverter

11. Air conditioner inverter
12. CCFL inverter

1 .Square wave:
The square wave output has a high harmonic content, not suitable for certain AC loads
such as motors or transformers. Square wave units were the pioneers of inverter development.
2. Modified sine wave:
The output of a modified square wave, quasi square, or modified sine wave inverter is
similar to a square wave output except that the output goes to zero volts for a time before
switching positive or negative. It is simple and low cost (~$0.10USD/Watt) and is compatible
with most electronic devices, except for sensitive or specialized equipment, for example certain
laser printers, fluorescent lighting, audio equipment .Most AC motors will run off this power
source albeit at a reduction in efficiency of approximately 20%[2].

3 .Multilevel:

12

Multilevel inverter is a power electronic system that synthesizes a desired voltage from several
levels of direct current voltage as inputs. The advantages of using multilevel topology include
reduction of power ratings of power devices and lower cost. There are three topologies - diode
clamped inverter, flying capacitor inverter and cascaded inverter.

4. Pure sine wave:

A pure sine wave inverter produces a nearly perfect sine wave output (less than 3% total
harmonic distortion) that is essentially the same as utility-supplied grid power. Thus it is
compatible with all AC electronic devices. This is the type used in grid-tie inverters. Its design is
more complex, and costs more per unit power. The electrical inverter is a high-power electronic
oscillator. It is so named because early mechanical AC to DC converters were made to work in
reverse, and thus were "inverted", to convert DC to AC.

5. Resonant inverter:
Resonant inverters are based on electrical resonance current oscillations.Resonant inverters
are electrical inverters based on resonant current oscillation. In series resonant inverters the
resonating components and switching device are placed in series with the load to form an under
damped circuit. The current through the switching devices fall to zero due to the natural
characteristics of the circuit. If the switching element is a thyristor, it is said to be selfcommutated.

6. Grid tie inverter:

A grid-tie inverter (GTI) is a special type of inverter that converts direct current (DC)
electricity into alternating current (AC) electricity and feeds it into an existing electrical grid.
GTIs are often used to convert direct current produced by many renewable energy sources, such
as solar panels or small wind turbines, into the alternating current used to power homes and
businesses. The technical name for a grid-tie inverter is "grid-interactive inverter". They may
also be called synchronous inverters. Grid-interactive inverters typically cannot be used in
standalone applications where utility power is not available.

13

Inverters take DC power and invert it to AC power so it can be fed into the electric utility
company grid. The grid tie inverter must synchronize its frequency with that of the grid (e.g. 50
or 60 Hz) using a local oscillator and limit the voltage to no higher than the grid voltage. A highquality modern GTI has a fixed unity power factor, which means its output voltage and current
are perfectly lined up, and its phase angle is within 1 degree of the AC power grid. The inverter
has an on-board computer which will sense the current AC grid waveform, and output a voltage
to correspond with the grid.
Grid-tie inverters are also designed to quickly disconnect from the grid if the utility grid goes
down. This is an NEC requirement that ensures that in the event of a blackout, the grid tie
inverter will shut down to prevent the energy it produces from harming any line workers who are
sent to fix the power grid.

7. Synchronous inverter:
A synchronous inverter is an inverter that additionally feeds power to and from the public
power grid. During a period of overproduction from the generating source, power is routed into
the power grid, thereby being sold to the local power company. During insufficient power
production, it allows for power to be purchased from the power company.

8. Stand-alone inverter:
A stand-alone inverter is an electrical inverter that converts direct current into alternating
current independently of a utility grid. Stand-alone inverters are often used to convert direct
current produced by many renewable energy sources like solar panels or small wind turbines,
into the alternating current used to power homes and small industries. These types of inverters
are mostly used in residential buildings, in remote locations which are devoid of the utility grid
and are powered by renewable energy sources.

9. Solar inverter:
A solar inverter, or PV inverter, converts the variable direct current output of a photovoltaic
(PV) solar panel into a utility frequency alternating current that can be fed into a commercial
electrical grid or used by a local, off-grid electrical network. It is a critical component in a
14

photovoltaic system, allowing the use of ordinary commercial appliances. Solar inverters have
special functions adapted for use with photovoltaic arrays, including maximum power point
tracking and anti-islanding protection.

10. Solar micro-inverter:

A solar micro-inverter converts direct current from a single solar panel. Micro-inverters
contrast with conventional string or central inverter devices, which are connected to multiple
solar panels.

11. Air conditioner inverter:

An air conditioner inverter modulates the frequency of the alternating current to control the
speed of the air conditioner motor to achieve continuous adjustment of temperature control.

12. CCFL inverter:

A CCFL inverter powers a cold cathode fluorescent lamp.

15

CHAPTER 2
MULTILVEL INVERTER

2.1 Multi Level Concept

For a three-phase inverter system, as shown in Fig 1, with an input DC voltage of Vdc
given to series connected capacitors, which constitute the energy tank for the inverter. The
Multilevel inverter is connected to these nodes. Each capacitor has the same voltage Em which is
given by Em = Vdc / (m-1) , where m is denotes the number of levels.
.
The term level is referred to as the number of nodes to which the inverter can be accessible.

Fig 2.1Three-phase multi level power processing system

16

Fig
F 2.2Schemaatic single pole of multi levvel inverter bby a switch

Fig 2.3Typical output voltagge of a five level Multi Levvel Inverter

Output phase voltagees can be deffined as volttages across output termiinals of the inverter
i
and the
ground point
p
denoted
d by 0 as shown
s
in Figg 1.6(a). Morreover, inputt node voltagges and currrents
can be reeferred to inp
put terminal voltages of the inverter with referennce to groundd point and the
t
corresponnding curren
nts from eachh node of thee capacitors to the invertter, respectivvely. The inpput
node volttages are dessignated by V1, V2, etc., and the inpuut dc currentts by I1, I2, etc.,
e Va, Vb, Vc
17

are the rooot mean squ

uare (rms) vaalues of the line load voltages; Ia, Ib, Ic are the rm
ms values off the
line load currents. Fig 1.6 (b) shoows the scheematic of a pole
p in a mulltilevel inverrter, where Vo
indicates an output phase voltagee, that can asssume any vooltage level depending on
o the selectiion
of node dc
d voltage V1, V2 etc., Thus, a pole in
i a multilevvel inverter can
c be regardded as a singgle.
\pole, muulti throw sw
witch. By connnecting the switch to onne node at a time, one caan obtain thee
desired output.
o
Fig 1.7 shows thee typical outpput voltage of
o a five leveel inverter.

The actuaal realization

n of the swittch requires bidirectiona
b
l switching devices for each node. The
topologiccal structure of Multi Leevel Inverter must have:
1. Less switcching devicees as far as possible
2. be capablee of withstannding very high input vooltage for higgh power appplications
3. Have low
wer switchingg frequency for each swiitching devicce

2.2 Tyypes of Multi Leveel Inverteers:

Thhe general sttructure of thhe Multi Levvel Converteer is to synthhesize a near sinusoidal
voltage from
f
several levels of dc voltages, tyypically obtaained from caapacitor volttage sources. As
the numbber of levels increase, thee synthesized output volltage wavefoorm has more steps, whicch
produce a staircase wave
w
that appproaches a desired
d
wavee form. As more
m
steps aree added to thhe
waveform
m, the harmo
onic distortioon of the outtput wave deecreases, appproaching zeero as the nuumber
of levels increase. Ass the numberr of levels inncrease, the voltage
v
that can be spannned by summ
ming
multiple voltage leveels also increease.
The outpput voltage during the poositive half cyycle can be found from

S n is the sw
witching or coontrol functiion of nth nodde and it takkes a value frrom 0 to1.
Where, SF
Generallyy, the capaciitor terminall voltages E11, E2,..,, all have thhe same value as Em. Thuus,
the peak output voltaage is Vao[peakk] = (m-1) Em = Vdc
18

To generrate an outpu
ut voltage wiith both posiitive and neggative valuess, the circuit topology haas
another switch
s
to pro
oduce the neggative part Vob, so that .

Multillevel Inveerter:
M
Multilevel
in
nverter is poower electronnic system thhat synthesizzes a desiredd voltage from
several leevels of direct current vooltage as inpputs. The advvantages of using
u
multileevel topologgy
include reduction
r
of power ratinggs of power devices and lower cost. There are thhree topologiies diode claamped invertter, flying caapacitor inveerter, cascadeed inverter and
a multileveel inverter using
u
bidirectioonal chopperr cells.

2.2.1 Diiode Clam

mped Multtilevel Inveerter:
A three-phasee six-level diode-clampedd inverter is shown in Fiigure 1. Eacch of the threee
phases off the inverterr shares a coommon dc buus, which haas been subddivided by fivve capacitors
into six levels. The voltage
v
acrosss each capaccitor is Vdc, and the volttage stress across
a
each
switchingg device is liimited to Vddc through thhe clamping diodes. Tabble 1 lists thee output voltaage
levels poossible for on
ne phase of the
t inverter with
w the neggative dc rail voltage V0 as a referencce.
State conndition 1 meaans the switcch is on, andd 0 means thhe switch is off.
o Each phhase has five
complem
mentary switcch pairs suchh that turningg on one of the
t switchess of the pair require
r
that the
other com
mplementary
y switch be turned
t
off. The
T complem
mentary swittch pairs for phase leg a are
(Sa1, Sa1), (Sa2, Saa2), (Sa3, Saa3), (Sa4, Sa4),
S
and (Sa5, Sa5). Table
T
1 also shows that inn a
diode-claamped invertter, the switcches that aree on for a parrticular phasse leg is alwaays adjacentt and
in series. For a six-leevel inverterr, a set of fivve switches is on at any given
g
time.
Figure 1 shows one of
o the three line-line
l
volttage waveforrms for a sixx-level inverrter. The linee
voltage Vab
V consists of a phase-lleg a voltagee and a phasee-leg b voltaage. The ressulting line
voltage iss an 11-level staircase waveform.
w
T means thhat an m-levvel diode-claamped invertter
This
has an m-level
m
outpu
ut phase voltaage and a (2m-1)-level output
o
line voltage. Althoough each acctive
19

switching device is required to block only a voltage level of Vdc, the clamping diodes require
different ratings for reverse voltage blocking. Using phase a of Figure 1 as an example, when all
the lower switches Sa1 through Sa5 are turned on, D4 must block four voltage levels, or 4Vdc.
Similarly, D3 must block 3Vdc, D2 must block 2Vdc, and D1 must block Vdc. If the inverter is
designed such that each blocking diode has the same voltage ratings the active switches, Dn will
require n diodes in series; consequently, the number of diodes required for each phase would be
(m-1) (m-2). Thus, the number of blocking diodes is quadratically related to the number of
levels in a diode-clamped converter .
Advantages:
All of the phases share a common dc bus, which minimizes the capacitance requirements of the
converter. For this reason, a back-to-back topology is not only possible but also practical for uses
such as a high-voltage back-to-back inter-connection or an adjustable speed drive.
The capacitors can be pre-charged as a group.
Efficiency is high for fundamental frequency switching.
Disadvantages:
Real power flow is difficult for a single inverter because the intermediate dc levels will tend
to overcharge or discharge without precise monitoring and control.
The number of clamping diodes required is quadratically related to the number of levels,
which can be cumbersome for units with a high number of levels.

20

FIGURE 2.4
DIODE CLAMPED MULTILEVEL INVERTER

Fig 2.5line voltage waveform for 6 level diode clamped inverter

Fig 2.6.diode clamped six level inverter voltage levels and corresponding switch states

2.2.2 FLYING CAPACITOR MULTILEVEL INVERTER:

The structure of this inverter is similar to that of the diode-clamped inverter except that
instead of using clamping diodes, the inverter uses capacitors in their place. The circuit topology
of the flying capacitor multilevel inverter is shown in Figure 2. This topology has a ladder
21

structure of dc side capacitors, where the voltage on each capacitor differs from that of the next
capacitor. The voltage increment between two adjacent capacitor legs gives the size of the
voltage steps in the output waveform.

Fig 2.7Three phase six level structure of a flying capacitor

One advantage of the flying-capacitor-based inverter is that it has redundancies for inner
voltage levels; in other words, two or more valid switch combinations can synthesize an output
voltage. Table 2 shows a list of all the combinations of phase voltage levels that are possible for
the six-level circuit shown in Figure 1, Unlike the diode-clamped inverter, the flying capacitor
inverter does not require all of the switches that are on (conducting) be in a consecutive series.
Moreover, the flying-capacitor inverter has phase redundancies, whereas the diode clamped
inverter has only line-line redundancies. These redundancies allow a choice of
charging/discharging specific capacitors and can be incorporated in the control system for
balancing the voltages across the various levels.
In addition to the (m-1) dc link capacitors, the m-level flying-capacitor multilevel inverter will
require (m-1) (m-2)/2 auxiliary capacitors per phase if the voltage rating of the capacitors is
identical to that of the main switches. One application proposed in the literature for the
multilevel flying capacitor is static var generation.

Advantages:
22

Phase redundancies are available for balancing the voltage levels of the capacitors.
Real and reactive power flow can be controlled. The large number of capacitors enables the
inverter to ride through short duration outages and deep voltage sags.
Disadvantages:
Control is complicated to track the voltage levels for all of the capacitors. Also, pre-charging all
of the capacitors to the same voltage level and startup are complex.
Switching utilization and efficiency are poor for real power transmission.
The large numbers of capacitors are both more expensive and bulky than clamping diodes in
multilevel diode-clamped converters. Packaging is also more difficult in inverters with a high
number of levels

.
Fig 2.8SWITCHING STATES

23

2.2.3 CASCADED H BRIDGES:

A single-phase structure of an m-level cascaded inverter is illustrated in Figure 31.1. Each
separate dc source (SDCS) is connected to a single-phase full-bridge, or H-bridge, inverter. Each
inverter level can generate three different voltage outputs, +Vdc, 0, and Vdc by connecting the dc
source to the ac output by different combinations of the four switches, S1, S2, S3, and S4. To
obtain +Vdc, switches S1 and S4 are turned on, whereas Vdc can be obtained by turning on
switches S2 and S3. By turning on S1 and S2 or S3 and S4, the output voltage is 0. The ac outputs
of each of the different full-bridge inverter levels are connected in series such that the
synthesized voltage waveform is the sum of the inverter outputs. The number of output phase
voltage levels m in a cascade inverter is defined by m = 2s+1, where s is the number of separate
dc sources. An example phase voltage waveform for an 11-level cascaded H-bridge inverter with
5 SDCSs and 5 full bridges is shown in Figure 3.
The phase voltage van = va1 + va2 + va3 + va4 + va5.
For a stepped waveform such as the one depicted in Figure 4 with s steps, the Fourier Transform
for this waveform follows

24

Fig 2.9Single phase structute of a multilevel cascaded H bridge inverter

Fig 2.10 Output phase voltage waveform of an 11-level cascade inverter with 5 separate dc sources

The general features of a multi level inverter are as follows:

The output voltage and power increase with number of levels. Adding a voltage involves
adding main switching device to each phase.

The harmonic content decreases as the number of levels increase and filtering
requirements are reduced.

With additional voltage levels, the voltage waveform has more free switching angles
which can be pre-selected for harmonic elimination.

In the absence of any PWM techniques, the switching losses can be avoided.

Increasing output voltage and power does not require an increase in rating of individual
device.

Static and dynamic voltage sharing among the switching devices is built into the structure
either through clamping diodes or capacitors.

25

Since these do not encounter any voltage sharing problems, these multi level inverters
can be easily applied for large motor drives and utility supplies.

The fundamental output voltage is set by the dc bus voltage Vdc which can be controlled
through a dc link.

Power factor is close to unity.

No electromagnetic induction is produced.

In view of the above, the multi level inverters can be applied in the following
situations:

These are meant for high power applications, such as in utility systems for controlled
sources of reactive power.

In steady-state operation, an inverter can produce a controlled reactive current and

operates as static volt-ampere reactive compensator (SVC / STATCON).

These inverters reduce the size of compensator and improve its performance during
power system contingencies.

Because of the use of a high voltage inverter, it can be directly connected to high voltage
system (e.g~13 kV) distribution system, eliminating the distribution transformer and
reducing the system cost.

The harmonic content of the inverter waveform can be reduced with appropriate control
techniques, and thereby the efficiency can be improved.

Keeping the above in view, the main two applications for multi level inverters are

1. Reactive power compensation

2. Back to back inter-tie
3. Utility compatible adjustable speed drive.

26

2.2.4MULTILEVEL INVERTERS USING BIDIRECTIONAL CHOPPER

CELLS:
BIDIRECTIONAL CHOPPER CELLS:
This BIDIRECTIONAL CHOPPER CELL has been used in this project for Multi Level
inverters. This cell consists of two IGBTs, which are connected through a capacitor, known as
flying capacitor. This is called as bidirectional, since when the firing is allowed to the gates,
the IGBT switches act as if they are closed and conduct, else through the capacitor which is
charged and discharged. Hence the name is bidirectional.
The fig 2.5 indicates the stepped wave form of output voltage in case of diode clamped multi
level inverter. The average of these steps is considered as the sinusoidal output.
Due to the floating capacitor in this bidirectional chopper cell the steps in the wave for have
been eliminated. The outputs for various levels of inverters and converters are also indicated
after simulation. Harmonic contents used to eliminate the steps that would have been present in
the waveform as in multi level cascaded system for which the average output is considered as
sinusoidal. But due to this capacitor, even without firing signal for the gates of the IGBTs, the
cell is able to send current through the circuit, and hence the steps are eliminated, giving out a
complete sinusoidal waveform.

As the levels are increased, the purity of waveform increases, reducing the harmonic content
drastically in the output.

Fig 2.11 BIDIRECTIONAL CHOPPER CELL

27

The Bidirectional Chopper Cells consists of power transistors. Power transistors have controlled
turn on and turn off characteristics. The transistors that are used as switching elements are
operated in the saturations region, resulting in a low on state voltage drop. The switching speed
of modern transistors is much higher than that of thyristors and they are extensively used in DC
to DC and DC to AC converters, with inverse parallel connected diodes to provide bidirectional
current flow.
The power transistors can be classified broadly into five categories:

a. Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJTs): A bipolar transistor is formed by adding a

second p- or n- region to a p-junction diode. With two n-regions and one p-region, two
junctions are formed and it is known as NPN transistor. With two p-regions and one nregion, it is called a PNP transistor. The three terminals are named as collector, emitter
and base. A bipolar transistor has two junctions; collector-base junction (CBJ) and baseemitter junction (BEJ). It is a current-controlled device and requires base current for
current flow in the collector.

b. Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFETs): A

power MOSFET is a voltage-controlled device. The switching speed is very high and
switching times are nanoseconds. These do not have problems of second breakdown as in
BJTs. These MOSFETS, however, have the problems of electro static discharge. It is
relatively difficult to protect the MOSFETs in short circuit fault conditions.

c. COOLMOS: This is a new technology for high voltage power MOSFETS, which
implements a compensation structure in the vertical drift region of a MOSFET to
improve the on-state resistance. It has a lower on-state resistance for the same package
compared with that of other MOSFETs. The conduction losses are at least five times less
as compared with those of the conventional MOSFET technology. It is capable of
28

handling two to three times more output power as compared with that of conventional
MOSFET in the same package. The active chip area of COOLMOS is approximately 5
times smaller than that of standard MOSFET.
d. Static Induction Transistors (SITs): An SIT is a high power, high frequency
device. It is solid state version of the triode vacuum tube. It is a vertical structure device
with short multi channels. It is not subjected to area limitation and is suitable for high
speed, high power operation.

e. Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) : An IGBT combines the

advantages of BJTs and MOSFET. An IGBT has high input impedance, like MOSFETs
and low on-state conduction losses, like BJTs. However, there is no second breakdown
problem as in BJTs. By chip design and structure, the equivalent drain to source
resistance is controlled to behave like that of a BJT.

29

CHAPTER 3
SIMULATION
Simulation of 2-level inverter with Bidirectional Chopper Cell
Circuit Diagram:

Fig 3.1 Circuit diagram

3.1 Description:
1. The connection diagram indicates the two level multi level inverter with two bidirectional
chopper cells per phase, one level being in positive-half cycle and one level for negative-half
cycle.
2The supply input of Vdc =12V is given to two numbers distribution capacitors of 220F in
series. Thus, the applied input voltage is shared equally by them, making the applied DC
Voltage of 6V to each half.
30

3.This distributed DC voltage line is connected to three legs of bidirectional chopper cells
positive-half (on top side) and negative-half (on bottom side) to form three- phase groups on
positive-half and three-phase groups on negative-half.
4. Output from each phase-group is connected to a filter inductance of 100 mH in each
phase-group on both positive and negative half sides.
5. Each phase is connected to R load of 10 ohms.
6. After the load, the three phases are joined together to form star point and is connected to
the midpoint of the two distributor capacitors as a return path.
7. Voltmeters are provided to measure load voltages. Also, the load currents are measured by
the ammeters provided in each phase.
.
8. The firing angles are so chosen for bidirectional chopper cells, that each leg contains the
two firings which are equal to the level of the multi level inverter.
9. The floating capacitor connected across each bidirectional cell is chosen as one 0.1mf.
Since the bidirectional cells are connected in series, the connection of floating capacitors in
this phase group becomes series connection when the gate signal is in switched off condition.
This being a short interval of the firing angles, it is assumed that the floating capacitors are in
series.
Thus, the total effective floating capacitors capacitance for each leg half (phase group)
becomes one half of this capacitance, i.e. 0.05mf.
10. To make an equal firing distribution among the cells, when R phase is considered, the
firings are chosen with max 2 angles to maintain the level of inverter, which is equal to 2 i.e.
0 /180 means 0 to 180 is on. The negative-half of the R phase firing is chosen as 180 / 360,

31

such that this phase is shifted by 180 degrees with respect to the positive side of sinusoidal
wave.
11. Similarly, the Y & B phases are selected with a phase difference of 120 degrees with
each another. Their corresponding negative halves are chosen by adding further 180 degrees
to the respective positive phase groups. Thus, the firing angles have been decided.

Simulation Control: Time step: 1E-005; Total time: 0.20 sec

Parameters

: Input voltage Vdc, Distribution Capacitances C1 & C2 = 220uf

Firing Angles (in degrees)
Table 3.1

PHASE

GATES

TRIGGERING
ANGLE(DEGREES)

R PHASE

Gr1, Gr2 : 50 2

0 / 180

Gr3, Gr4 : 50 4 180 /360

Y PHASE

B PHASE

Gy1, Gy2 : 50 2

120 / 300

Gy3, Gy4 : 50 4

-60/120

Gb1, Gb2 : 50 2

-120 / 60

Gb3,Gb4 : 50 4

60 /240

32

Other Parameters

Filter Inductances: Lr1, Lr2; Ly1, Ly2; Lb1 & Lb2 = 100 mH each
R phase floating capacitors Cr1 to Cr2: 0.1mf
Y phase floating capacitors Cy1 to Cy2: 0.1mf
B phase floating capacitors Cb1 to Cb2: 0.1mf
Load: Resistance Rr, Ry & Rb = 10 ohms

3.2 Calculations:

The calculations are made to find out duration in terms of time constants which are offered due
to the passive elements used in the respective circuit.

i.

The time constant for each phase group is given by:

1 = (LC) = (100 x 10-3 x 0.05 x 10-3) = 2.23ms.

ii.

The supply is available for a maximum firing angle of 60, the frequency being
50 Hz. The time period 2 for 90 is 90 / (50 x 360) = 4.3 ms.

33

3.3Results:
The following tables indicate the outputs obtained for multi level inverter of four level by
simulating the circuit through PSIM.
Table 1: Indicates the parameters maintained in the circuit and simulated output results
indicating the values of phase voltages, Line voltages and load current with a series R load of
10ohms connected at the output side.

These tables indicate the various parameters maintained in each case study and the
values obtained by simulation of the circuit diagram indicated in fig 3.1. These circuits have
switches according to firing angles.
TABLE1
Level

Vdcin

15

Cd

2x220F

Cc

Lf/leg

0.1f

100Mh

34

Maxno.of
firings
2

VL(Vry)

IL(Amps)

Volts
10

1.5

3.4 Output Graphs:

Fig 3.2 Output voltage

Fig 3.3 Output Current

35

3.5 0utput voltages at different frequencies

Table 3.2
FREQUENCY(HZ)
20HZ

OUTPUT
VOLTAGE(VOLTS)
7V

40HZ

7V

50HZ

10V

60HZ

10.5V

OUTPUTGRAPHS

36

80HZ

5V

100HZ

4V

120

3.5V

150

2.5V

37

3.6 PULSES TO MOSFETS

PULSE TO MOSFETS M1, M2:

PULSES TO MOSFETS M3,M4:

PULSES TO MOSFETS M5, M6:

38

PULSES TO MOSFETS M7, M8:

39

PULSES TO MOSFETS M9,M10

PULSES TO MOSFETS M11,M12

40

CHAPTER 4
HARDWARE DESCRIPTION

4.1 POWER SUPPLY SECTION

4.1.1 Power Supply to the Microcontroller:

Figure 4: Power supply Circuit for microcontroller

Power supply block consists of following units:

1) Step down transformer.
2) Full wave rectifier circuit.
3) Input filter.
4) Voltage regulators.
5) Output filter.
6) Indicator unit.

41

Step down transformer:

The step-down transformer is used to step down the supply voltage of 230v ac from mains to
lower values, as the various devices used in this project require reduced voltages. The outputs
from the secondary coil which is center tapped are the ac values of 0v, 15v and-15v.The
conversion of these ac values to dc values is done using the full wave rectifier unit.

Rectifier Unit:
The rectifier circuit is used to convert the ac voltage into its corresponding dc voltage.
The most important and simple device used in rectifier circuit is the diode. The simple function
of the diode is to conduct when forward biased and not to conduct in reverse bias.

Regulator unit:
Regulator regulates the output voltage to a specific value. The output voltage is
maintained irrespective of the fluctuations in the input dc voltage. Whenever there are any ac
voltage fluctuations, the dc voltage also changes.

Regulators used in this application are:

1.7805 which provides 5v dc
2.7812 which provide 12v dc

Output Filter:
This filter is fixed after the Regulator circuit to filter any of the possibly found
ripples in the output received finally. Capacitors used here are of value 10UF.

42

4.2 MAIN CIRCUIT:

Fig 4.2 Main circuit

This board has inverter circuit along with the 12V power supply. The output of the IC IR2110 is
given to the mosfets gate terminals. This inverter is a 2 level inverter which takes 12V DC as an
input and gives out 3-phase AC.
Inverter circuit consists of 3 legs each representing one of the 3 phases; each leg has 2
bidirectional chopper cells, one on the top and one at the bottom. Top cell is responsible for
positive half of the AC output, bottom cell is responsible for negative half of the ac output..

43

4.3 DRIVER CIRCUIT:

Fig 4.3 Driver circuit

This board contains driver circuit; it also consists of microcontroller circuit for producing gate
pulses for the mosfets used in the inverter circuit.

The driver circuit has got two ICS

1. 74HCT245 (for improving current level to a sufficient value in order to drive the mosfets)
..
2. Ir2110 (for improving voltage level to a sufficient value in order to drive the mosfets)

44

4.3 OVERVIEW OF THE ENTIRE CIRCUIT:

Fig 4.4 over view of entire circuit

45

4.4 OUTPUT WAVEFORM OF ONE OF THE PHASES IN CRO:

4.5 Output Waveform

46

CHAPTER -5
CONCLISION AND FUTURE SCOPE OF STUDY

5.1 Conclusion:
It is observed that in multilevel inverter using bidirectional chopper cells sinusoidal output is
obtained instead of stepped a output as in case of other types of inverters.

5.2Future scope of study:

This project can be an application in UPS.

47

REFERENCES

Microcontrollers by Masjidi
www.wikipedia.com/8051
www.isis.com/proteus
Muhammad H.Rashid Power Electronics circuits, Devices and Applications third Edition
2006.
www.irf.com/technical-info/appnotes/an-978.pdf
www.irf.com/product-info/datasheets/data/ir2110.pdf
www.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/pdf/15580/PHILIPS/74HCT245D.html

APPENDIX A
48

GENERAL INFORMATION OF P SIM PACKAGE

A.1 INTRODUCTION
PSIM is a simulation package specifically designed for power electronics and
motor control. With fast simulation and friendly user interface, PSIM provided a powerful
simulation environment for power electronics, analog and digital control and motor drive
system studies.

This simulation package covers three add-on modules viz.

Motor Drive Module

Digital Control Module

Sim Coupler Module

The Motor Drive Module has built in machine models and mechanical load models for drive
system studies.

The Digital Control Module provides discrete elements such as zero-order hold, Z-domain
transfer function blocks, quantization blocks, digital filters, for digital control analysis.

The Sim Coupler Module provides interface between PSIM and Matlab/SIMULINK for cosimulation.

49

The PSIM simulation package consists of three programs:

Circuit Schematic Program PSIM

PSIM simulator

Waveform processing program SIMVIEW

The manual describes various chapters consisting of

Circuit structure

Software/Hardware requirement

Parameter specification format

Power and control circuit components

Specification of transient analysis and A.C. Analysis

Use of schematic program

SIMVIEW

Error and warning messages

A.2 CIRCUIT STRUCTURE

The circuit is represented in PSIM in four blocks viz.,

Power Circuit

Control circuit

Sensors

Switch controllers

50

Powercircuit

Sensors

Switch
Controller

Controlcircuit

The Power circuit consists of switching devices, RLC branches, transformers, and coupled
inductors.
The Control circuit is represented in block diagram, This also contains components in s
domain and z domain, logic components (such as logic gates and flip flops), and nonlinear
components (such as multipliers and dividers) are used in the control circuit.
Sensors measure power circuit voltages and currents and pass the values to the control
circuit.
Gating signals are then generated from the control circuit and sent back to the power circuit
through switch controllers to control switches.

A.3 SOFTWARE/HARDWARE REQUIREMENT

PSIM runs in Microsoft Windows environment 98/NT/2000/XP on personal computers. The
minimum RAM memory is 32MB.

51

A.3.1 INSTALLING THE PROGRAM

A quick installation guide is provided in the flier PSIM-quick guide and on the CD_ROM.
Some of the files in the PSIM directory are as follows:

Psim.dll

describes

PSIM simulator

Psim.exe

describes

PSIM circuit schematic editor

Simview.exe

describes

Wave form processor SIMVIEW

Psim.lib, psimimage.lib

PSIM libraries

*.hlp

Help files

*.sch

Sample schematic circuit files

File extensions used in PSIM are:

*.sch

PSIM schematic file (binary)

*.cct

PSIM netlist file (text)

*.txt

PSIM simulation output file (text)

*.fra

PSIM ac analysis file (text)

*.smv

SIMVIEW wave form file (binary)

A.5 SIMULATING A CIRCUIT

To simulate the sample one-quadrant chopper circuit chop.sch:

Start PSIM. Choose OPEN from the file menu to load the file chop.sch

52

From the SIMULATE menu, choose Run PSIM to start the simulation. The simulation
results will be saved to file chop.txt. Any warning messages occurred in the
simulation will be saved to file message.doc

If the option AUTO-RUN SIMVIEW is not selected in the options menu, from the
simulate menu, choose Run SIMVIEW to start SIMVIEW. If the Option Auto run
SIMVIEW is selected, SIMVIEW is launched automatically. In SIMVIEW the curves
for display are selected.

A.6 COMPONENT PARAMETER SPECIFICATION AND

FORMAT
The Parameter dialog window of each component in PSIM has three tabs:

Parameters

Other information

Color

The Parameters in the PARAMETERS tab are used in the simulation.

The information in the OTHER INFO tab is not used in the simulation. It is for reporting
purposes only and will appear in the parts list in VIEW/ELEMENT LIST in PSIM.

Information such as device rating, manufacturer, and part number can be stored under the
OTHER INF tab.
The component color can be set in the COLOR tab.
Parameters under the Parameters tab can be a numerical value or a mathematical expression. A
resistance for example can be expressed in one of the following ways:

53

12.5
12.5k
12.5Ohm
12.5kOhm
25./2.Oh
R1+R2
R1*0.5+Vo+0.7)/Io
Where R1, R, Vo, and Io are symbols defined either in a parameter file or in a main circuit if this
resistor is in a sub-circuit.
Power of ten suffix letters is allowed in PSIM.
The following suffix letters are supported:

109

106

k or K

103

10-3

10-6

10-9

10-12

54

APPENDIX B

SOFTWARE USED PROTEUS

It is used for the real time simulation of the Circuits involving complex ICs,
Microcontrollers, Electromechanical devices etc.

System components
ISIS Schematic Capture - a tool for entering designs.

55

APPENDIX C
SOFTWARE USED KEILuVISION
Keil was founded in 1986 to market add-on products for the development tools provided by
many of the silicon vendors.
Keil implemented the first C compiler designed from the ground-up specifically for the 8051
microcontroller.
Keil provides a broad range of development tools like ANSI C compiler, assemblers, debuggers
and simulators, linkers, IDE, library managers, real-time operating systems and evaluation for
8051, 251, ARM, and XC16x/C16x/ST10 families.

Compiling a C program in EAGLE

56

APPENDIX D
DATA SHEET IR2110

Features
Floating channel designed for bootstrap operation
Fully operational to +500V or +600V

Tolerant to negative transient voltage

dV/dt immune
Gate drive supply range from 10 to 20V
Under voltage lockout for both channels
3.3V logic compatible
Separate logic supply range from 3.3V to 20V
Logic and power ground 5V offset
CMOS Schmitt-triggered inputs with pull-down
Cycle by cycle edge-triggered shutdown logic
Matched propagation delay for both channels
Outputs in phase with inputs
OFFSET VOLTAGE (IR2110) 500V max.
IO+/- 2A / 2A
OUTPUT VOLTAGE 10 - 20V
ton/off (typ.) 120 & 94 ns
Delay Matching (IR2110) 10 ns max.
Description
The IR2110/IR2113 are high voltage, high speed power MOSFET and IGBT drivers with
independent high and low side referenced output channels. Proprietary HVIC and latch immune
CMOS technologies enable ruggedized monolithic construction. Logic inputs are compatible
with standard CMOS or LSTTL output, down to 3.3V logic. The output drivers feature a high
pulse current buffer stage designed for minimum driver cross-conduction. Propagation delays are
matched to simplify use in high frequency applications. The floating channel can be used to drive
57

an N-channel power MOSFET or IGBT in the high side configuration which operates up to 500
or 600 volts.

PIN DIAGRAM

IR2110

58

59

60

61

62

APPENDIX E
DATA SHEET 74HCT245

FEATURES
Octal bidirectional bus interface

Non-inverting 3-state outputs

Output capability: bus driver

GENERAL DESCRIPTIONS
The 74HC/HCT245 are high-speed Si-gate CMOS devices and are pin compatible with
low power Schottky TTL (LSTTL). They are specified in compliance with JEDEC
standard no. 7A.The 74HC/HCT245 are octal transceivers featuring non-inverting 3-state bus
compatible outputs in both send and receive directions. The 245 features an output enable
(OE) input for easy cascading and a send/receive (DIR) for direction control. OE controls the
outputs so that
the buses are effectively isolated. The 245 is similar to the 640 but has true (non-inverting) outputs.

74HCT245

63

PIN DIAGRAM

64

65

FUNCTIONAL BLOCK DIAGRAM

66

APPENDIX F
DATA SHEET- IRFZ44N

FEATURES:
1 Advanced Process Technology
2Ultra Low On-Resistance
3Dynamic dv/dt Rating
4175C Operating Temperature
5Fast Switching
6 Fully Avalanche Rated
Advanced HEXFET Power MOSFETs from International Rectifier utilize advanced processing
techniques to achieve extremely low on-resistance per silicon area. This benefit, combined with
the fast switching speed and ruggedized device design that HEXFET power MOSFETs are well
known for, provides the designer with an extremely efficient and reliable device for use in a wide
variety of applications.
The TO-220 package is universally preferred for all commercial-industrial applications at power
dissipation levels to approximately 50 watts. The low thermal resistance and low package cost of
the TO-220 contribute to its wide acceptance throughout the industry.

67

68

69

APPENDIX G
DATA SHEET AT89C51
Features
8K Bytes of In-System Reprogrammable Flash Memory
Endurance: 1,000 Write/Erase Cycles
Compatible with MCS-51 Products
Fully Static Operation: 0 Hz to 24 MHz
Three-level Program Memory Lock
256 x 8-bit Internal RAM
32 Programmable I/O Lines
Three 16-bit Timer/Counters
Eight Interrupt Sources
Programmable Serial Channel
Low-power Idle and Power-down Modes

The AT89C52 is a low-power, high-performance CMOS 8-bit microcomputer with 8K bytes of

Flash programmable and erasable read only memory (PEROM). The device is manufactured
using Atmels high-density nonvolatile memory technology and is compatible with the industrystandard 80C51 and 80C52 instruction set and pin out. The on-chip Flash allows the program
memory to be reprogrammed in-system or by a conventional nonvolatile memory programmer.
By combining a versatile 8-bit CPU with Flash on a monolithic chip, the Atmel AT89C52 is a
powerful micro computer which provides a highly-flexible and cost-effective solution to many
embedded control applications.
VCC Supply voltage.
GND Ground.
70

Port 0:
Port 0 is an 8-bit open drain bi-directional I/O port. As output port, each pin can sink eight TTL
inputs. When 1s are written to port 0 pins, the pins can be used as high impedance
Inputs. Port 0 can also be configured to be the multiplexed low order address/data bus during
accesses to external program and data memory. In this mode, P0 has internal pullups.
Port 0 also receives the code bytes during Flash programming and outputs the code bytes during
programverification. External pullups are required during program verification.
Port 1: Port 1 is an 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull ups. The Port 1 output buffers
can sink/source four TTL inputs. When 1s are written to Port 1 pins, they are pulled high by
the internal pull ups and can be used as inputs. As inputs, Port 1 pins that are externally being
pulled low will source current (IIL) because of the internal pull ups. In addition, P1.0 and P1.1
can be configured to be the timer/counter 2 external count input (P1.0/T2) and the timer/counter
2 trigger input (P1.1/T2EX), respectively. Port 1 also receives the low-order address bytes during
Flash programming and verification

Port 2
Port 2 is an 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull ups. The Port 2 output buffers can
sink/source four TTL inputs .When 1s are written to Port 2 pins, they are pulled high by
The internal pull ups and can be used as inputs. As inputs, Port 2 pins that are externally being
pulled low will source current (IIL) because of the internal pull ups. Port 2 emits the high-order
address byte during fetches from external program memory and during accesses to external data
memory that uses 16-bit addresses (MOVX @DPTR). In this application, Port 2 uses strong
internal pull-ups when emitting 1s. During accesses to external data memory that use 8-bit
addresses (MOVX @ RI), Port 2emits the contents of the P2 Special Function Register.
Port 2 also receives the high-order address bits and some control signals during Flash
programming and verification.
Port 3 is an 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull ups. The Port 3 output buffers can
sink/source four TTL inputs. When 1s are written to Port 3 pins, they are pulled high by

71

the internal pull ups and can be used as inputs. As inputs, Port 3 pins that are externally being
pulled low will source current (IIL) because of the pull-ups .Port 3 also receives some control
signals for Flash programming and verification.
Reset input. A high on this pin for two machine cycles while the oscillator is running resets the
device.
ALE/PROG Address Latch Enable is an output pulse for latching the low byte of the address
during accesses to external memory. This pin is also the program pulse input (PROG) during
Flash programming .In normal operation, ALE is emitted at a constant rate of 1/6 the oscillator
frequency and may be used for external timing or clocking purposes. Note, however, that one
ALE pulse is skipped during each access to external data
memory. If desired, ALE operation can be disabled by setting bit 0 of SFR location 8EH. With
the bit set, ALE is active only during a MOVX or MOVC instruction. Otherwise, the pin is
weakly pulled high. Setting the ALE-disable bit has no effect if the microcontroller is in external
execution mode.
PSEN : Program Store Enable is the read strobe to external program memory. When the
AT89C52 is executing code from external program memory, PSEN is activated twice each
machine cycle, except that two PSEN activations are skipped during each access to external data
memory.
EA/VPP: External Access Enable. EA must be strapped to GND inorder to enable the device to
fetch code from external program memory locations starting at 0000H up to FFFFH. Note,
however, that if lock bit 1 is programmed, EA will be internally latched on reset.EA should be
strapped to VCC for internal program executions. This pin also receives the 12-volt
programming enable voltage(VPP) during Flash programming when 12-voltprogramming is
selected.
XTAL1:

Input to the inverting oscillator amplifier and input to the

internal clock operating circuit.

72

XTAL2: Output from the inverting oscillator amplifier.

PIN DIAGRAM:

73

74