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a Technology
That Has
Potential in
Current and
Future Power
Applications
© DIGITAL VISION
The Age of
T
HE CURRENT ENERGY ARENA
is changing. The feeling of
dependence on fossil fuels
and the progressive increase
Multilevel
of its cost is leading to the
investment of huge amounts
of resources, economical and
human, to develop new cheaper and clean-
er energy resources not related to fossil
Arrives
integration of these types of systems into
the distribution grid a current reality.
Besides, in the transmission lines, high-
power electronic systems are needed to
assure the power distribution and the ener-
gy quality. Therefore, power electronic con-
verters have the responsibility to carry out
LEOPOLDO G. FRANQUELO, these tasks with high efficiency.
JOSE RODRÍGUEZ, JOSE I. LEON, The increase of the world energy demand
SAMIR KOURO, RAMON PORTILLO, has entailed the appearance of new power
and MARIA A.M. PRATS converter topologies and new semiconductor
Development Race
for High Power High Power
Applications Applications
Sx 1 Sx 2
Sx1
Vdc1 x
C2 Vdc C2 C1
Sx 2
Sx 1 Sx 2
x Sx 1 Sx 3 Vdc C2 S1 S3 S5
Vdc 0 0 Cx 1 Vx 1 a b c
Sx 3 0
Vdc Sx 1 Sx 2 Sx 3 Sx 4
C1 C1 Vdc
Sx 4 Vdc2 C2 C1 S2 S4 S6
Sx 3 Sx 4
n
Diode-Clamped Flying Capacitor Cascade
Classic Two-Level Converters
Multilevel Converters
FIGURE 1 — Classic two-level power converters versus most common multilevel power converters. Development race between two different solutions
in high-power applications.
1 Multilevel Converter-
Voltage [pu]
Driven Applications
0 Multilevel converters are considered
today as a very attractive solution for
−1 medium-voltage high-power applica-
0 0.005 0.01 0.015 0.02 0.025 0.03 tions. In fact, several major manufactur-
(a) ers commercialize NPC, FC, or CHB
topologies with a wide variety of control
1
methods, each one strongly depending
Voltage [pu]
Multiple Isolated
Single dc Source dc Sources
bandwidth–high switching frequency able models, which allows one to obtain possible states corresponding to dis-
applications such as medium-voltage all the necessary information about the crete states of the switches. Figure 6
traction drives [31]. Finally the cas- converter prior to the implementation shows a single-phase three-level NPC
caded H-bridge has been successfully stage. The modeling of multilevel con- phase has and the two possible model-
commercialized for very high-power verters is not a trivial task since they ing techniques. Taking these remarks
and power-quality demanding applica- are made up of linear and nonlinear into account, two types of models can
tions up to a range of 31 MVA, due to components. Historically, modeling be developed: equivalent circuit simula-
its series expansion capability. This techniques applied to dc power elec- tion or state-space averaged.
topology has also been reported for tronics converters have been adapted
active filter and reactive power com- to be used in the study of ac devices, Circuit Simulation Modeling
pensation applications [32], electric giving place to different approximations of Multilevel Converters
and hybrid vehicles [33], [34], photo- that achieve, according to their objec- A model of the converter can be
voltaic power conversion [35]–[37], tives, snubber circuits design, control obtained with the help of powerful sim-
uninterruptible power supplies [38], schemes, and controllers development; ulation tools such as SPICE-based sim-
and magnetic resonance imaging [39]. steady-state study; dynamic and tran- ulators. In this case, the modeling of
As an example of a commercial multi- sient response study; stability analysis, the multilevel converters is reduced to
level power converter, a 34-kV–15-MW etc. The operation of the multilevel con- the generation of an adequate electric
three-phase, six-cell CHB converter verter is a periodic sequencing of its circuit model that fully includes the
from Siemens for regenerative drives
is shown in Figure 4. A summary of
multilevel converter-driven applica- TABLE 1—COMPARISON OF MULTILEVEL CONVERTER TOPOLOGIES
tions is illustrated in Figure 5. DEPENDING ON IMPLEMENTATION FACTORS.
NPC FC CHB
Models: A Tool to Enhance Specific requirements Clamping diodes Additional capacitors Isolated dc sources
Multilevel Converter Possibilities
Modularity Low High High
The simulation and the determination
of “input to output (I/O)” relations are a Design and implementation Low Medium (capacitors) High (input
fundamental task in the study and complexity transformer)
design process of the multilevel con- Control concerns Voltage balancing Voltage setup Power sharing
verters. These I/O relations become
Fault tolerance Difficult Easy Easy
essential for the development of suit-
Battery +24°
A1
ac dc +24°
+24° B1
ac IM ac dc ac +12° C1
dc CE G dc ac M +12° A2
ac N +12° B2
IM ac 0° C2
Conveyor 0° A3
0° B3
C3
−12°
ac dc −12° A4
B4
ac IM −12° C4
dc EV HEV −24° A5
−24° B5
−24° C5
ac
DTC IM
Automotive
Mining Apps. UPS
ac ac Adjustable
dc dc Apps. FOC ac ac
Speed Drives dc
dc dc
ac ac dc
dc
Traction Multilevel Photovoltaic dc
Converters Application Apps. dc
Apps. Renewable dc
L Energy Convertion dc
o dc
a dc
d dc
ac STATCOM Utility Magnetic Res. dc
Wind Energy
Interfacing Imaging
Apps.
H H H
Cell Cell Cell
Active ac ac
H H H HVDC dc X
Cell Cell Cell Filters dc dc Axis
FACTS Y ac
dc ac dc
H
Cell
H
Cell
H
Cell
dc Axis
Z dc ac
dc
dc Axis
VC 2 +
S1
−
S2
a
Vdc O
Averaged Modeling Using δa as
VC 1 +
Modeling Describing the S3
Possible Discrete State of − Averaged Voltage of the Power
S4 Converter Phase Over a Switching
the Power Converter
N Period
Va Exact Averaged
P Piecewise
Linear Description
+ VC2
Vc 2 VC 2 > VC 1 δ aνC 2 δ a ≥ 0
− Va =
a δ aνC 1 δ a < 0
Vdc O −1
+ FP = 1
Vc 1 1 δ a Averaged Continuous
− FO = 0 −VC1 Description with
FN = 0 Quadratic Approximation
N ν − νC1 2 νC2 + νC1
Va = FP . Vc 2 + FO . 0 + FN . (−Vc 1) Va = C2 δa + δa
2 2
Currents (A)
10 10
0 0
−10 −10
−20 −20
−30 −30
0.7 0.75 0.8 0.85 0.9 0.95 1 0.7 0.75 0.8 0.85 0.9 0.95 1
Time (s) Time (s)
Equivalent Circuit Simulation Results State-Space Simulation Results
Multilevel Modulation
Space Vector Space Vector Hybrid Modulation Selective Harmonic Nearest Level
Multicarrier PWM
Modulation Control Elimination Control
LS-PWM
different ratings of the components
PS-PWM
(mainly the voltage rate of the capaci-
Hybrid
Modulation tors and semiconductors). Neverthe-
SHE less, these topologies offer very high
SVC
power quality waveforms with less
power semiconductors (reduction in
NLC
size and cost, while an increase in relia-
Applicable/Recommended Not Applicable Applicable/Not Recommended bility), and lower switching losses,
since the high-power cells only commu-
FIGURE 8 — Applicability of modulation methods to multilevel topologies. tate at a fundamental switching