Diode-clamped and cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverters are two of the main multilevel inverter topologies; each has its distinct advantages and drawbacks. Regarding the latter, cascaded H-bridge inverters require multiple separate dc sources, whereas (semi-active) diode-clamped inverters contain capacitors that require a means to balance their voltages. This paper investigates a hybrid-topology inverter, comprising a single-phase five-level semi-active diode-clamped inverter and a single-phase cascaded H-bridge inverter with their outputs connected in series, as one way to mitigate the drawbacks of each topology. The proposed control scheme for this inverter operates the switches at fundamental frequency to achieve capacitor voltage-balancing while keeping the switching losses low. Moreover, the step-angles are designed for the 13-level and 11-level output voltage waveform cases (as examples) for a fixed modulation index to achieve optimal total harmonic distortion. Furthermore, the scheme also achieves capacitor voltage-balancing for modulation indices that are close to the optimal modulation index, and for a wide range of load power factors, albeit at the cost of increased output voltage distortion. Simulation results are presented to help explain the processes of capacitor recharging and voltage-balancing, while experimental results are shown as verification of the expected behaviour of this inverter and the proposed control scheme.
Testing of new technologies before field deployment is crucial to gain acceptance by electric utilities, in particular, of distributed generation based on high power electronic modules. The NCREPT 13.8kV 6MVA Test Facility at the University of Arkansas offers an advanced test platform designed to meet the needs of complex high power electronics testing for several distributed energy applications. NCREPT could be also employed as a test platform for compliance of IEEE 1547 and UL 1741 standards. This paper describes the center capabilities and some potential test applications such evaluation of gridconnected inverters supporting energy storage systems.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.