Bilevel inverters are replaced by multilevel inverters due to their capability of producing quality output voltage with low total harmonic distortion (THD). On the contrary, increase in number of semiconductor switches has questioned the reliability of the multilevel inverter topologies. To enhance the reliability, this paper proposes a single-phase five-level inverter topology with inherent fault-tolerant feature. The proposed inverter can sustain faults in sources and semiconductor switches by amending the switching combinations. No healthy switch is needed to be bypassed during the fault to ensure the optimum utilization of the switches. An analysis on the basis of reliability, cost, and efficiency is carried out of the proposed inverter and compared with the existing topologies. To prove the claim, the experimental results of the developed hardware model is analyzed and compared with the simulation results of MATLAB/SIMULINK.
Multilevel inverter topologies have received an increasing importance for their modular structures with better integration of renewable energy sources and reduced filtering requirements. But reliability is compromised in the process of decreasing the number of switches to produce the maximum number of voltage levels. This paper elevates a single-phase fault-tolerant inverter topology, which is modular in structure. The proposed inverter is analyzed for open-or short-circuit faults in sources and open-circuit faults in switches. Sine Pulse Width Modulation with multicarriers technique is used to control the circuit. The carrier signals are reconfigured under fault conditions based on levels to be generated by bypassing the faulted switch or source. The circuit is simulated in MATLAB/SIMULINK, and experimental setup is developed to claim the fault tolerance of proposed inverter.
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