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Multilevel converters -- A new breed of power converters

Journal Article · · IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications
OSTI ID:264202
 [1];  [2]
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States). Div. of Engineering Technology
  2. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Multilevel voltage source converters are emerging as a new breed of power converter options for high-power applications. The multilevel voltage source converters typically synthesize the staircase voltage wave from several levels of dc capacitor voltages. One of the major limitations of the multilevel converters is the voltage unbalance between different levels. The techniques to balance the voltage between different levels normally involve voltage clamping or capacitor charge control. There are several ways of implementing voltage balance in multilevel converters. Without considering the traditional magnetic coupled converters, this paper presents three recently developed multilevel voltage source converters: (1) diode-clamp, (2) flying-capacitors, and (3) cascaded-inverters with separate dc sources. The operating principle, features, constraints, and potential applications of these converters will be discussed.

DOE Contract Number:
AC05-96OR22464
OSTI ID:
264202
Report Number(s):
CONF-9510203--
Journal Information:
IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, Journal Name: IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 32; ISSN ITIACR; ISSN 0093-9994
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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