1. Feedforward loss control of three-level active NPC converters
- Author
-
Bruckner, Thomas, Bernet, Steffen, and Steimer, Peter K.
- Subjects
Electric current converters -- Design and construction ,Feedforward control systems -- Design and construction ,Voltage -- Measurement ,Electric current converter ,Business ,Computers ,Electronics ,Electronics and electrical industries - Abstract
The three-level neutral-point-clamped voltage-source converter (NPC VSC) is widely used in high-power medium-voltage (MV) applications. To overcome its major drawback--the unequal loss distribution among the semiconductors-the use of active NPC (ANPC) switches was previously proposed. In this paper, a simple feedforward loss-control scheme for the ANPC converter is presented. The principle of operation of the ANPC VSC is experimentally verified for the first time. Electrical measurements on a low-voltage test bench prove the proper function of the ANPC converter. Infrared junction temperature measurements confirm the improved loss distribution using the new loss-control scheme. Finally, the authors demonstrate the superior performance of the loss-controlled ANPC converter in various MV applications. Index Terms--Medium-voltage (MV) converters, multilevel converters.
- Published
- 2007