TY - GEN
T1 - Discontinuous modulation of modular multilevel converters without the need for extra submodules
AU - Picas, R.
AU - Ceballos, S.
AU - Pou, J.
AU - Zaragoza, J.
AU - Konstantinou, G.
AU - Agelidis, V. G.
AU - Balcells, J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 IEEE.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - In this paper, a new approach to the discontinuous modulation technique for the operation of the modular multilevel converter (MMC) is presented. Discontinuous modulation is based on adding a zero-sequence to the original modulation signals so that each MMC arm is clamped to the upper or lower terminals of the dc-link bus during some intervals. In combination with a circulating current control, the original discontinuous modulation can reduce the capacitor voltage ripple amplitudes and the switching power losses. However, additional submodules (SMs) are required to control the circulating current. This new approach presents a clamping algorithm that eliminates the requirement of additional SMs. As a result, the conduction losses are reduced while the capacitor voltage ripples are maintained low. Simulation and experimental results on a silicon-carbide-based MMC are reported and compared against the original discontinuous modulation and a conventional carrier-based pulse-width modulation.
AB - In this paper, a new approach to the discontinuous modulation technique for the operation of the modular multilevel converter (MMC) is presented. Discontinuous modulation is based on adding a zero-sequence to the original modulation signals so that each MMC arm is clamped to the upper or lower terminals of the dc-link bus during some intervals. In combination with a circulating current control, the original discontinuous modulation can reduce the capacitor voltage ripple amplitudes and the switching power losses. However, additional submodules (SMs) are required to control the circulating current. This new approach presents a clamping algorithm that eliminates the requirement of additional SMs. As a result, the conduction losses are reduced while the capacitor voltage ripples are maintained low. Simulation and experimental results on a silicon-carbide-based MMC are reported and compared against the original discontinuous modulation and a conventional carrier-based pulse-width modulation.
KW - Capacitor voltage ripples
KW - discontinuous modulation
KW - efficiency improvement
KW - modular multilevel converter
KW - silicon carbide
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84973176463&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/IECON.2015.7392484
DO - 10.1109/IECON.2015.7392484
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84973176463
T3 - IECON 2015 - 41st Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society
SP - 2538
EP - 2543
BT - IECON 2015 - 41st Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society
PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
T2 - 41st Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, IECON 2015
Y2 - 9 November 2015 through 12 November 2015
ER -