A carrier-based discontinuous PWM strategy of NPC three-level inverter for common-mode voltage and switching loss reduction

Abstract

For the conventional carrier-based pulse width modulation (CBPWM) strategies of neutral point clamped (NPC) three-level inverters, the higher common-mode voltage (CMV) is a major drawback. However, with CMV suppression strategies, the switching loss is relatively high. In order to solve the above issue, a carrier-based discontinuous PWM (DPWM) strategy for NPC three-level inverter is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the reference voltage is modified by the twice injection of zero-sequence voltage. Switching states of the three-phase are clamped alternatively to reduce both the CMV and the switching loss. Secondly, the carriers are also modified by the phase opposite disposition of the upper and lower carriers. The extra switching at the border of two adjacent regions in the space vector diagram is reduced. Meanwhile, a neutral-point voltage (NPV) control method is also presented. The duty cycle of the switching state that affects the NPV is adjusted to obtain the balance control of the NPV. Still, the switching sequence in each carrier period remains the same. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed DPWM strategy are tested on a rapid control prototype platform based on RT-Lab.