Experimental comparison of carrier and space vector PWM control methods for three-phase NPC converters

Abstract

Multilevel converters are powerful converters in the medium-voltage high-power range. Inside this family of converters, the three-level neutral point clamped converter has its own importance. The main control methods associated with this converter are the carrier-based PWM with added DC components and the space vector PWM. Two of the most important features of the NPC converter are the neutral point balance and the output voltage spectrum. Both control methods efficiently manage the two characteristics. This paper experimentally compares these two issues and shows that the two methods produce almost the same results; the choice between one and the other should be made according to other requirements.