Multilevel Converters

Discover the deep insights into the operation, modulation, and control strategies of multilevel converters, alongside their recent applications in variable speed drives, renewable energy generation, and power systems.

Multilevel converters have gained attention in recent years for medium/high voltage and high power industrial and residential applications. The main advantages of multilevel converters over two level converters include less voltage stress on power semiconductors, low dv/dt, low common voltage, reduced electromagnetic interference, and low total harmonics distortion, among others. Better output power quality is ensured by increasing the number of levels in the synthesized output voltage waveform. Several multilevel topologies have been reported in the literature, such as neutral point clamped (NPC), flying capacitor (FC), cascaded H-bridge (CHB), hybrid cascaded H-bridge, asymmetrical cascaded H-bridge, modular multilevel converters (MMC), active neutral point clamped converters (ANPC), and packed U-cell type converters and various reduced device counts and a reduced number of source-based topologies have been proposed in literature.

The multilevel converter, although a proven and enabling technology, still presents numerous challenges in topologies, modulation, and control, as well as in need-based applications. Since multilevel converters offer a wide range of possibilities, research and development in the areas of multilevel converter topologies, modulation, and control in various applications are still growing. To further improve multilevel converter energy efficiency, reliability, power density, and cost, many research groups across the world are working to broaden the application areas of multilevel converters and make them more attractive and competitive compared to classic topologies.

Multilevel Converters intends to provide deep insight about multilevel converter operation, modulation, and control strategies and various recent applications of multilevel converters such as in variable speed drives, renewable energy generation, and power systems.