X-Type Five-Level Current Source Inverter
Zijian Wang, Qiang Wei
Abstract
Current source inverters (CSIs) feature superior features such as low dv/dt, reliable short circuit protection, etc. Among the CSI-based topologies, the five-level CSIs are attracting attention in multiple applications thanks to their superior harmonic performance. However, existing five-level CSI topologies suffer a couple of issues, for example, the current imbalance issue which requires complicated balancing controls. In this article, an X-type five-level CSI is proposed. It features an inherent current balancing due to the process of charging the inductors in series. In addition, the proposed inverter has less switch count than the existing ones. An space vector modulation (SVM)-based modulation is proposed for the inverter. Detailed analysis and calculations regarding inverter gain, passive components, transient voltage analysis, and efficiency are provided. The performance of the converter is verified by both simulation and lab-scaled experiments.