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fully edited. Content may change prior to final publication. Citation information: DOI
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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS

Analysis and Comparison of Peak-to-Peak Current

Ripple in Two-Level and Multilevel PWM Inverters
Gabriele Grandi, Senior Member, IEEE, Jelena Loncarski, Student Member, IEEE,
Obrad Dordevic, Member, IEEE


Abstract—Three-phase multilevel inverters are used in many Generally, these modulation techniques can be classified in
medium- and high-power applications such as motor drives and two categories: carrier-based (CB) and space-vector (SV)
grid-connected systems. Despite numerous PWM techniques for modulation. It has been proved that phase disposition (PD)
multilevel inverters have been developed, the impact of these
modulation schemes on the peak-to-peak output current ripple
carrier-based modulation and nearest three vectors (NTV)
amplitude has not been addressed yet. In this paper the analysis space vector modulation for 2L and ML inverters can be
and the comparison of current ripple for two- and three-level equivalent [4], [9]-[12]. In particular, PD CB-PWM leads to
voltage source inverters are given. Reference is made to optimal the same output voltages as the SV-PWM if a proper common-
and popular modulation, so-called centered PWM, easily obtained mode voltage is injected into the modulating signals. On the
by both carrier-based modulation (phase disposition, with proper other hand, CB-PWM can be equivalently realized by NTV
common-mode voltage injection) and space vector modulation
(nearest three vectors). It is shown that the peak-to-peak current SV-PWM through a proper sharing of dwell times among the
ripple amplitude in three-level inverters can be determined on the redundant switching states. Specifically, the nearly-optimal
basis of the ripple in two-level inverters, obtaining the same re- modulation so-called centered PWM (CPWM) is obtained by
sults as by directly analyzing the output voltage waveforms of the sharing dwell times among the redundant switching states,
three-level inverters. This procedure can be readily extended to offering reduced harmonic distortion in output currents [4],
higher level numbers. The proposed analytical developments are
[9]-[13].
verified by both numerical simulations and experimental tests.
The impact and the comparison of CPWM schemes on the
Index Terms—Multilevel inverters; three-level inverter; peak-to-peak output current ripple amplitude in 2L and ML in-
output current ripple; carrier-based PWM; space vector PWM. verters has not been addressed yet. In [14] the current ripple
trajectory in  coordinates for the case of dual-inverter-fed
I. INTRODUCTION open-end winding load configuration, operating as a 3L in-
verter is shown. However, emphasis was made to current rip-
T HREE-PHASE two-level (2L) inverters are widely utilized
in ac motor drives and in general for grid-connected appli-
cations. In last decades, multilevel (ML) inverters became
ple RMS rather than to the instantaneous ripple. The evalua-
tion of peak-to-peak current ripple for 2L three-phase PWM
more and more popular, due to improved output voltage wave- inverters was first introduced in [15]. A similar procedure has
forms and increased power ratings. In particular, the ML been proposed in [16], with additional developments and in-
structure is capable of reaching high output voltage amplitudes sights but without experimental verifications. The same analy-
by using standard power switches with limited voltage ratings. sis has been extended to multiphase inverters in [17]-[20].
Simple and reliable implementations of ML inverters are In general, for both 2L and ML inverters, the peak-to-peak
the cascaded connection of single-phase inverters (H-bridge) current ripple distribution is useful to determine multiple zero-
and the neutral point clamped (NPC) configuration. Among crossing intervals of the output current and the corresponding
ML inverters, three-level (3L) are a viable solution for many dead-time output voltage distortion [21]. Furthermore, the
high-power applications, both grid-connected and motor-load. knowledge of current ripple amplitude can be used to compare
Since the performance of an inverter mainly depends on its PWM and hysteresis current controllers [22]-[24] and to de-
modulation strategy, many PWM techniques have been devel- fine variable switching frequency PWM techniques [25].
oped in last decades for 2L and ML inverters [1]-[13]. This paper gives the evaluation and the comparison of the
output current ripple amplitude in 2L and ML inverters. It is
shown that the peak-to-peak current ripple amplitude in 3L and
Manuscript received April 12, 2014; revised April 21, 2014 and July 17,
2014; accepted September 20, 2014.
ML inverters can be obtained on the basis of the ripple evalua-
Copyright © 2014 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. tion in 2L inverters (which has been already addressed in the
However, permission to use this material for any other purposes must be literature), by introducing the known concept of pivot voltage
obtained from the IEEE by sending a request to [email protected].
vector in 3L and ML case instead of null voltage vector in 2L
Gabriele Grandi is with Department of Electrical, Electronic, and
Information Engineering, University of Bologna, Italy (phone: +39-051-20- case [26]. It is also shown that the results obtained with this
93571; fax: +39-051-20-93588; e-mail: gabriele.grandi@ unibo.it). method are the same compared with the results obtained di-
Jelena Loncarski is with Department of Engineering Sciences, Ångström rectly by analyzing the output voltage waveforms of the 3L in-
Laboratory, Uppsala University, Sweden (e-mail:
[email protected]). verter. The peak-to-peak ripple amplitude is introduced as a
Obrad Dordevic is with School of Engineering, Liverpool John Moores function of the modulation index over a fundamental period,
University, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK (e-mail: considering centered PWM switching patterns obtained either
[email protected]).

0278-0046 (c) 2013 IEEE. Personal use is permitted, but republication/redistribution requires IEEE permission. See
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This article has been accepted for publication in a future issue of this journal, but has not been fully edited. Content may change prior to final publication. Citation information: DOI
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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS 2

by CB- or SV-PWM techniques [11]-[13]. The instantaneous TABLE I

SWITCH CONFIGURATION DUTY CYCLES FOR 2L AND 3L INVERTERS
current ripple is determined for a generic balanced three-phase
load consisting of series RL impedance and ac back emf (RLE- 2L inverter
load), representing both motor-load and grid-connected appli- 1 2 0
cations. The ripple analysis is verified by both numerical
simulations and experimental tests in case of both 2L and 3L I
3
2

u  1 / 3 u  3 u
3

1  u  1 / 3 u
2


inverters, for different modulation indexes in the linear modu-
lation range. II
3
2

u  1 / 3 u
3
2
(1/ 3 u  u ) 1 3 u

II. SPACE VECTOR ANALYSIS AND PWM EQUATIONS 3L inverter

The use of space vectors in the analysis of 2L and ML 1 2 p
three-phase inverters is introduced here since it leads to better
understanding and more simple calculation of voltage levels
I-3b
3
2

u  1 / 3 u  3 u  1 2
3
2
u  1 / 3 u 
and corresponding application times. The switching states of II-3a
3
2

u  1 / 3 u  1  3
2

1 / 3 u  u  2  3 u 
the k-th inverter phase can be denoted as Sk = [0, 1] for 2L in-
verter, and Sk = [-1, 0, 1], i.e. {0 for 3L inverter. Further
coefficients can be introduced for higher level numbers [7]-[8].
In this way, the output voltage vector v of 2L and ML inverter vectors (magnitude 2/3 Vdc) in case of 3L inverters (vp, enlarged
can be expressed by red dots in Fig. 1). This modulation principle can be extended

 
to any ML inverter by a proper identification of NTV [7]-[8].
2
v  Vdc S1  S 2   S3 2 (1) The working domain of each pivot vector is the sub-hexa-
3
gon centered on it. In the case of 3L inverter it is restricted to a
being Vdc the dc supply voltage and  = exp(j2/3).
diamond-shaped region (pivot sector, pink colored area in Fig.
Fig. 1 shows the output voltage space vectors correspond-
1 for vp1), due to the overlaps between sub-hexagons.
ing to all possible switch configurations in 2L and 3L inverters
For sinusoidal balanced output voltages, the reference out-
(Figs. 1a and 1b, respectively). For both inverters the space
vector diagram appears to be a hexagon divided into six main put voltage vector is v* = V* exp(j), being V* = m Vdc, t.
triangles, sectors I–VI. Note that by supplying each multilevel Note that the limits of modulation index m are 0  m  1/3
cell of the 3L inverter with the same dc voltage of the 2L in- for 2L inverter and 0  m  2/3 for 3L inverter. The analysis
verter, the resulting hexagon size is doubled, corresponding to can be restricted to the first quadrant in the considered case of
double output voltage capability for the 3L inverter. quarter-wave symmetric SV modulation.
In addition to the redundant states corresponding to the null The SV modulation of 3L and ML inverter can be traced
vector, there are six further redundant states corresponding to back to the one of 2L inverter by considering the reference
vertexes of inner hexagon, called pivot (or base) states in 3L voltage v* as the combination of pivot voltage vp and residual
inverter [26]. SV-PWM scheme uses the NTV algorithm to ap- 2L reference voltage v2L, for each pivot sector (Fig. 1c).
proximate the reference output voltage vector. In the case of Application times tk of NTV are defined by duty-cycles1,
continuous modulation strategies, the switching sequence starts 2, and 0 i.e. p, for 2L i.e. 3L inverters, and switching period
from one pivot state, goes to the other switching states, and Ts, being k = tk/(Ts/2). Duty-cycles for the 1st quadrant of 2L
comes back to the first. Beginning and ending states of this inverter and corresponding quadrant of pivot vector vp1 for 3L
traverse correspond to the same pivot (base) vector, that is the inverter (Fig. 2) are given in Table I. Normalized reference
null vector in case of 2L inverters, and one of the six small voltages uand u used in Table I are defined as:

010 110   

II
II-3a
v III I-3b
II-2a
v *    v* 
II   I-2b
II-1a
I vp I-1b
III

I-2a

v 100    I-1a


111  I-3a 
 v' v2L
000 1V IV   
011
3 dc
2V
3 dc 4V v*
IV
VI 3 dc  I-3b
vp1
   
V
 
VI
V

001 101  2  2  vp6 v'
V dc V dc
3 3

(a) (b) (c)

Fig. 1. Space vector diagrams of inverter output voltage: (a) 2L inverter, (b) 3L inverter and (c) details of one of the six main triangles and sub-triangle (I-3b).

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS 3

 v v Note that the current ripple calculated by (6) corresponds to

 u   m cos  , u    m sin  for 2L the difference between the instantaneous current and its funda-
 Vdc Vdc
 (2) mental component.
 u   v  m cos  , u   v  m sin  for 3L The peak-to-peak current ripple amplitude is defined as the
  V 
 dc Vdc range of (6) in the switching period
being  and  the indexes for real and imaginary components ~ ~ T
 
~ T
ipp  max i (t ) 0s  min i (t ) 0s .  
(7)
of v*, as represented in Figs. 1a and 1c. The calculation of the
duty-cycles could be easily extended to the other sectors for In terms of space vectors, the variables of the 1st phase are
2L, 3L and ML inverters [2], [7]-[8]. given by the projection of the corresponding space vectors on
In centered space vector PWM of 2L and ML inverters the the real axis. In particular, if the reference voltage is within the
application time of pivot vector (0 or p) is shared in equal modulation limits, i.e., the reference space vector v* lies within
parts for the two redundant pivot states. In this way, a nearly- the outer hexagon, the average output voltage is given by
optimal modulation, able to minimize the RMS of current rip-
ple, is obtained [4], [11]. Considering CB-PWM, an equivalent
 
v (Ts )  v*  Re v*  V *cos   Vdc m cos  . (8)

switching pattern can be achieved by injecting a proper com- The instantaneous output voltage of the 1st phase can be ex-
mon-mode signal to the reference voltage waveforms. In this pressed by switching states defined in (1), leading to
way, the resulting modulating signals are able to equally share  1 
v(t )  Vdc S1  ( S1  S 2  S3 ) . (9)
the application times of redundant states. While for 2L invert-  3 
ers a simple min/max injection can be used for centering [2], a The alternating voltage component for 2L and ML inverters
more complex common-mode signal has to be added to refer- can be determined by introducing (8) and (9) in (5):
ence voltages in case of ML inverters [9]-[12]. A simplified
 
v (t )  Vdc S1  S1 S 2 S3    mVdc cos  .
procedure to obtain the centered optimized modulating signals ~ 1
(10)
has been recently introduced in [13] for the 3L case.  3 
In this paper the ripple analysis is developed for centered
space vector modulation, implemented by carried-based PWM, In order to evaluate the current ripple for both 2L and 3L
being one of the most popular 2L and ML modulations. In inverters, only the three cases identified by the three different
particular, CB-PWM offers inherent simplicity, flexibility, re- colored areas in Fig. 2 can be separately considered. The re-
duced computational time, and easy implementation on indus- sults are readily extended to the whole hexagons by exploiting
trial DSPs, without the need of FPGA or any other additional the quarter-wave symmetry.
hardware. The analytical developments for ML inverters can be car-
ried out by considering the residual reference voltage v2L in-
III. PEAK-TO-PEAK CURRENT RIPPLE EVALUATION stead of the original reference voltage v*, for each pivot vector
Due to the symmetry among the three phases in the consid- vp, as emphasized by the pink colored regions in Fig. 1.
ered case of sinusoidal balanced currents, only the 1st phase is A. Evaluation for the two-level inverter
examined in the following analysis. The current ripple defini-
The ripple evaluation in the case of 2L inverter is summa-
tion introduced in [16] is recalled here for better understand-
rized here since it is the basis of the proposed analysis for ML
ing. The basic equation for a RLE circuit, representing both inverters. Considering 2L inverter, two different cases can be
motor-load and grid-connected systems, is distinguished in sector I: 0 ≤ m cos ≤ 1/3 and m cos ≥ 1/3,
di
v(t )  R i(t )  L  vg (t ) . (3) and one single case for the half of the sector II, corresponding
dt to the three colored areas in Fig. 2.
Averaging (3) and introducing the current variation ∆i = The sub-case 0 ≤ m cos ≤ 1/3, corresponding to the blue
i(Ts) – i(0) in the switching period Ts gives area of sector I in Fig. 2, is shown in diagram  of Fig. 3a. In
i  
v (Ts )  R i (Ts )  L  vg (Ts ) . (4)
Ts 3L inverter
The alternating voltage ~ v (t ) is defined as the difference 2L inverter
II-3a
between instantaneous and average voltage components as I-3b
II-2a
  
~
v (t )  v(t )  v (T ) . (5)
s
II  I-2b
The instantaneous current ripple can be calculated by sub- II-1a
stituting (3) and (4) in (5), and integrating I-1b I-2a
I
 I-3a
~ t 1
t
 I-1a  
i (t )  i(t )  i   v~ (t )dt . (6)
Ts L0  1 1
Vdc 2
Vdc  2 1 4
Vdc Vdc Vdc
 3 3
3
3
Vdc
3
Vdc
3
This procedure is discussed with more details in [16]-[18]. Fig. 2. 2L and 3L inverters voltage diagrams in the 1 quadrant of  plane.
st

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS 4

particular, the current ripple and its peak-to-peak value are de- Substituting in (16) the expression of 0 and 2 given in Ta-
picted, together with the instantaneous output voltage v(t). In ble I for sector II, the normalized current ripple becomes
~
this case, ipp can be evaluated by (6), (7) and (10), considering
either switch configuration {111} or {000}, and the corre- 
 1
r (m,)  u 1  3u  3


1
u  u  u   . (17)
sponding application time t0/2, i.e., duty-cycle 0/2, according  3  3
to Fig. 3a. Normalizing by (2) gives The analysis can be easily extended to all the other sectors
ipp  dc s m cos   0   dc s u  0  .
~ V T V T of the 2L hexagon by exploiting the quarter-wave symmetry.
(11)
2L 2L B. Evaluation for the three-level inverter
Peak-to-peak current ripple can also be expressed as Two different ways to analyze the current ripple in 3L in-
~ V T verter are presented in this sub-section. The first is based on
ipp  dc s r (m, ) , (12) the results of the 2L case introduced in the previous sub-sec-
2L
tion, resulting in a simpler and more general analysis. The al-
being r(m,) the normalized peak-to-peak current ripple am-
ternative method is based on the direct analysis of 3L voltage
plitude. Introducing in (11) the expression of 0 given in Table
waveforms, leading to more involved calculations and used
I, the normalized current ripple becomes
here just to verify the results in the considered cases.
 3 1  The ripple analysis in case of more than two levels can be
r (m,)  u 1   u  u  . (13) carried out by taking into account that in each pivot sector the
 2  3 
role of the pivot vector is similar to the role of the null vector
The sub-case 1/3 ≤ m cos ≤ 1/3, corresponding to the in 2L inverter, according to the pink areas emphasized in Fig.
green area of sector I in Fig. 2, is depicted in diagram  of 1 in case of 3L inverter. Considering the vector composition
~
Fig. 3a. In this case ipp can be evaluated considering both the represented in Fig. 1c, the normalized reference voltages of 3L
switch configurations {111} and {110} with the corresponding inverter can be written as
duty-cycles 0/2 and 2. Normalizing by (2) gives u  u  1/ 3 , u  u  1/ 3 , (18)
~ V T   1 
ipp  dc s u  0  2  u    2  . (14) where u and u are the normalized reference voltages corre-
2L   3  sponding to the 2L inverter. From (18) the expressions of the
2L reference voltages can be derived as
Introducing in (14) the expression of 0 and 2 given in Ta-
ble I, the normalized current ripple becomes u  u  1/ 3 , u  u  1/ 3 . (19)
 3 1   1 The sub-case m cos≤ 2/3, related to the blue area of tri-
r (m,)  u 1   u  u   2 3 u  u   . (15) angle I-3b in Fig. 2, corresponds to the blue area of sector I in
 2  3   3 ~
2L inverter. ipp can be evaluated introducing (19) in the
The only sub-case of the half of sector II, corresponding to expression obtained for 2L inverter (11), leading to
the yellow area in Fig. 2, is depicted in Fig. 3a (right-hand
~ ~ V T  1 
side). In this case, ipp can be evaluated considering both the ipp  dc s u    0  , (20)
switch configurations {000} and {010} with the corresponding 2 L  3 
duty-cycles 0/2 and 2. Normalizing by (2) gives
where δ0 can be obtained by introducing (19) in the expression
~ V T   1  of duty-cycle of 2L inverter given in Table I. The normalized
ipp  dc s u  0  2  u    2  . (16) current ripple for 3L inverter becomes
2L   3 

v(t )
2V mVdc cos v(t ) mVdc cos
3 dc v(t ) v(t )
 mVdc cos Vdc  mVdc cos
2V 2V
1V
3 dc

1
V
3 dc
3 dc  3 dc
1V 1V
3 dc 3 dc
        000 010 110 111 111 110 010 000        
       
t t t
t0/2 t1 t2 t0/2 t tp/2 t1 t2 tp/2 tp/2 t2 t1 tp/2
 1
3
Vd c
~ TS/2 TS/2
i (t ) t0/2 t2 t1 t0/2 ~ TS/2
~ i (t )
~  i (t ) ~ ~
ipp TS/2 ipp  ipp
~
t i (t ) t t
~ ~
i (t ) ipp
~ ~ ~
ipp  i (t ) ipp 
t
t t

(a) (b)
Fig. 3. Output voltage and current ripple in one switching period (a) for 2L inverter, sectors I and II, and (b) for 3L inverter, triangles I-3b and II-3a.

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1   3  1 1  1   area of triangle I-3b in Fig. 2, is depicted in diagram  of Fig.


r m ,   u   1   u     u     ~
3b. In this case ipp can be evaluated considering the switch
 3   2   3 3 3   configurations {0} and {} and the corresponding
(22)
1 3  duty-cycles p/2 and 2, leading to
 1
  u   2   u  u 
 3   2 3  ~ V T  1  2 
ipp  dc s  m cos     p  2 m cos     2 . (27)
An alternative method to derive the peak-to-peak ripple 2L  3  3 
amplitude for 3L inverter is to analyze the output voltage After introducing the expressions for p and 2 given in Ta-
waveforms, as done for 2L inverter. The considered sub-case ble I for 3L inverter and normalization, current ripple becomes
corresponding to the blue area of triangle I-3b in Fig. 2 is de-
~
picted in diagram  of Fig. 3b. In this case, ipp can be evalu-  1  3  1   2
r (m,)  u  2  u  u  2 u  ( 3u  1). (28)
ated by (6), (7), and (10), considering the switch configuration  3  2  3   3
{0} or {00}, according to Fig. 3b, with the correspond-
Comparing (28) with the expression (26) obtained with the
ing duty-cycle p/2, leading to
analysis based on 2L inverter, the matching is verified.
~ V T  1   V T  1  The sub-case related to the yellow area of the half triangle
ipp  dc s  m cos    p   dc s  u   p  . (23) II-3a in Fig. 2 corresponds to the yellow area of the half of
2 L  3  2 L  3  ~
sector II in 2L inverter. In this case ipp can be evaluated by
After introducing the expression for p given in Table I for substituting (19) in the expression obtained for 2L inverter
3L inverter and normalization, the current ripple becomes (16), leading to
V T   1  1  1  
 1  3 1  ~
ipp  dc s  u    0  2  u      2  , (29)
r (m,)   u  2   u  u  . (24) 2L  3  3 
 3  2 3   3  
where δ0 and δ2 can be obtained by introducing (19) in the ex-
Comparing (24) with the expression (22) obtained with the
pressions of duty-cycles of 2L inverter given in Table I. The
analysis based on the 2L inverter, the matching is verified.
normalized current ripple for 3L inverter becomes
The sub-case m cos 2/3, related to the green area of tri-
angle I-3b in Fig. 2, corresponds to the green area of sector I
in 2L inverter. Starting from the expression derived for the 2L
 1

r m,   u   2  3u  3u 
 3

 1 
u  u  . (30)
 3 
inverter (14), and introducing (19), the peak-to-peak current
As in the previous cases, peak-to-peak ripple amplitude can
ripple can be written as
also be obtained by directly analyzing the output voltage
~ V T   1  1  1   waveforms. The considered sub-case is depicted Fig. 3b (right-
ipp  dc s  u    0  2 u      2  . (25) ~
hand side). In this case ipp can be evaluated considering the
2L   3  3  3   switch configurations {0} and {0} and the corre-
where δ0 and δ2 are the duty-cycles of 3L inverter obtained by sponding duty-cycles p/2 and 2, leading to
substituting (19) in the expressions of duty-cycles of 2L in-
verter given in Table I. The normalized current ripple for 3L ~ V T  1 
inverter becomes ipp  dc s  m cos     p  2m cos   2  . (31)
2L  3  


1  3 
r m,   u  2  u 

1   2

u   2 u   3u  1 .(26)
3   3
 After introducing the expressions of p and 2 given in Ta-
3 2  ble I for 3L inverter and normalization, current ripple becomes
As in the previous case, peak-to-peak ripple amplitude can
also be obtained by directly analyzing the output voltage
 1
  1
r (m,)   u   2  3u  3u 
 3

u  u  . (32)
waveforms. The considered sub-case, representing the green  3 

r r r
2L

2L

2L
3L 3L

3L

  
m = 1/3 m = 2/3 m=1
Fig. 4. Normalized peak-to-peak current ripple amplitude r(m,) for 2L and 3L inverters in the range  = [0, 90°] for different modulation indexes.

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ravg available voltage vectors in the case of 3L inverter, exploited

2L (2Vdc)
by applying the NTV modulation. The discontinuity noticed in
the current ripple envelope of 3L inverter for  = 30° is intro-
duced by the pivot vector change, i.e. six times in the funda-
2L (Vdc) 3L (Vdc) mental period. This discontinuity is easily recognizable in the
modulating signals of centered carried-based PWM in the case
of 3L inverters [11]-[13], whereas the modulating signals are
continuous in the 2L case. Note that there is not discontinuity
at = ± 90° for the sake of the symmetry. A better view of this
m discontinuity from the point of view of space vectors is shown
Fig. 5. Average normalized current ripple vs. modulation index. in the following colored map of current ripple.
In Fig. 5 the average of normalized current ripple, ravg, is
Comparing (32) with the expression (30) obtained with the shown as a function of the modulation index to summarize the
analysis based on 2L inverter, the matching is verified. current ripple amplitude in the whole fundamental period.
The analysis can be easily extended to the entire considered Three different cases are considered: 2L inverter supplied by
pivot sector and to all the other pivot sectors of 3L inverter by
Vdc and 2Vdc, and 3L inverter supplied by Vdc. It can be noticed
exploiting the quarter-wave symmetry (corresponding colored
that 2L inverter supplied with 2Vdc has almost the double of
areas in Fig. 2). Moreover, by exploiting the algorithm pro-
the average normalized ripple compared to 3L inverter, except
posed here, i.e. the calculation of the ripple for 3L inverters on
the basis of the ripple in 2L inverters, the analysis can be eas- for low modulation indexes, i.e. less than 0.4. The 2L inverter
ily extended to the general case of ML inverters. This is in supplied with Vdc shows a lower ripple than 3L inverter for m <
contrast to extension of the direct method which is leading to 1/3, whereas for m > 1/3 up to the modulation limit of the 2L
more involved calculations. inverter (1/3), the ripple is lower for 3L inverter. The lower
ripple in case of the 2L inverter for low modulation indexes
C. Ripple comparison between 2L and 3L inverter (inner hexagon) can be explained with reference to the consid-
In order to show and compare the behavior of the peak-to- ered CB modulation. Namely, for 3L inverters the centered
peak current ripple amplitude in the fundamental period, the SV-PWM shares the pivot states into two equal parts and of-
same output voltage range for 2L and 3L inverters should be fers reduced harmonic distortion in the output currents. How-
considered. For this reason, the 2L inverter is supplied by ever, it is not the most optimal modulation within the inner
double dc voltage, 2Vdc, i.e., all the derived ripple expressions hexagon (corresponding to the hexagon in 2L inverter), since
are multiplied by 2, whereas each cell of the 3L inverter is the used pivot vectors are not the zero vector. The centered
supplied by Vdc. With this assumption, the modulation index is SV-PWM modulation in 2L inverter, which uses the zero vec-
0  m  2/3 for both 2L and 3L inverters. tor as pivot vector is known to be the most optimal in this case.
Fig. 5 also shows that ravg has a reduced excursion in the
In Fig. 4 the normalized function r(m,) defined by (12) for
m = 1/3, 2/3, and 1, is shown in case of 2L and 3L inverters. case of 3L inverter, oscillating between 0.075 and 0.15 for m =
As expected, the ripple in 3L inverter is lower than the ripple [0.1, 1], whereas it is a monotonic increasing function of m
of 2L inverter almost for the whole phase angle range. In the ranging in a wider range in the case of 2L inverter. The aver-
same figure, the maximum normalized current ripple (rmax) is age current ripple amplitude can be also used to compare the
emphasized with dots. It is noted that rmax has a reduced varia- performance of 2L and 3L PWM inverters with current hyste-
bility with m, almost close to the value 0.2 (dashed line) in resis controlled inverters, having a current ripple amplitude
case of 3L inverter, whereas rmax is increasing almost propor- almost constant.
tionally with m in the case of 2L inverter [16]. This is due to Fig. 6 shows the colored maps of r(m,) in the 1st quadrant
the lower distance between the reference vector v* and the within the modulation limits for 2L and 3L inverters. The dis-
2L inverter 3L inverter
1.20
0.60
1.00 1.00
0.50
0.10 u u
0.80 0.80
0.40 0.6-0.7 0.3-0.35

0.5-0.6 0.25-0.3
0.30 0.60 0.60
0.20 0.2-0.25
0.4-0.5
0.20 0.30 0.40 0.3-0.4 0.40 0.15-0.2

0.2-0.3 0.1-0.15
0.10 0.05-0.1
0.20 0.1-0.2 0.20

0-0.1 0-0.05
0.10 0.20 0.30 0.30 0.20 0.10
0.00 0.00
0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00 1.20 0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00 1.20
u u
Fig. 6. Maps of the normalized peak-to-peak current ripple amplitude r(m,) for 2L inverter (supplied by 2Vdc) and 3L inverter (supplied by Vdc).

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2L inverter 3L inverter (NPC) within the same NTV, i.e. the same available voltage levels, a
pivot change causes a different current ripple.
For both 2L and 3L inverters can be noted that ripple am-
plitude is going to zero in the surroundings of each output
voltage vector, since the reference vector is almost perfectly
synthesized and the alternating voltage (5) goes to zero. Even
though in Fig. 6 are kept the same colors for both ripple maps,
the color scale for 2L inverter is the double than for 3L in-
verter. The 1st quadrant ripple map of 2L inverter is empha-
sized with bold lines in ripple map of 3L inverter, for each
pivot vector.
IM
Fig. 7. Experimental setups of 2L and 3L inverters.
IV. RESULTS
continuity of the ripple across the border of pivot sectors (red In order to verify the analytical developments proposed in
line) in 3L inverter is now well observed, due to the pivot the previous sections, numerical simulations and correspond-
vector change. Namely, the red line divides the two pivot sec- ing experimental tests are carried out. Circuit simulations are
tors (one of pivot vector vp1, and another of vp6). In the case of performed by Sim-PowerSystems of Matlab considering both
sub-triangles I-1a and I-2a, the pivot vector applied is vp6, 2L and 3L inverters with ideal switches, i.e., no dead-time was
while in the case of the sub-triangles I-1b and I-2b the pivot implemented in order to match perfectly the theoretical devel-
vector is vp1. Note that the pivot vector determines the se- opments. Experimental tests are carried out by custom-made
quence of applied voltage levels. As a consequence, also converters. In particular, the 2L inverter is implemented by In-

2L (a) 3L 2L (b) 3L
Fig. 8. Simulation (colored, top) and experimental (gray, bottom) results for 2L and 3L inverters, m = 1/3:
(a) current ripple with calculated peak-to-peak amplitude, (b) instantaneous output current with calculated current envelopes.

2L (a) 3L 2L (b) 3L
Fig. 9. Simulation (colored, top) and experimental (gray, bottom) results for 2L and 3L inverters, m = 2/3:
(a) current ripple with calculated peak-to-peak amplitude, (b) instantaneous output current with calculated current envelopes.

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2L (a) 3L 2L (b) 3L
Fig. 10. Simulation (colored, top) and experimental (gray, bottom) results for 2L and 3L inverters, m = 1:
(a) current ripple with calculated peak-to-peak amplitude, (b) instantaneous output current with calculated current envelopes.

fineon FS50R12KE3 IGBT pack, and the 3L inverter (NPC

type) is implemented by Semikron SKM50GB12T4 IGBT
modules, with Semikron SKKD 46/12 clamping diodes. The
dSpace ds1006 hardware has been employed for the real-time
implementation of algorithms. The experimental setups of 2L
and 3L inverters are shown in Fig. 7.
In order to compare 2L and 3L inverters with the same out-
put voltage capabilities, 600 V total dc voltage supply (2Vdc)
was provided from Sorensen SGI 600/25 for both inverters.
With this assumption, analytical developments are carried out Fig. 11. Simulation results for 2L inverter, m = 1, accounting for dead-time
with Vdc = 300 V and 0  m  2/3 for both 2L and 3L invert- and considering a slightly higher load inductance (+15%), (see Fig.10(a)).
ers.
As in the previous sections, the 1st phase is selected for
Switching frequency was set to 2.1 kHz and a dead-time of
further analysis and different values of m are investigated to
6 s (not compensated) was implemented in the hardware.
cover the different sub-cases in the whole linear modulation
Fundamental frequency was kept at 50 Hz for easier compari-
index range.
son with analytical developments. The nearly-optimal centered
Figs. 8, 9, and 10 show simulation and corresponding ex-
carrier-based PWM is implemented leading to equally share
perimental results for m = 1/3, 2/3, and 1, respectively. In par-
the application times of pivot vectors.
ticular, for all figures, the upper diagrams show the simulation
For both 2L and 3L inverters the load was a three-phase in-
results (pink traces) and the calculated ripple envelopes (blue
duction motor (mechanically unloaded) having the following
traces). The bottom diagrams show the corresponding experi-
stator-referred parameters: stator resistance Rs = 2.4 , rotor
mental results (gray traces). Left and right diagrams are corre-
resistance Rr' = 1.6 , stator leakage inductance Lls = 12 mH,
sponding to 2L and 3L inverters with the same y-axis range for
rotor leakage inductance Llr' = 12 mH, magnetizing inductance
easier comparison. In Figs. 8a, 9a, and 10a the current ripple
Lm = 300 mH, 2 pole pairs. According to the model of induc-
evaluated by (33) is depicted, whereas in Figs. 8b, 9b, and 10b
tion motor for higher order harmonics, which are determining
the phase current is shown.
the current ripple, the estimated total equivalent inductance L
It can be noticed that simulation results perfectly match the
= Lls + Llr' = 24 mH is considered for the ripple evaluation.
calculated envelopes, for all the considered cases. Experimen-
Tektronix oscilloscope MSO2014 with current probe TCP
tal results are also in a good agreement with the analytical de-
0030 was used for measurements, and the built-in noise filter
velopments, just a slightly lower current ripple can be ob-
(cut-off frequency fc = 600 kHz) was applied. A further low-
served. This small mismatch is more emphasized in the 2L
pass filter (fc = 25 kHz) was applied in post-processing of the
case, for high modulation indexes. It has been verified that the
experimental data to better clean the waveforms from the
main origin of the observed lower value lies in the inverter
switching noise. The instantaneous current ripple is calculated
dead-time, being not compensated in the experimental imple-
as the difference between instantaneous and fundamental cur-
mentation but not considered in both simulations and analyti-
rent components, according to (6)
cal developments. Furthermore, the load (motor) inductance
~
i (t )  i(t )  i fund (t ) . (33) has been probably slightly underestimated. In order to prove
these considerations, additional simulations have been carried

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS 9

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This article has been accepted for publication in a future issue of this journal, but has not been fully edited. Content may change prior to final publication. Citation information: DOI
10.1109/TIE.2014.2363624, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS 10

Gabriele Grandi (M’00–SM’13) received the

M.Sc. (cum laude) and the Ph.D. degrees in
Electrical Engineering from University of
Bologna, Italy, in 1990 and 1994, respectively.
He joined the Department of Electrical
Engineering, University of Bologna, since 1995
as Research Associate and since 2005 as
Associate Professor. In 2013 was qualified as full
professor of Electrical Engineering. He has pub-
lished more than 120 papers on conference pro-
ceedings and international journals. His main
research interests are focused on power electronic circuits and photovoltaics.

Jelena Loncarski (S’11) received the Dipl. Ing.

and M.Sc. degrees from the Faculty of Electrical
Engineering, University of Belgrade, Serbia, in
2007 and 2010, respectively. She joined the Dept.
of Electrical Engineering, University of Bologna,
in January 2011 as a PhD student. Dr Loncarski
received her PhD degree in March 2014. In April
2014 she joined the Department of Engineering
Sciences, Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala
University as a Post Doc. Her main research
interests are focused on power electronic circuits
and power electronic converters for renewable energy sources.

Obrad Dordevic (S’11, M’13) received his Dipl.

Ing. Degree in Electronic Engineering from the
University of Belgrade, Serbia, in 2008. He
joined Liverpool John Moores University in
December 2009 as a PhD student. Dr Dordevic
received his PhD degree in April 2013 and is now
a Lecturer at the Liverpool John Moores Uni-
versity. His main research interests are in the
areas of power electronics, electrostatic pre-
cipitators, and advanced variable speed drives.

0278-0046 (c) 2013 IEEE. Personal use is permitted, but republication/redistribution requires IEEE permission. See
http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/rights/index.html for more information.