Study and control of multilevel inverter topology with improved reliability and reduced number of components

Abstract

This article introduces a novel multilevel inverter design aimed at enhancing reliability and minimizing component count, thereby reducing maintenance costs for renewable energy systems. The suggested design uses six uni-directional swaps and one bidirectional swaps to produce voltage levels of 7, 11, and 19 in symmetrical and asymmetrical arrangements. Notably, the creation of any required number of voltage levels, including both positive and negative levels, is made possible by this design flexibility. Comparative analyses, encompassing factors such as total switch count, switch driver count, and overall blocking voltage, highlight how effective the suggested structure is in reducing the number of components. Furthermore, reliability evaluations show that the suggested inverter arrangement performs better than its equivalents. The MATLAB/Simulink simulation results and experimental validations from a lab prototype verify the viability and efficiency of the suggested multilevel inverter (PMI) topology. Through its innovative design, this inverter promises enhanced system reliability while minimizing maintenance requirements, thus presenting a significant advancement in renewable energy integration.