A Novel Single Source Bridgeless Nine-Level Switched-Capacitor-Based Quadruple Boost Inverter With Reduced Voltage Stress

Abstract

The attractiveness of switched capacitor multilevel inverters (SCMLIs) stems from their ability to operate without transformers, providing voltage-boosting capabilities, inherent capacitors’ voltage balancing ability, and reduced electromagnetic interference. Recent developments in SCMLI structures make it a compelling choice among various converters for diverse applications. The evolution of these topologies is primarily influenced by factors such as the number of output voltage levels, overall voltage gain, and the simultaneous reduction of component counts and stresses on devices. To address these issues further, a novel bridgeless common neutral switched capacitor multilevel inverter has been proposed in this article. The maximum voltage stress on the devices is just half of the peak output voltage, and the total standing voltage is also lower in this inverter. It has quadruple voltage gain and inherent voltage balancing of the switched capacitors. Additionally, it can operate under various loads and modulation indexes. Moreover, the proposed inverter’s leakage current can be almost zero due to the presence of the common ground (CG) feature. The nearest level pulse width control technique has been implemented to operate the proposed inverter. Comparative analysis was carried out to show the advantages of the inverter. Further, a hardware prototype of the experimental setup has been developed, and results have been analyzed and discussed to strengthen the performance of the proposed inverter.

Keywords

• Common ground
• multilevel inverter (MLI)
• reduced leakage current
• switched capacitor
• voltage boost