Level-Shift PWM Control of a Single-Phase Full H-Bridge Inverter for Grid Interconnection, Applied to Ocean Current Power Generation

Abstract

A small prototype of a 5-level single-phase full H-bridge inverter for ocean current applications is presented. The inverter was designed applying level-shift control in pulse-width modulation (LS-PWM), and experimental tests were conducted using a variety of modulation subschemes, including in-phase disposition (IPD), alternate-phase opposition–disposition (APOD), and phase opposition–disposition (POD). The test results were examined for harmonic content and voltage total harmonic distortion (THDV). The results suggest that the inverter presents a viable solution with significant potential for the development of a larger three-phase inverter model that can be used to connect ocean current power sources to the electrical grid.

Keywords

• ocean current energy
• marine generation system
• PWM modulation
• multilevel inverter
• harmonic content
• power quality