Analysis and Design of a Novel Six-Switch Five-Level Active Boost Neutral Point Clamped Inverter

TLDR

The article proposes a new boost‑type six‑switch five‑level active neutral‑point clamped inverter that uses a switched/flying‑capacitor technique with self‑voltage balancing. The design employs a switched/flying‑capacitor topology that balances voltages across the six switches to achieve the five‑level output. Experimental results show the topology cuts the dc‑link voltage requirement by 50 %, reduces component count and size while maintaining reactive power capability, and achieves about 97.5 % efficiency across a wide load range, making it suitable for applications such as rolling mills, fans, pumps, marine appliances, mining, traction, and grid‑connected renewable energy systems.

Abstract

This article presents an analysis and design of a new boost type six-switch five-level (5L) active neutral point clamped (ANPC) inverter based on switched/flying capacitor technique with self-voltage balancing. Compared to major conventional 5L inverter topologies, such as neutral point clamped, flying capacitor, cascaded H-bridge, and ANPC topologies, the new topology reduces the dc-link voltage requirement by 50%. Whilst reducing the dc-link voltage requirement, the number and the size of the active and passive components are also reduced without compromising the reactive power capability. The analysis shows that the proposed topology is suitable for wide range of power conversion applications (for example, rolling mills, fans, pumps, marine appliances, mining, tractions, and most prominently grid-connected renewable energy systems). Experimental results from a 1.2 kVA prototype justifies the concept of the proposed inverter with a conversion efficiency of around 97.5% ± 1% for a wide load range.