A reduced-switch dual-bridge inverter topology for the mitigation of bearing currents, EMI, and DC-link voltage variations

Abstract

This paper presents a reduced-switch-count dual-bridge inverter approach for the mitigation of motor bearing currents and electromagnetic interference (EMI). The proposed inverter employs two four-switch inverters and is controlled to generate balanced excitation of dual-voltage-rating induction motors under pulsewidth modulated operation. The proposed approach eliminates the common-mode voltage and, thus, prevents the motors from premature bearing failures in addition to reducing the conducted EMI. Compared to the conventional four-switch inverters, the proposed inverter also eliminates the single-phase circulating current and voltage variations across the DC-link capacitors, which allows smaller capacitance to maintain the DC-bus voltage. Theoretical analysis as well as simulation and experimental results are presented to verify this concept.