Introducing The Low Switching Frequency Space Vector Modulated Multi-
Modular Three-Level Converters For High Power Applications
Part I: Switching Strategies
M. Saeedifard A. R. Bakhshai
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Isfahan University of Technology
Isfahan, IRAN
mary-saeedifard@yahoo.com
alireza@cc.iut.ac.ir
Abstract-High power force-commutated series-
connected voltage source converters have recently found
applications in SVC and DC transmission station, high
power drive systems and reactive power compensation
units. Requirements for very high system efficiency, and
also relatively slow high power switching devices, GTO's,
impose low switching frequencies, typically a few hundred
HZ, modulation techniques. Multi-module power
converter structures have been proposed to establish a
reconciliation between low switching frequency and high
quality output voltage. Recently, the introduction of
multilevel converter concept, has added impetus to this
line of research and multi-module three level inverter
structures become feasible. Individual converter units in
multi-module converter can be switched either by PWM
or by single pulse switching techniques. Among all various
pulse width modulation strategies developed for multi-level
converters, space vector modulation, because of its flexibility to
optimize switching patterns, and to balance the dc side
capacitor voltages, stands out. Despite its advantages, no
proposal has been reported yet to demonstrate how SVM
can be employed in multi-modular multi-level high power
structures. This paper presents a novel low switching
frequency SVM in conjunction with a modified delayed
sampling principle for generating the switching patterns
of individual GTO-based three-level units of a multi-
module converter structure. Alternative switching
strategies are compared with respect to their impact on
output voltage spectrum, switching frequency and THD.
The validity of the proposed schemes has been verified by
simulation.
I. INTRODUCTION
High power force-commutated series-connected voltage
source converters have recently found applications in SVC
and DC transmission station, high power drive systems and
reactive power compensation units. Very high power
converters must be efficient, and generate high quality output
voltages with a very low THD. Requirements for very high
system efficiency, and also relatively slow high power
switching devices, GTO's, impose low switching frequencies,
0-7803-7754-0/03/$17.00 02003 IEEE 1639
P. Jain*
*Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Queen's University
Kingston, Ontario, CANADA
praveen.j ain@ece.queensu. ca
typically a few hundred HZ, modulation techniques [ 11. High
frequency switched conventional converter structures are
therefore unsuitable.
Multi-module power converter structures have been
proposed to establish a reconciliation between low switching
frequency and high quality output voltage [2]. Individual
modules are switched either by a single pulse [2], or by a low
switching frequency SPWM modulation technique [3][4].
The single pulse modulation strategy employs the lowest
possible switching frequency (1pu). However, this advantage
is obtained at the cost of control flexibility [2]. On other
hand, low switching frequency SPWM strategy increases the
control flexibility at the cost of increasing switching
frequencies [3]. Depends on the application, one of these two
strategies may be selected.
Recently, the introduction of multilevel converter concept
[ 5 ] , has added impetus to this line of research. Multilevel
converters improve output waveforms by increasing the
number of output levels. In addition, voltage rating of
multilevel converter will increase by adding more devices.
The use of single pulse and SPWM modulated multi-level
converters in multi module structures have already been
reported in literatures [6].
Among different PWM techniques, space vector
modulation (SVM)[7] has become the preferred method for
digital implementations in three phase converters. SVM
switching patterns are generated on a three-phase basis,
leading to lower switching frequency than carrier-based
technique (typically 2/3). Moreover, by using this technique
the linear operating range of the modulator is extended by
15% and therefore the inverter is better utilized. These
advantages make the SVM a better modulation technique
especially for high power multi-module converter structures.
A low switching frequency SVM approach based on the
so called delayed sampling technique, appropriate for GTO-
based two level converter modules first was proposed in [SI,
and later with some modification in [9].
Although, space vector modulation schemes for multi-level
converter have been reported in many articles [lo], no
proposal has been reported yet to demonstrate how SVM can
be employed in multi-modular multi-level high power
structures.
 This paper presents a novel low switching frequency I I 1 I
SVM in conjunction with a modified delayed sampling
principle for generating the switching pattems of individual
GTO-based three-level units of a multi-module converter
structure. Alternative switching strategies are compared with
respect to their impact on output voltage spectrum, switching
frequency and THD. The validity of the proposed schemes
has been verified by simulation.
h
’T ,, 2’ 2; 9
11. SPACEVECTOR FORTHREELEVEL
MODULATION
INVERTERS
A .Three-Level Inverter Topology and Switching States
Fig.1 shows the power structure of the three-level ~

inverter. Each phase consists of four switches and four Fig. 1 . Schematic diagram of a 3-level voltage source inverter.
freewheeling and two clamping diodes. Table I shows the
permitted switching states of the three-level inverter.

Switching states SI sz s
3 s4 VN
P ON ON OFF OFF Vd,
0 OFF ON ON OFF VdJ2
N OFF OFF ON ON 0

VI1

A. Voltage Vectors and Their Durations

Fig. 3 shows a triangle formed by the voltage vectors
v,,V, and V, . This triangle can be divided into four smaller
regions 1,2,3 and 4. In the optimal space vector strategy, the
reference voltage vector is synthesized by the three switching
states. In the optimal space vector strategy, the reference
voltage vector is synthesized by the time average of the three
switching state vectors adjacent to it [lo].
(b)
Fig. 2. Switching states of a 3-Level inverter.
The on-duration of each switching vector is given by the
SVM strategy [lo]. For example in Fig. 3 and in Triangle#3
we have:

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V T = Elt, +E3t3+E4t4
-ref
delayed from one sampler to one another. Thus, each
9
modulator updates its information about the reference vector
t +t + t 4 = T and its sampling instant, and synthesizes the reference during
1 3
one sampling period based on these information (Fig. 4). The
E, = V(cosB+isinB)
output line-line voltages of these individual units are added
through an electromagnetic interface, shown in Fig. 5 . The
interesting point is that from the output spectrum, the
reference vector (fundamental) seems to be sampled with an
effective sampling rate N times greater than the sampling rate
of individual modulators.
The delayed sampling technique with some modifications
can be similarly employed as a low switching frequency
Where, T is the cycle period, Vref is the reference vector SVM technique in three-level converter modules.
and tl, t3 and t4 are on-duration times of the adjacent Similar to two-level structure, the same reference vector is
switching state vectors VI, V, and V4, respectively. applied to N identical samplers followed by identical space
vector modulators.
v5

vo VI vz
Fig. 3. First switching sector in 3-Level inverters.

Due to the fact that in conventional three-phase converters

Fig. 4. The schematic diagram of the delayed sampling SVM
a high sampling rate and therefore a high switching frequency technique
is required to obtain good quality output waveform,
conventional converter structures and conventional space
vector modulation can not be used in high power
applications, where low switching frequency is an essential
issue. However, SVM-based good quality waveforms at low
switching frequency can be obtained by means of the so-
called delayed sampling technique employed in a multi-
module converter structure. A successful implementation of
this technique on GTO-based multi-module structures has
already been reported [8][9].
In the next section, after a quick glance at the delayed
sampling technique for two level converter structures, a
modified version of it is proposed to use in GTO-based three- Fig. 5. The schematic diagram of the electromagnetic interface
level multi-module structures.
A considerable diversity of switching state vectors in
111. THEPROPOSED
DELAYEDSAMPLING TECHNIQUE
FOR three-level converters necessitates a minimum sampling rate
THREE-LEVEL
CONVERTERS of two per each sector. To maintain the lowest possible
switching frequency the minimum sampling rate (two per
In 181, it is shown how the technique in sector) is picked up and the reference vector is synthesized by
conjunction with the SVM can be used in series connected
SVM modulators at the output of each unit and during each
multi-module structures based on conventional two-level
sampling period. Output voltages of individual units are then
converters to achieve harmonic cancellatiodminimization
added up through the electromagnetic unit and make the
while maintaining low switching f?equency. That is, the same
converter output voltage. The sampling instants and hold
reference vector is applied to N identical samplers followed
regions of the modified technique for four converter modules
by identical space vector modulators. All samplers employ
are shown in Fig. 6.
the same sampling rate, however, the sampling time is

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 Converter #I Converter #2 t,, = ktsv , tpsv = (1- k)t,, (0 I k I 1) (2)
Where k is the extent factor by which the time duration of a
small state vector is divided between its two negative and
positive representatives.
Despite this fact that the switching frequency is
independent of k (5 pu), the resulted output voltage and its
spectrum depend on k. The impact of k on output voltage
Converter #3 Converter #4 symmetry and its spectrum has been examined by simulation.
Simulation results show that only k = 0.5 will result in
symmetrical output voltage. Voltage harmonics at the output
of each individual unit, switched by this technique are quite
high. However, the phase angle of low order harmonics at the
output of individual units varies in such a way that
considerate harmonic reduction at the output voltage of the
converter occurs. Detailed analysis will be given in the full
-b Sumple(i) text paper.

Cycle Period B. The Second Proposed Switching Strategy and Resulted

Fig. 6. Sampling and hold regions in the proposed modified technique for 4
converter modules.
The output voltage spectra and its symmetry are highly
depended on the switching strategy used. Therefore, this very
important aspect must be taken into account in synthesizing
the reference voltage at the output of individual three-level
units. This issue is addressed in the next section of this paper,
and certain switching strategies that fulfill the harmonic
standard requirements and output symmetry are proposed.
OF THEPROPOSED TECHNIQUE
Iv. FEATURES
A. The First Proposed Switching Strategy and Resulted
Waveforms
Since in the proposed scheme the switching frequency of
the individual three-level converter modules must be as low
as possible, the reference vector is sampled only twice in
each sector (every 30'). Among all possible switching
sequences that generate the lowest switching frequency, there
is one switching method, shown in Table 11, which fulfills the
harmonic standard requirements, and provides symmetrical
output voltages.
Waveforms
Increasing the switching frequency results in a great
improvement in the output voltage spectrum. In this section,
second switching strategy that provides enough evidences in
this aspect is introduced and discussed. In this strategy, the
reference voltage is again sampled twice in each sector.
However, switching sequences are chosen to be symmetrical
about the center of each switching period. The switching
patterns in each sector are given in Table 111.
To get symmetrical switching patterns, the switching
sequence in one half cycle is identical to that of the first
switching strategy, and in the second half cycle, the switching
sequences are reversed. Although, applying this switching
strategy will remove the low order harmonics, it requires a
switching frequency 1.4 times greater than the one needed in
the first switching strategy. In other words, each converter
unit operates at a switching frequency of 7 pu. Detailed
analysis for this switching strategy will be given in the full
text paper, too.
Table 111. The Second proposed switching sequences in sector 1.
I I I I I
First Sector

Switching
Sequence
Tk-LdTk
Trian le#2 Tnan le#3 Trian le#4

First
PON PON PON
Sector
PNN OON
"
0 "
0
PNN OON PPN
000 PON PON PON RESULTS
V. SIMULATION
OON PO0 PO0 OON
In this switching strategy, both negative and positive The proposed scheme was simulated in MATLAB. The
small vectors participate to some extent in generating transformer (electromagnetic interface) and switches were
patterns, at the beginning and at the end of each switching assumed ideal. A set of simulation result is presented in Fig.
sequence, respectively. Time duration of these vectors are 7. For each case the output voltage are normalized with
formulated as below:

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 N=l
respect to the fundamental component evaluated at m= 1. The
following conclusions can be addressed from these results: 8 l
As the number of individual converter module d 0.5
increases, the magnitude of the low order harmonics G o
and also the total harmonic distortion decreases. 3
-0.5
The fundamental component of the output voltage 0
- .
-1
I
0 10 20 30 40 50
varies linearly with the modulation index. time(ms)
The best results are obtained when the second
switching technique is used. A clean spectrum from
low order harmonics and a very low total harmonic
distortion for a wide range of voltage control are the
dominant advantages of this technique. The
spectrum pattern versus modulation index for the
second switching strategy is shown in Fig. 8. frequency (pu)
(a)
N=l
N=2
8 ’
d 0.5

g o
,P -0.5
3
0 -1 I I
0 10 20 30 40 50
time(ms)

frequency (pu)
@>

Fig. 8. Effect of number of converter units on normalized output voltage and

spectra for the second switching strategy (Base= value for m=l). a) N=l, b)
N=2.

0 -1 I
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
time (ms)

frequency (pu)
(b)
50
Fig. 7. Effect of number of converter units on normalized output voltage and
spectra for the first switching strategy (Base= value for m=l).a) N=l, b)
N=2.

Fig. 9. Spectrum pattem vs. m for the third switching technique, and for
N=2.

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 VI. CONCLUSION

This paper shows space vector modulation in conjunction

with a modified delayed sampling technique can be used as a
modulation technique at very low switching frequencies in
GTO-based multi-converter structures based on three-level
modules. In addition, new low switching frequency SVM
switching strategies applicable in theses structures are
proposed. The resulted voltages at the converter output
terminals are symmetric and the voltage THD satisfies the
IEEE-519 standards. The impact of switching sequence, and
switching frequency on the harmonic contents at the output
voltage of the converter has been studied. The validity of the
proposed scheme has been verified by simulation.

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