Modulation Schemes for a 30-MVA IGCT Converter Using NPC H-Bridges

This paper demonstrates the impact of modulation schemes on the power capability of a high-power converter with low pulse ratios. This integrated gate-commutated thyristor (IGCT) converter uses a five-level neutral-point-clamped H-bridge topology. It is concluded that phase-shifted carrier modulator...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on industry applications 2015-09, Vol.51 (5), p.4028-4040
Main Authors: Jie Shen, Schroder, Stefan, Bo Qu, Yingqi Zhang, Kunlun Chen, Fan Zhang, Zhang, Richard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amplitude modulation
Legged locomotion
Performance evaluation
Stress
Thermal stresses
Topology
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Summary:This paper demonstrates the impact of modulation schemes on the power capability of a high-power converter with low pulse ratios. This integrated gate-commutated thyristor (IGCT) converter uses a five-level neutral-point-clamped H-bridge topology. It is concluded that phase-shifted carrier modulators are not attractive for such converters at low pulse ratios due to the poor total harmonic distortion (THD) performance and poor power capability. The THD performance is a key indicator for optimizing the performance of IGCT converters. Therefore, low-THD patterns such as the level-shifted carrier and optimized pulse patterns are proposed. It is explored that a smart and instantaneous pattern distribution is a key factor to ensure a robust modulator design. Compared with the standard interleaving concept, the proposed modulation schemes allow a power capability increase up to 40%. Meanwhile, the current THD is reduced from 11% to 4%-7%. The concept is implemented and experimentally validated up to 30 MVA on an industrial IGCT converter.
ISSN:0093-9994
1939-9367
DOI:10.1109/TIA.2015.2422828