A brief review on multi level inverter topologies

In this paper a brief review on different multilevel inverter topologies are discussed. Inverter is a power electronic device that converts DC power into AC power at desired output voltage and frequency. Multilevel Converters nowadays have become an interesting area in the field of industrial applications. Conventional power electronic converters are able to produce an output voltage that switches between two voltage levels only. Multilevel Inverter generates a desired output voltage from several DC voltage levels at its input. The input side voltage levels are usually obtained from renewable energy sources, capacitor voltage sources, fuel cells etc. The different multilevel inverter topologies are: Cascaded H-bridges converter, Diode clamped inverter, and Flying capacitor multilevel inverter. Multilevel inverters nowadays are used for medium voltage and high power applications. The different field of applications include its use as UPS, High voltage DC transmission, Variable Frequency Drives, in pumps, conveyors etc. The disadvantages of MLI are the need for isolated power supplies, design complexity and switching control circuits.