Sigma-Delta Modulation on a Three-Phase Four-Leg VSI to Eliminate the Common Mode Voltage and Comply With the Military Standards

This article demonstrates sigma-delta pulse density modulation (PDM) without common mode voltage on a four-leg voltage source inverter designed as a grid-forming inverter. Using PDM ensures that switching updates occur simultaneously for all phases and sigma-delta modulation is the most advantageous PDM for this application. The converter does not produce common mode voltage in the switching frequency range, thus meeting the conducted electromagnetic interference limits in MIL-STD-461 G without the need for a large common mode choke. Further, the proposed common mode elimination method does not degrade the output voltage power quality, which meets the requirements in MIL-STD-1399 section 300 part I for type 1 voltage. The practical implementation of the control system on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is presented and compliance with the two military standards is demonstrated on a laboratory prototype built with SiC MOSFETs.