Surge Voltage Stress and Modulation Techniques in Variable Frequency Drives: A Comparative Study of Matrix Converter and Two-Level VSI Topologies

This paper investigates and compares the surge voltage stress seen at the motor terminals generated by Direct Matrix Converter (MC) and the two-Level Voltage Source Inverter Back-to-Back (2L-VSI) drives for the low voltage Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) in grid tied applications. A method for the comparison of different VFD topologies is developed based on power module Double Pulse Testing (DPT) characterization. The topological advantage of the MC with respect to the dv/dt stress provided to the motor windings is assessed and different modulation techniques are evaluated.