PSIM and SIMULINK Co-simulation for Three-level Adjustable Speed Drive Systems

Applying co-simulation technology is a very important trend in power electronics simulation, which can make full use of the merits of different software to improve the efficiency of building up a system. In this paper, a simulation platform for three-level adjustable speed drive (ASD) based on co-simulation of PSIM and SIMULINK is presented, which includes the interface between PSIM and SIMULINK, main circuit in PSIM, space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM), dead time and minimum pulse width, view of output voltage and its Fourier analysis in SIMULINK. Based on this platform, the cause of large current when motor starts is studied. Simulation and experimental results show that the minimum pulse width contributes a lot for the large starting current of the ASD. In conclusion, applying the simulation platform introduced in this paper, the dynamic behavior of the three-level ASD can be easily studied, which reduces the cost and improves efficiency at the same time compared to hardware investments, and may help to realize the optimal design of the ASD in practice