Fast DC-link capacitor design for Voltage Source Inverters based on weighted total harmonic distortion

Computationally very expensive circuit simulations are required to design the dc-link capacitance for automotive traction voltage source inverters. Thereby, the dc-link voltage ripple is, in contrast to grid connected inverters, the predominant dc-link capacitor design parameter in automotive inverters. In order to achieve minimal capacitance size, the operating point of maximal voltage ripple of any applied modulation strategy has to be detected. This research proposes an optimized dc-link capacitance design approach based on the weighted total harmonic distortion of the dc-link current, which reduces the overall simulation time from several days to a few minutes.