Predictive Direct Power Control of a Three-Phase Three-Level NPC PWM Rectifier based on Space Vector Modulation

This paper aims proposing a solution to the problems of disturbances due to the current harmonics generated by the AC / DC converters in the electrical network. Moreover, it aims to develop an advanced control technique that improves the characteristics of the three-phase three-level NPC PWM rectifier, in terms of fixed switching frequency operation, unit power factor, low harmonic distortion rate of currents absorbed by the rectifiers and good regulation of the DC bus voltage. A direct predictive power control based on space vector modulation technique, named P-SVM-DPC, has been proposed to solve the problems associated with conventional DPC control algorithms. The proposed control strategy, based on the discrete model of the system, allows predicting the behavior of the system for different control actions, and choosing the most optimal vector for what is applied to the system at the next instant. Numerical simulations show that the proposed predictive control is very accurate and robust to load variations.