An Advanced Modulation Technique Featuring Neutral Point Voltage Ripple Suppression of Three-Level Converters in High-Speed Drives

This paper introduces an advanced space vector modulation technique for three-level neutral-point-clamped (3L-NPC) converters. The studied 3L-NPC converters within aircraft electric starter generator (ESG) systems normally operate at high modulation index, low pulse ratio and full power factor range for most of the operation time. Conventional modulation techniques exhibit large neutral point voltage ripple and possible voltage imbalance under such conditions. The increase of neutral point voltage ripple implies significant increase in converter capacitor size and decrease in capacitor reliability. The modulation technique introduced in this paper achieves improved neutral point voltage balancing within each switching period through enhanced applications of small vectors and restriction on medium vectors. The advanced implementation of small vectors is achieved using a sharing factor aided by a robust incremental current prediction procedure. With the predicted machine currents, the proposed method enables the optimum application of small vectors to balance the neutral point voltages. Simulation results based on a PLECS/Simulink model and experimental results obtained from a 45kVA, 32krpm aircraft electric starter generator prototype platform validate the reduction of the neutral point voltage ripple.