High Switching Frequency Operation of a Single-Phase Five-Level Hybrid Active Neutral Point Clamped Inverter with a Model Predictive Control Approach

Wide bandgap (WBG) devices such as Silicon-Carbide (SiC) MOSFETs can be utilized to increase the switching frequency of power electronic converters. The size of passive components of an output filter can be reduced by increasing the switching frequency of converters or the number of output levels thorough the employment of multilevel topologies. Therefore, the combination of multilevel converters and WBG switches with a high switching frequency can improve the dynamic of converters. Meanwhile, a high bandwidth controller is also required to achieve a fast dynamic response of the system. In this paper, an advanced model predictive control (MPC) approach, based on the concept of hysteresis current control, is presented for a single-phase five-level hybrid active neutral point clamped (ANPC) inverter. A hybrid modulation technique with different switching frequencies is considered in this paper. As a result, different semiconductor technologies including SiC and Si are employed in the structure of the converter. Considering the AC and DC sides mathematical modeling of the converter, an MPC with the ability to control the neutral point (NP) voltage is designed. Finally, experimental results show that by utilizing the SiC MOSFETs and the proposed advanced MPC structure, the inverter's switching frequency is increased, with lower current ripple and fast dynamic performance.