Novel mid-point balancing for ANPC converter and assessing future DC to MV power converter architectures

施耐德电气确立了推出新型中点电压平衡的研究目标 ANPC转换器和评估未来的DC-MV电源转换器架构。尽管世界范围内 施尼德电气太阳能业务的总部设在不列颠哥伦比亚省的伯纳比，他们没有内部专业知识来 应对研究挑战。这项Engage Grant将建立一个研究合作，希望 为未来的互动提供基础，并保持加拿大在该领域的领先地位。使用 可再生分布式能源(DER)提供了各种经济、环境和 与传统的大型发电机组相比，具有技术优势。并网DC/AC逆变器有 通常用于将直流电(DC)转化为可再生能源 交流正弦波(AC)。该交流电压由开关式功率转换器产生。 并网逆变器的主要问题是它们的重量、尺寸、效率、可靠性和寿命。从技术上讲， 逆变器的拓扑结构、材料、控制方法和内部设计布局是解决这些问题的主要工具 担忧。中压、大功率DC/AC并网逆变器是未来大功率可再生能源的发展趋势 能量。 中性点钳位(NPC)逆变器由于其独特的特性，已被证明是最好的逆变器之一 中压大功率DC/AC转换器的选择。不过，中点电压平衡和 半导体损耗分布的对称性是必须达到的主要目标。处于活动状态 中性点钳位(ANPC)逆变器钳位二极管由受控双向开关取代，以 在交换中提供冗余。然而，APNC中的电压平衡仍然是一个具有挑战性的问题 需要进一步调查。在这项研究中，我们正在寻找一种新的控制方案和切换 改善直流侧电压平衡的并网APNC输出电压质量的方法 整个权力转移范围。

Schneider Electric has established the research goal of introducing a novel mid-point voltage balancing for ANPC converters and assessing future DC to MV power converter architectures. Although the worldwide headquarters of Schnieder Electric's Solar Business is Burnaby, BC, they do not have the in-house expertise to address the research challenges. This Engage Grant will establish a research collaboration which will hopefully provide the foundation for future interactions, and maintain Canada's position as a leader in this field.The use of renewable distributed energy resources (DERs) offers a variety of economic, environmental and technological benefits compared to conventional large scale generating units. Grid-tie DC/AC inverters are commonly used to feed the renewable energy into the grid by converting direct current (DC) electricity into alternating sinusoidalcurrent (AC). This AC voltage is generated by switch-mode power converters. Major concerns in grid-tie inverters are their weight, size, efficiency, reliability and life time. Technically, inverter topologies, materials, control methods and interior design layouts are major tools to address these concerns. Medium-voltage, high-power DC/AC grid-tie inverters are a future trend for high power renewable energy. Neutral-Point-Clamped (NPC) inverters, due to their unique characteristics, have proven to be among the best choices for Medium-voltage high-power DC/AC converters. However, mid-point voltage balancing and symmetrical semiconductor loss distribution are major goals that must be achieved. In Active Neutral-Point-Clamped (ANPC) inverters clamping diodes are replaced by controlled bi-directional switches to provide redundancy in switching. However, voltage balancing in APNCs is still a challenging issue that requires further investigation. In this research, we are looking for a novel control scheme and switching methodology to improve output voltage quality of grid-connected APNCs with balanced DC-side voltages for the whole range of power transfer.