Exploration of Multilevel Current Source Converters

电力电子转换是能量转换系统的核心要素，充当不同形式电能之间的接口，是低碳经济的使能技术。到2030年，预计高达80%的电力将在发电和消费之间的能源供应链中使用电力电子。多电平变换器是电力电子变换器的一种类型，与现有的两电平变换器相比，多电平变换器具有显著的优点。这些特性包括降低谐波失真、降低电压/电流应力（dv/dt、di/dt）以及减轻电磁干扰（EMI）。多电平换流器可分为多电平电压源换流器和多电平电流源换流器。MCSC具有几个独特的优势特性，这些特性可能有利于其在飞机、混合动力/电动汽车和微型可再生发电中使用的低压转换器中的采用。例如，电感器被用作MCSC中的主要能量存储元件，其比MVSC中的电容器更可靠。MCSC具有固有的限流能力，可用于限制故障电流，并为器件过流保护留出更多时间。它可以防止其他部件的进一步损坏或故障，并避免因过电流而引起的火灾。对MCSC的研究还处于起步阶段。因此，该项目将通过变换器拓扑推导、调制技术、电感电流平衡、损耗和效率评估等来探索MCSC。这些挑战的成功调查将揭示MCSC的好处，并促进变换器的广泛应用。研究将通过建模、控制、模拟和实验验证进行。功率变换器拓扑结构的研究是电力电子系统研究的重要内容。MCSC的突破将使英国世界领先的航空航天工业和可再生能源OEM受益。MCSC的成功开发还将为组件或子系统供应链提供支持，开发新的功率半导体技术（反向阻断IGBT，宽带隙器件），并需要新的功率模块配置和新的绕线组件。

Power electronic conversion is a central element of energy conversion systems, acting as the interface between different forms of electrical energy and is an enabling technology for low-carbon economy. By 2030, it is expected that as much as 80% of all electric power will use Power Electronics somewhere within the energy supply chain between generation and consumption. Multilevel converter is one type of power electronics converter and can offer substantial benefits over the established two-level converter counterparts. These include reduced harmonic distortion, less voltage/current stress (dv/dt, di/dt), and mitigated electro-magnetic interference (EMI). Multilevel converters can be classified into multilevel voltage source converters (MVSCs) and multilevel current source converters (MCSCs). The MCSC exhibits several unique advantageous characteristics that may favour its adoption in the low voltage converters used in aircraft, hybrid/electric vehicles and micro renewable power generation. For example, inductors are used as the main energy storage elements in MCSCs, which are more reliable than capacitors in MVSCs. The MCSC has intrinsic current limiting capability, which can be used to constrain fault currents as well as leaving more time for device over-current protection. It may prevent further damage or failure of other components and avoid fire due to over-current. The research into MCSCs is at its infancy. The project therefore will explore the MCSCs through converter topology derivation, modulation techniques, inductor current balancing, loss and efficiency evaluation, etc. The successful investigations of these challenges will reveal the benefits of the MCSCs and facilitate the wide application of the converter. The research will be carried out through modelling, control, simulation and experimental verification. The study of power converter topologies is valued as enabling research in power electronic systems. A breakthrough in MCSCs will benefit the UK world-leading aerospace industry and renewable energy OEMs. Successful development of MCSCs will also feed into the component or sub-system supply chain, in exploiting new power semiconductor technologies (reverse blocking IGBT, wide-bandgap devices) and in requiring new power module configurations and new wound components.