Simple Carrier-Based PWM for Prolonged High DC-Link Utilization for Symmetrical and Asymmetrical n-Phase AC Drives

Square voltage waveforms enable high dc-link utilization (DLU) in multiphase ac drives. Circulating-current filters were devised to attenuate the harmonics in no-torque low-impedance subspaces. Nonetheless, the square-wave harmonics that generate torque ripple are not reduced. Recently, it was proposed to combine circulating-current filters with a carrier-based pulsewidth modulation (PWM) method, which injects harmonics in no-torque subspaces (attenuated by the filter) of five-phase motors to achieve high DLU, without harmonics associated with torque ripple. The filter allows prolonged high-DLU operation without overheating. Compared with other PWM techniques capable of high-DLU operation (overmodulation), the one proposed for said filters is especially convenient because of its simplicity. However, it is unclear if this PWM method can be extended to machines of any phase number n and winding arrangement (symmetrical or asymmetrical); and if so, the resulting performance is also unknown. This article extends this simple carrier-based PWM strategy to n-phase drives, and evaluates its behavior in terms of DLU, distortion, and computational burden. Symmetrical and asymmetrical winding arrangements are considered. The improvement in DLU, compared with conventional PWM with zero-sequence injection, is considerable. Current distortion is negligible with a suitable filter. The simplicity over other high-DLU PWM techniques is remarkable. Experimental results are provided.

Automated summary

This study introduces a control strategy that combines filters with carrier-based PWM method to achieve high DC-link utilization in drives while reducing the impact of torque ripple. The simplicity and adaptability of this method to both symmetrical and asymmetrical winding arrangements are verified. Compared with traditional PWM methods, this approach demonstrates excellent performance in improving DC-link utilization and reducing distortion.