Proposal of Hybrid Discontinuous PWM Technique for Five-Phase Inverters under Open-Phase Fault Operation

One of the most common issues in inverters are open-circuit faults (OPF). In this scenario, a proper fault-tolerant technique must be used to improve the motor performance. Although basic fault-tolerant modulation techniques are normally preferred, this paper proposes a discontinuous pulse-width modulation algorithm (HD-PWM) to operate five-phase inverters under a single OPF. In particular, loss equalization between the remaining switches after a fault occurs is the main objective of the HD-PWM algorithm, thus preventing future faults from occurring. The efficiency and harmonic distortion of the proposed technique are compared to the well-known sinusoidal PWM by simulation and experimentation under OPF conditions. The results obtained show a great performance of the proposed modulation technique, obtaining a relevant efficiency improvement.

Automated summary

This paper proposes a discontinuous pulse-width modulation algorithm (HD-PWM) to improve motor performance under a single open-circuit fault condition in five-phase inverters. The main objective of the HD-PWM algorithm is to balance power loss between the remaining switches after a fault occurs and prevent future faults. The efficiency and harmonic distortion of the proposed technique are compared to sinusoidal PWM through simulation and experimentation under open-circuit fault conditions, showing a significant performance improvement.