Estimation of the capacitor voltages in flying capacitor multi‐level converters
Abstract Flying capacitor multi‐level converters use charged capacitors as a critical element. For proper operation, the capacitor voltages must be known and regulated. Direct measurement is straightforward, but when the number of required measurements is high, this is a complicated approach. This p...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2021-02-01
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| Series: | IET Power Electronics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1049/pel2.12053 |
| _version_ | 1811325199101984768 |
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| author | Miguel F. Escalante Alex P. Erdmann |
| author_facet | Miguel F. Escalante Alex P. Erdmann |
| author_sort | Miguel F. Escalante |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Flying capacitor multi‐level converters use charged capacitors as a critical element. For proper operation, the capacitor voltages must be known and regulated. Direct measurement is straightforward, but when the number of required measurements is high, this is a complicated approach. This paper introduces an estimation method for n capacitor voltages. The scheme is based on a system of (n+1) equations, which is defined in a way that it incorporates information of the actual capacitor voltages and open‐loop estimates of the capacitor voltages. The solution of the system gives the best estimates of the capacitor voltages in the sense of least square errors. The method requires only output voltage and output current sensors and its computational burden is low, saving cost and design efforts, and simplifying the hardware system. The performance of the proposed scheme is evaluated experimentally in a 9‐level flying capacitor chopper, where the estimates are used by the voltage balancing strategy and by the output current controller. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T14:28:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e616ef70a2e342189c1396072a6ab84f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1755-4535 1755-4543 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T14:28:56Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | IET Power Electronics |
| spelling | doaj.art-e616ef70a2e342189c1396072a6ab84f2022-12-22T02:43:15ZengWileyIET Power Electronics1755-45351755-45432021-02-0114365166510.1049/pel2.12053Estimation of the capacitor voltages in flying capacitor multi‐level convertersMiguel F. Escalante0Alex P. Erdmann1Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León Av. Universidad s/n San Nicolás de los Garza N.L. MéxicoUniversidad Autónoma de Nuevo León Av. Universidad s/n San Nicolás de los Garza N.L. MéxicoAbstract Flying capacitor multi‐level converters use charged capacitors as a critical element. For proper operation, the capacitor voltages must be known and regulated. Direct measurement is straightforward, but when the number of required measurements is high, this is a complicated approach. This paper introduces an estimation method for n capacitor voltages. The scheme is based on a system of (n+1) equations, which is defined in a way that it incorporates information of the actual capacitor voltages and open‐loop estimates of the capacitor voltages. The solution of the system gives the best estimates of the capacitor voltages in the sense of least square errors. The method requires only output voltage and output current sensors and its computational burden is low, saving cost and design efforts, and simplifying the hardware system. The performance of the proposed scheme is evaluated experimentally in a 9‐level flying capacitor chopper, where the estimates are used by the voltage balancing strategy and by the output current controller.https://doi.org/10.1049/pel2.12053Other topics in statisticsPower convertors and power supplies to apparatusOther topics in statisticsVoltage controlCurrent controlControl of electric power systems |
| spellingShingle | Miguel F. Escalante Alex P. Erdmann Estimation of the capacitor voltages in flying capacitor multi‐level converters IET Power Electronics Other topics in statistics Power convertors and power supplies to apparatus Other topics in statistics Voltage control Current control Control of electric power systems |
| title | Estimation of the capacitor voltages in flying capacitor multi‐level converters |
| title_full | Estimation of the capacitor voltages in flying capacitor multi‐level converters |
| title_fullStr | Estimation of the capacitor voltages in flying capacitor multi‐level converters |
| title_full_unstemmed | Estimation of the capacitor voltages in flying capacitor multi‐level converters |
| title_short | Estimation of the capacitor voltages in flying capacitor multi‐level converters |
| title_sort | estimation of the capacitor voltages in flying capacitor multi level converters |
| topic | Other topics in statistics Power convertors and power supplies to apparatus Other topics in statistics Voltage control Current control Control of electric power systems |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1049/pel2.12053 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT miguelfescalante estimationofthecapacitorvoltagesinflyingcapacitormultilevelconverters AT alexperdmann estimationofthecapacitorvoltagesinflyingcapacitormultilevelconverters |