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Development of a Modular Multilevel Cascade Converter Based on Full-Bridge Submodules with a Common DC Bus

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Sustainable Energy for Smart Cities (SESC 2021)

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Abstract

The Modular Multilevel Cascade Converters (MMCC) present themselves as one of the solutions for high power and high voltage applications. Modularity and low voltage stress in each semiconductor are some of the features of this solution. This paper presents a study with experimental results concerning an MMCC composed by three full-bridge submodules with a common DC-bus and with low frequency cascaded transformers. Sharing the DC bus for each submodule al-lows for a simpler control algorithm as well as a simpler interface point with renewable energy sources or energy storage systems. Along the paper, it is presented the step-by-step methodology to obtain the main parameters of the elements that constitute the MMCC, namely the transformers equivalents model. Thus, it was possible to develop a more realistic simulation model, whose results obtained are very similar to the experimental results.

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Acknowledgements

This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia with-in the Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020. This work has been supported by the FCT Project QUALITY4POWER PTDC/EEI-EEE/28813/2017, and by the FCT Project DAIPESEV PTDC/EEI-EEE/30382/2017. Mr. Luis A. M. Barros is supported by the doctoral scholarship PD/BD/143006/2018 granted by the Portuguese FCT foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial Electronics, University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal

    João Rego, Fábio Lúcio Pereira, Luis A. M. Barros & J. G. Pinto

  2. Centro ALGORITMI, University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal

    Luis A. M. Barros & J. G. Pinto

  3. SYSTEC Research Center, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    António P. Martins

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  1. João Rego
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  3. Luis A. M. Barros
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  5. J. G. Pinto
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Correspondence to João Rego .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial Electronics, University of Minho, Guimaraes, Portugal

    Joao L. Afonso

  2. Department of Industrial Electronics, University of Minho, Guimaraes, Portugal

    Vitor Monteiro

  3. University of Minho, Guimaraes, Portugal

    José Gabriel Pinto

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Rego, J., Pereira, F.L., Barros, L.A.M., Martins, A.P., Pinto, J.G. (2022). Development of a Modular Multilevel Cascade Converter Based on Full-Bridge Submodules with a Common DC Bus. In: Afonso, J.L., Monteiro, V., Pinto, J.G. (eds) Sustainable Energy for Smart Cities. SESC 2021. Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, vol 425. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97027-7_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97027-7_3

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