2013 International Conference on Power, Energy and Control (ICPEC)

Implementation of Closed Loop System For Flying

Capacitor Multilevel Inverter With Stand-Alone
Photovoltaic Input
Shanmuga Priyan.S, Dr. Ramani.K,
PG Scholar – Final Year, Associate Professor,
Power Electronics & Drives / EEE, Power Electronics & Drives / EEE,
K.S.Rangasamy College of Technology, K.S.Rangasamy College of Technology,
Tiruchengode, Tamilnadu, India, Tiruchengode, Tamilnadu, India,
[email protected] [email protected]

Abstract—This paper focuses on the development of closed power and tidal. Renewable energy resources can be
loop system for seven level flying capacitor multilevel replenished in a short period of time, so they will never
inverter (FCMLI). In our present system, in most of the be all used up.
cases only simple inverters such as full bridge and half Multilevel power converters have become
bridge configurations are used. Inverters are often used to
increasingly popular in recent years due to their high-
provide power to electronics in the case of a power outage
or for activities such as camping, where no power is power, high voltage capacity, low switching losses and
available. An inverter converts a DC or battery power into low electromagnetic concerns. Nowadays different
an AC or household power. But the main drawbacks of topologies have been reported for multi-level inverters.
these inverters are high harmonic content and used only for They are named as neutral point clamped (diode-
limited power applications. This is the main problem clamped) inverter, flying capacitor (capacitor-clamped)
identified in our existing system, in order to overcome this inverter and cascaded multi-cell with separated dc source
problem a new topology of FCMLI will be presented, which inverter [2]. Among them, the Flying Capacitor Multi-
significantly increases the level number of the output level Inverter (FCMI) does not require isolated DC sides
waveform and thereby dramatically reduces the low-order
and additional clamping diodes, the snubberless operation
harmonics and THD. The proposed system consists of a
DC–DC power converter and a DC–AC multilevel inverter. is possible and it is easy to be expanded to the multi-
In order to achieve low cost, easy control, high efficiency, level. However, these properties may be quite limited by
and high reliability, a capacitor clamped DC–DC boost the voltage unbalancing of flying capacitors that is the
converter using minimal devices is introduced to interface most serious problem. Therefore, the FCMLI has to
the low-voltage Photovoltaic (PV) module. In this paper, a ensure the voltage balancing of flying-capacitors under
phase disposition – pulse width modulation (PD-PWM) all the operating conditions. The FCMLI offers a great
technique, applicable for proposed FCMLI is presented. advantage with respect to the availability of voltage
With the use of multilevel inverter, resolution is increased redundancies.
and also the harmonics is highly reduced. The proposed
This inverter uses capacitors to limit the voltage of
seven level flying capacitor multilevel inverter not only
achieves high power ratings, but also enables the use of the power devices. The configuration of the flying
renewable energy sources in an efficient manner. In order capacitor multilevel inverter is like a diode clamped
to justify the merits of the proposed system, it is interfaced multilevel inverter except that capacitors are used to
with the single phase lamp load and analysed through divide the input DC voltage. The voltage over each
simulation investigations. capacitor and each switch is Vdc.
They are defined as different combinations of
Keywords- Capacitor Clamped DC-DC Boost capacitors allowing the charging or discharging of the
Converter; Flying Capacitor Multilevel Inverter (FCMLI); individual flying capacitors in order to produce the same
Phase Disposition – Pulse Width Modulation (PD-PWM);
phase leg voltage. This advantage provides the special
Photovoltaic (PV); Total Harmonic Distortion (THD).
opportunity for controlling the individual voltage on
flying capacitors [2]-[4]. Many studies have shown that
I. INTRODUCTION under certain conditions, a simple open loop control
With the increasing concern about the non-renewable guarantees natural balancing of the flying capacitor.
energy sources, constant increase in the prices of fossil In this paper, Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID)
fuels, global warming and damage to environment and controllers based closed loop system for seven level
ecosystem, the renewable energy is becoming more flying capacitor multilevel inverter and for capacitor
popular and is gaining more attention as an alternative to clamped DC-DC boost converter have been proposed.
non-renewable energy sources [1]. Among the renewable This scheme maintains the output voltage stability,
energy sources, the energy through Photovoltaic (PV) reducing the harmonic content in the output there by
effect is being considered as the most essential and improving the overall system performance. This paper
sustainable energy resource such as compared to other has been designed using a seven level flying capacitor
type of energy sources such as wind, biomass, hydro multilevel inverter with the appropriate closed loop

978-1-4673-6030-2/13/$31.00 ©2013 IEEE

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schemes there by THD can be significantly reduced AC - AC Step-up Transformer (48/230V AC)
which is confirmed through simulation investigation. Conversion Nearly Sinusoidal Waveform
Connected Load Single Phase 230V AC Lamp Load
II. PROPOSED TOPOLOGY OF CLOSED
LOOP SYSTEM D. Simulation Model Of Proposed System

A. Architecture of Proposed System The overall Simulation diagram of the proposed

closed loop system for FCMLI is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 1. Overall Block Diagram of Proposed System

B. System Composition

The described system in this paper is a standalone

system which consisting of the following individual
systems :- Figure 2. Overall Simulation Model of Proposed System

• For generating the DC voltage signal, a suitable III. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS
stand-alone PV module is used.
• For boosting up the generated DC voltage, an
appropriate Capacitor Clamped DC-DC boost The proposed topology of closed loop system for
converter is used. Flying Capacitor Multilevel Inverter (FCMLI) consists of
• For maintaining the constant DC output from various models. They are
boost converter, a closed loop controller is used • Photovoltaic Generation Model
for DC-DC converter. • Capacitor Clamped DC-DC Boost Converter
• For converting the boosted DC voltage into Model
appropriate AC voltage, a FCMLI is used. • Open Loop FCMLI Model
• For improving the performance of MLI, a closed • Closed Loop FCMLI Model
loop controller is used for FCMLI.
• For stepping up the generated AC voltage from A. Photovoltaic Generation Model
MLI, a suitable step-up transformer is used.
• For connecting the developed system to the The Simulation diagram for the PV Generation by a
resistive load, a single phase lamp load is used. single stand-alone 12V PV module is shown in Figure 3.

C. System Specification
TABLE I. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION OF A
PROPOSED SYSTEM

System Stages Technical Specification

DC Input PV Module – 12V DC
DC - DC Capacitor Clamped DC-DC Boost
Conversion Converter (12/48V DC)

Battery back-up of 48V – Series

DC Storage
connection of 4 batteries (12V each)

DC - AC Seven Level FCMLI 48V DC/48V AC

Conversion Stepped Waveform Figure 3. MATLAB Model of Photovoltaic Generation

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It consists of Insolation block, Single PV wheeling diodes for boosting up the DC voltage from PV
module block for DC voltage generation and display & panel – 12V DC into 48V DC. It also consists of a
scope blocks for displaying the output in numerical and comparator, PID controller, pulse generator and PWM
graphical form respectively. block for producing pulses for MOSFET.
The Simulated output is taken for 1000 watts/m2 The corresponding output voltage waveform of
of Insolation and 25oC of Temperature under Standard the proposed Capacitor Clamped DC-DC Boost
Test Condition (STC). The corresponding output voltage Converter is shown in Figure 6.
waveform of 12V PV Panel is shown in the Figure 4.

Figure 4. Output Voltage Waveform of PV Module

Thus from the PV Panel, a 12V DC of Figure 6. Output Voltage Waveform of Boost
Unidirectional Voltage is produced. Then this low value Converter Model
of DC voltage is given to the Boost converter for
achieving desired DC voltage for giving input to the Thus From the above output, 48V DC is
Multilevel Inverter. achieved and it is given to the proposed FCMLI for
achieving 48V AC stepped output.
B. Capacitor Clamped DC-DC Boost Converter Model
C. Open Loop FCMLI Model
From the PV module a 12V DC voltage is obtained. The Figure 7 shows the corresponding overall
This unidirectional DC voltage is then given to the simulation model of proposed Multilevel Inverter which
Capacitor Clamped DC-DC Boost Converter for boosting includes the Inverter model and pulse generation model.
up the voltage up to 48V DC.
The Simulation diagram of the Capacitor Clamped
DC-DC Boost Converter is shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7. MATLAB Model of FCMLI

The proposed Seven Level FCMLI will produce

the seven level of stepped AC output waveforms at its
output. The switching sequence of various switches used
in the Inverter model are determined by the PWM pulses
Figure 5. MATLAB Model of Capacitor Clamped Boost from the pulse generation model. In this Pulse Generation
Converter Model, there are six number of carrier signals which are
produced by Repeating sequence concept and these
It consists of various circuit elements such as
signals are compared with the Sinusoidal signal with the
Boost Inductor, MOSFET, Clamping Capacitor and free-
help of the relational operator (>=).

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Here Multicarrier PWM in turn PD-PWM Figure 10. PDPWM Modulation Scheme
technique is employed for generating appropriate PWM
pulse signals for respective switches in the MLI. The corresponding open loop output voltage
The Figure 8 shows the Pulse Generation Model waveform of proposed Multilevel Inverter is shown in
Using Multicarrier PWM – PDPWM technique for Figure 11.
Seven Level FCMLI.

Figure 11. Open Loop AC Output Voltage Waveform of

FCMLI

From the Open loop output, it is observed that

seven level stepped output waveform with the magnitude
of nearly 48V is achieved but it is slightly distorted.
Because of this the Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) of
open-loop output is having more percentage values. Thus
Figure 8. Pulse Generation Model for Multilevel Inverter in order to reduce the THD level of Multilevel Inverter
Using Multicarrier (PDPWM) Technique output and to improve the performance of the system, a
closed-loop design is essential for Multilevel Inverter. By
The Figure 9 shows the six number of carrier
implementing the closed-loop system, the THD level can
signals in PD-PWM Pulse Generation Model.
be reduced to certain extend.

D. Closed Loop FCMLI Model

a) Voltage Controller Model

For designing closed-loop system for proposed

MLI, various blocks such as Voltage Controller block,
Sin Generator block are used. The Figure 12 shows the
voltage controller – PID controller model for closed-loop
design of Seven Level FCMLI.

Figure 9. Carrier Signals Used in Pulse Generation Model

The Figure 10 shows the comparison of six

number of carrier signals and the sinusoidal modulating
signal. In which the sinusoidal signal is superimposed
over the carrier signals for generating appropriate PWM
pulses.

Figure 12. Simulation Model of Voltage Controller in

Closed-loop System

The various blocks used in the voltage controller

model are Zero-order Hold, gain, Abs - absolute,
comparator, discrete-time integrator, saturation and rate
transition blocks.

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Figure 15. Closed Loop AC Output Voltage Waveform of
FCMLI
b) Sin Generator Model E. Load Voltage Waveform
The output of the voltage controller model is For connecting a Single Phase resistive lamp
given as the three input parameters of sin generator load, the 48V AC stepped output waveform from the
model. This model is used to produce the sinusoidal MLI is given to the 48/230V AC step-up transformer.
modulating signal which is used in pulse generation The Figure 16 shows the corresponding output
model for producing PWM output pulses. voltage waveform of a step-up transformer (48/230V
The Figure 13 shows Sin Generator model for AC). This AC voltage is fed to the Single Phase Lamp
closed-loop design of Seven Level FCMLI. Load.

Figure 13. Simulation Model of Sin Generator in

Closed-loop System
Figure 16. Output Load Voltage Waveform
The corresponding single phase sinusoidal
outputs of Sin Generator Model are shown in the Figure F. Total Harmonic Distortion
14.
The Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) is used to
characterize the linearity of audio systems and the power
quality of electric power systems.
The formula below shows the calculation for
THD on a voltage signal. The end result is a percentage
comparing the harmonic components to the fundamental
component of a signal. The higher the percentage, the
more distortion that is present on the mains signal.

V V V ........ V
Figure 14. Single Phase Sinusoidal Output of Sin
Generator for Pulse Generation Model THD = * 100% (1)
V

Thus after the comparison of Sinusoidal The results of THD analysis performed for both
modulating signal and generated carrier signals using open-loop and closed-loop systems are shown in the
PDPWM Technique in Pulse Generation Model, the Figures 17 and 18.
appropriate PWM switching pulses are generated. These
pulses are used to trigger the switching devices in
proposed MLI in a proper sequence to produce the
stepped AC waveform from the output of MLI.
In order to reduce the THD level of MLI output
a closed-loop model is developed and its corresponding
output voltage is shown in Figure 15.

Figure 17. Open Loop THD Result of Seven Level

FCMLI
From the Figure 17, it is observed that THD
value of 37.15% is obtained for Open-Loop Multilevel
Inverter. This value can be reduced by Closed-Loop
design.

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2013 International Conference on Power, Enerrgy and Control (ICPEC)
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Capacitor based Multileveel Inverter fed Induction Motor,”
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m inverter,” IEEE Trans. Ind.
Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 879-888, June 2005.
[5] Shuai Jiang, Dong Cao, Yuuan Li and Fang Zheng Peng, “Grid-
Connected Boost-Half- Bridge B Photovoltaic Microinverter
System Using Repetitive Cuurrent Control and Maximum Power
Point Tracking,” IEEE Tranns. Power Electronics, vol.27, no.11,
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[6] Quan Li and Peter Wolfss, “A Review of the Single Phase
Figure 18. Closed Loop THD Result of Sevenn Level FCMLI Photovoltaic Module Integgrated Converter Topologies With
Three Different DC Link Configurations,”
C IEEE Trans. Power
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value of 10.18% is obtained for Closed-L Loop Multilevel [7] Rong-Jong Wai, Wen-Hungg Wang and Chung-You Lin, “High-
Performance Stand-Alone Photovoltaic Generation System,”
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obtained in Open-Loop system. 2008.
[8] Dong Wang. Xiangning He H and Jianjiang Shi, “Design and
IV. CONCLUSION Analysis of an Interleavedd Flyback–Forward Boost Converter
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In the proposed method, a closeed-loop system Power Electronics, vol.25, no.2,
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[10] M. H. Rashid, Power Elecctronics Handbook, Academic Press,
operation can be ensured without more dissturbances. The
London, 2001
closed loop controller is also designed for Capacitor
Clamped DC-DC Boost Converter therre by constant V. BIO
OGRAPHIES
output voltage at the output of the boost coonverter can be
achieved.
S.Shanmuga Priyan was born in Salem on
The performance was verified throuugh simulation Januaryy 26, 1989. He received the Diploma
models by using MATLAB software tool. From the in Electtrical and Electronics Engineering in
simulation study, the important conclusionns are, 2007 frrom Thiagarajar Polytechnic College,
Salem. He received the B.E degree in
• From the output of Stand-aloone single PV Electriccal and Electronics Engineering in
Module, a unidirectional DC voltaage of 12V DC 2010 from
f Arunai Engineering College,
was produced based on the panel parameters and Tiruvannnamalai, Anna University –
Insolation level. Chennaai. Currenty he is doing PG degree in
Power Electronics and Drives in
• From the output of Capacitor Clamped DC-DC K.S.Ranngasamy College of Technology,
Boost Converter, a boosted DC voltage
v of 48V Tiruchengode. He is doing PG Ressearch under the guidance of beloved
DC is produced with the help of single Dr.K.Ramani associate professoor in the department of EEE at
switching device there by switcching loss and K.S.Rangasamy College of Teechnology, Tiruchengode. He has
published 2 papers in internationaal conferences. His research interest
circuit complexity are reduced. involves in power electronics, conntrol of electrical machines, inverter
• From the output of FCMLI, an a AC output fed drives.
voltage of 48V AC stepped signals are obtained.
There by THD level is reduced. Dr.K.Raamani was born in Vedaranyam. He
is gradduated in 2004 from Bharathiar
The main inference from the prooposed concept University, Coimbatore and post graduated in
is, for the developed Seven Level FCM MLI system the 2006 att Anna University, Chennai. He
THD value of open-loop model is 37.155% and for the received the Ph.D degree from Anna
closed-loop model is 10.18%. Thus the percentage of University Chennai in 2012 under the
guidancee of beloved Dr.A.Krishnan, Dean,
THD value can be minimized by impplementing the K.S.Rangasamy College of Engineering,
closed-loop control for FCMLI there by better Tiruchenngode. He is currently working as a
performance in its output can be achieved. associatee professor in the department of EEE
at K.S.Rangasamy College of Techhnology, Tiruchengode from January
2006. He has published 52 internaational/national conferences, journals.
REFERENCES His research interest involves in power
p electronics, inverter, modeling
of induction motor and optimizatioon techniques. He is guiding UG, PG
[1] Prashant. V. Thakre and Saroj. Rangnekar, “Simulation and Students and also supervising 2 Ph.D research scholars at Anna
Hardware Implementation of MPPT Bassed Single Phase University, Chennai. He is life memmber of ISTE, IETE member.
Photovoltaic Inverter Using TMS320C C28027 Control,”
International Journal of Computer and Electtrical Engineering,
vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 592-596, Aug 2011.

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