Design and Operation of a Three-Phase Split-Source Inverter with a Saturable Inductor

Abstract

In low-voltage-fed applications, single-stage inverters with buck and boost capabilities represent an appealing alternative to conventional voltage source inverters that require an additional boosting stage and, hence, imply higher cost, complexity, and volume. Among the available single-stage topologies, the recently proposed split-source inverter (SSI) offers several advantages over its competitors (e.g., the ability to employ conventional pulse-width modulation (PWM) schemes, constant voltage across the bridge, etc.). This paper examines the impact that the inductor’s magnetic saturation can have on the design and operation of an SSI. The theoretical considerations are first presented using the test data of an actual saturated inductor. Four PWM schemes – two biased and two unbiased – are included in the analysis. A laboratory setup has been constructed for evaluation of the considered impact. The obtained results demonstrate that the inductor current ripple may be significantly underestimated if magnetic saturation is neglected in the SSI design.

Mateo Bašić

Full Professor | Department of Power Electronics and Control

Full professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in Split, with recent research interests related to the fields of power electronics and renewable energy sources, with a special focus on energy-efficient control of inverters, battery systems, wind turbines, photovoltaic sources and self-excited induction generators in microgrids - both in island operation and in grid-tie operation.

Dinko Vukadinović

Full Professor | Department of Power Electronics and Control

Full professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Naval Architecture in Split, specialized in modern control systems for power electronic converters, electric motors, and generators. At the Power Electronics Research Laboratory, he leads experimental projects and develops advanced methods for regulating electrical machines and converters, while supervising doctoral research in these areas.

Ivan Grgić

Assistant Professor | Department of Power Electronics and Control

Assistant professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Architecture in Split, specialized in the research of power electronic converters in photovoltaic systems and microgrids. Currently, he teaches courses in the areas of control engineering, digital electronics, electrical engineering, electrical machines and transformers.