• Energy Research

This paper presents a DC/AC converter consisting of two two-level inverters. The complex converter is built using two standard three-phase inverters: the main inverter (MI) and the auxiliary one (AI). The MI is controlled in a simple way to generate the stepped output voltage and the AI works as an active filter limiting the higher harmonics in the MI output voltage. The filtering process is based on the orthogonal space vector theory. A development and modification of the basic solution are presented here. The output voltage of the MI takes the shape of a stepped voltage comparable to the voltage generated by multilevel inverters. The AI operates as a very effective active power filter (APF) of the MI output voltage. The AI power is significantly lower in comparison to the MI power.

The article presents an active bridge system that enables the solution of a significant problem consisting in ensuring correct indications of temperature values in a wide measuring range for a Pt100 temperature sensor with properties defined by the standard (EN-60751 + A2). The presented active bridge system combines the properties of the measuring amplifier with the stabilization of the current value in the branch in which the Pt100 sensor was placed. The article focuses on the comparison of the temperature measurement in a typical resistance bridge and the measurement made in the developed active bridge, which has also become the subject of a patent. For the performed tests, in which the correctness of the temperature measurement system operation was verified, and on the basis of the obtained results, the quality of temperature measurements was compared in a wide range of changes.

The paper recommends polar voltage space vectors of the six-phase and two-level inverter as a useful mathematical tool for vector control of the inverter. The inverter model is described using three mathematical tools: analytic expressions, voltage state, and space vectors. The analytic formulas allow for the determination of elementary physical inverter quantities: current and voltage. The state voltage vectors make it easy to define phase voltage distribution in every possible state of the inverter and voltage space vectors are the most important tool used for inverters’ control. The space vectors are defined using the standard voltage space vector transformation, while the state vectors are denoted by binary numbers and determine all voltage states of the inverter. The proposed notation system and vectors’ marking seem to be extremely useful in specifying the inverter states. This system certifies a deep correlation between the space and state vectors as they are described using the same digits. The properties of the system were confirmed during the simulation tests. Some examples of the inverter vector control based on polar voltage space vectors prove that the proposed solution is a useful mathematical tool and may be in fact suitable in designing inverter control algorithms. The simulation experiment described in this paper shows that the assumed control strategy allows for a significant reduction in the amount of switching compared to PWM. At the same time, the adopted vector strategy allows for the obtaining of a very favorable value of the current THD coefficient while maintaining the RMS values of the currents.

The paper proposes a general description system of the five-phase two-level inverter. The two base methods are presented and discussed. The first one is based on the standard space vector transformation, while the other uses state vectors which enable the definition of the basic physical quantities of the inverter: current and voltage. The proposed notation system offers a general simplification of vector identification. It comprises a standardized proposal of notation and vector marking, which may be extremely useful for the specification of inverter states. The described notation system makes it possible to reach correlation between state and space vectors. It presents space and state vectors using the same digits. These properties suggest that the proposed notation system is a useful mathematical tool and may be really suitable in designing control algorithms. This mathematical tool was verified during simulation tests performed with the use of the Simulation Platform for Power Electronics Systems—PLECS.