Three-Phase Four-Wire Inverter Topology with Neutral Point Voltage Stable Module for Unbalanced Load Inhibition

A novel three-phase four-wire inverter topology is presented in this paper. This topology is equipped with a special capacitor balance grid without magnetic saturation. In response to unbalanced load and unequal split DC-link capacitors problems, a qusi-full-bridge DC/DC topology is applied in the balance grid. By using a high-frequency transformer, the energy transfer within the two split dc-link capacitors is realized. The novel topology makes the voltage across two split dc-link capacitors balanced so that the neutral point voltage ripple is inhibited. Under the condition of a stable neutral point voltage, the three-phase four-wire inverter can be equivalent to three independent single phase inverters. As a result, the three-phase inverter can produce symmetrical voltage waves with an unbalanced load. To avoid forward transformer magnetic saturation, the voltages of the primary and secondary windings are controlled to reverse once during each switching period. Furthermore, an improved mode chosen operating principle for this novel topology is designed and analyzed in detail. The simulated results verified the feasibility of this topology and an experimental inverter has been built to test the power quality produced by this topology. Finally, simulation results verify that the novel topology can effectively improve the inhibition of an inverter with a three-phase unbalanced load while decreasing the value of the split capacitor.