Enhanced Switched Capacitor Nine-Level Inverter (ESC9LI) Featuring Boost Capability and Streamlined Component Configuration

Abstract

This research presents an innovative design for a switched capacitor inverter, integrating two capacitors, Eleven switches, with one input supply. The proposed configuration successfully attains nine unique voltage states, achieving a voltage gain of two. A separate control unit for capacitor management is no longer necessary with the introduction of the improved SC nine-level inverter (ESC9LI). The management of capacitor charging and discharging is exclusively governed by the activation and deactivation states of the switches. Additionally, the proposed design utilizes fewer components and DC voltage sources, resulting in a higher resultant voltage. The suggested inverter design significantly reduces the necessity of capacitors, switches, and diodes. Power devices’ voltage stress is precisely minimized even with the enhanced output voltage. Moreover, only four active devices are conducting per voltage level. Overall, minimizing the number of active devices conducting per voltage level in multilevel inverter circuits offers several benefits including improved efficiency, reduced losses, lower harmonic distortion, enhanced reliability, and simplified control. Consequently, lower-voltage power devices can be employed, leading to a reduction in overall power loss. The control technique employed in the ESC9LI is the level shifted Pulse Width Modulation (LSPWM). The paper presents a detailed comparative study, examining multiple similar topologies. Simulation findings under various operating settings are presented and evaluated against real-time data acquired from an experimental working model.