PROJECT TITLE :

A Three-Level Buck Converter With a Wide Voltage Operation Range for Hardware-in-the-Loop Test Systems

ABSTRACT:

Hardware-in-the-Loop tests of components for top-voltage dc transmission grids, as an example circuit breakers, require converter systems capable of generating a high output current with quick transients of the output signal at totally different output voltages. In this paper, a 3-level buck converter (N3L) using 3 different supply voltages to enable a large voltage operation range is presented. The modulation of the converter is investigated intimately with special specialize in ripple cancellation, the startup of the interleaved converter and the amount shifting between different converter output voltages. A prototype system is designed and constructed, optimized for pulsed power operation and compared to a 2 level and to a neutral purpose clamped converter design. The system has been simulated numerically and the planning boundaries are validated by measurements on the prototype system.