Toward a Way to Benchmark Multilevel Inverter Topologies Based on Level to Components Ratio

Abstract

This paper introduces a generalized platform for the design selection of multilevel inverters (MLIs) topologies for any industry, especially in low- and medium-power applications. This platform is novel as it combines the component count and stress in any MLI in a normalized unique score. Each MLI topology is designed to match specific criteria to meet a specific application, which introduces diversified sets of merits and demerits in each case. Therefore, choosing a suitable MLI topology for the specific application is rather a difficult, time-consuming, and complex process. Moreover, the comparison can only be conducted between MLI topologies that fall under the same category. This paper introduces a comprehensive study to propose a new benchmark (BM) which can be used to compare MLI topologies regardless of their constructions or oriented applications. Each MLI topology gets a BM score based on comparative factors that evaluate its components quantitatively and qualitatively. Thus, comparing different types of MLI topologies is a simple process of comparing their calculated BM scores leading to better well-informed choice. First, the proposed BM-derived forms are discussed. Then, the proposed methodology is illustrated by applying to various types of MLI topologies including conventional and recently introduced ones.