Semi-full-bridge submodule for modular multilevel converters

The energy variations in each arm of the modular multilevel converter comprises two components. The first component relates to the difference between the instantaneous input and output power of each phase-leg, and the second component relates to the energy which is moved back and forth between the two arms of the phase-leg. The latter component can be reduced or even eliminated if the peak-to-peak amplitude of the alternating voltage is greater than the pole-to-pole voltage of the dc link. This will, however, require submodules which can insert negative voltages. Therefore, a semi-full-bridge submodule which uses less semiconductors than the conventional full-bridge is proposed. Simulation results shows that by using the negative voltage-levels the capacitor voltage ripple can be reduced by up to 59%. Experimental results also shows that a 7-level voltage waveform can be generated using only one semi-full-bridge submodule with two capacitors per arm.