Comparison between a hybrid multilevel converter employing half-bridge modules and a hybrid multilevel converter employing H-Bridge modules

The Hybrid Cascaded Half-Bridge (HC½B) converter is a multilevel circuit topology that is able to replace a Hybrid Cascaded H-Bridge (HCHB) converter regarding voltage vector generation, modularity and other features. However, there is not a complete correspondence between the converters since they present different operation principles. This work presents a comparison between the (HC½B) and the (HCHB). The converters are analyzed in their four-level versions, but the results are valid for other configurations. The comparison comprehends the power semiconductors, the generated voltages, the isolated dc supplies and the dc-link capacitors. It is shown that the main differences are with the dc link capacitors. Thus, these are analyzed in detail and a modeling procedure to design and compare them is proposed.