Modulation Scheme for Three-Phase Differential-Mode Ćuk Inverter

Three-phase differential-mode inverters are single-stage inverters, which have the potential to reduce the number of devices and cost with higher power density. Among such inverter topologies, differential-mode three-phase Ćuk inverter (DTCI) has some advantage over other topologies, including modularity, lower number of switches, bidirectional power flow capability, and galvanic isolation. DTCI is a promising configuration for renewable-/alternative-energy applications with isolated and nonisolated structures. The continuous modulation scheme (CMS), which was introduced originally for the DTCI, activates all of three modules of the inverter. CMS increases the circulating power in modules and hence increases inverter power loss. This paper describes a discontinuous modulation scheme (DMS) for the DTCI which deactivates one module at a time resulting in a discontinuous operation of the inverter modules. The experimental open- and closed-loop results of DMS- and CMS-based DTCI are provided and compared. DMS reduces the circulating power, device voltage ratings, and mitigates the DTCI losses. The DTCI exhibits a nonlinear voltage gain with both DMS and CMS. It has been demonstrated that by feed-forwarding the input voltage and incorporating a static linearization method, the harmonic distortion of the output voltage is considerably reduced.