Generalization of Selective Harmonic Control/Elimination

J.R. Wells, P.L. Chapman, P.T. Krein Grainger Center for Electric Machinery and Electromechanics Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL U.S.A. [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] AbstractPrevious work on selective harmonic elimination/control has made fundamental assumptions that enforce output waveform quarter- or half- wave symmetry, presumably in order to reduce the complexity of the resulting equations. However, the quarter- or half-wave symmetric assumption is not required and it restricts the solution space, which can result in sub-optimal solutions with regard to the uncontrolled harmonic distribution. More general formulations can be proposed which have varying degrees of additional complexity. In order to understand how these more general formulations can be obtained, a qualitative description of the waveform construction process for the two-level waveform case will be discussed followed by presentation of the resulting system of equations. This two-level case is then generalized to the mlevel, n-harmonic control problem. Finally, this generalization is used to analyze three-level waveforms. All solutions presented in this paper are unattainable utilizing previous techniques.

where nj is the jth element in a set of controlled harmonics N having k elements, is a vector of length k, and qi is the ith switching angle. The magnitude of the harmonic content in the njth harmonic is mj. The three-level waveform equations are
f n j () =

m j = ( -1)
i =1

i +1

n sin j 2 nj

cos n ( j i)

nj N

(2)

I.

INTRODUCTION

Harmonic elimination has been a research topic since the early 1960s, first examined in [1] and developed into a mature form in [2-4] during the 1970s. Harmonic elimination, a reduced switching technique for inverters, provides direct control over output waveform harmonics. This makes it a viable alternative to standard voltage sourced inversion (quasi-square wave switching signals) or low frequency PWM in high power conversion applications. In the past, the problem has been formulated from a few different perspectives, all assuming quarter-wave symmetry (except [5] which enforces half-wave symmetry). The most familiar formulation constructs an output waveform, two-level or three-level, by notching a pre-existing square wave with each notch representing a harmonic controlled [1-3]. Another approach uses a double pulse waveform as a basis function to create the desired two- or three-level output waveform [4]. Both formulations result in the same Fourier series representation for a two-level or three-level waveform. The resulting equations based on the Fourier series for the twolevel waveform are described by
n sin j 2 f n j () = m j = 4 nj

k 1 + 2 -1 i cos n ( j i ) ( ) i =1

nj N

(1)

The set of all equations generated from (1) and (2) have multiple solutions, which can be obtained using iterative methods [6, 7], elimination theory [8], homotopy methods [15] or optimization theory [9, 10]. Another formulation [11, 12], which maintains quarter-wave symmetry, uses Walsh functions as a basis to create the desired harmonic elimination waveform. This method results in a set of algebraic matrix equations. The quarter-wave symmetry assumption guarantees that the even harmonics will be zero and that all harmonics will be either in phase or anti-phase with the fundamental [4]. Although this is convenient, the quarter-wave symmetry constraint limits the solution space. If the quarter-wave symmetry constraint is relaxed to a half-wave symmetry constraint as presented in [16], the even harmonics are still zero but now the harmonic phasing is free to vary. The method proposed in this paper advances the work done in [13] and uses general periodic switching functions (GPSF) [13] as a basis for the harmonic elimination waveforms creation. Unlike the quasi-square wave basis, this basis function gives freedom to place every switching edge in the waveform independently. It is shown that this more general problem formulation results in an infinite number of solutions due to the under-constrained nature of the resulting system of equations. The non-half-wave symmetric two-level waveforms have unique uncontrolled harmonic profiles which vary significantly from traditional results [6, 8, 13]. As such, some solutions may have merit relative to others with respect to system losses, ripple characteristics, or some other system aspect. For example, these unique harmonic profiles can be chosen such that they place significant energy in triplen harmonics, a benefit for applications with balanced threephase wye-connected loads.

0-7803-9033-4/05/$20.00 2005 IEEE.

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This paper presents the two-level problem formulation and analyzes several solutions for cases where triplen harmonics are controlled and not controlled. The problem formulation is then generalized to the m-level, n-harmonic case. Finally, this generalization is used to analyze three-level waveforms. Several solutions to the harmonic control problem are presented which are unobtainable with previous techniques including the generalization of [5]. II. TWO-LEVEL WAVEFORMS

f nimag ( D, ) = j

K sin n j Di mimag = 2 sin n ji j i=1 nj

nj N

(4)

Note that the harmonic content can also be described in polar coordinates such that m real = m j cos ( j ) (5) j
mimag = m j sin j j

( )

(6)

A. Problem Formulation As discussed in the introduction, the restriction of quarterwave or half-wave symmetry constrains the selective harmonic control problem. Although this reduces the complexity of the transcendental equations, it reduces the solution space which may result in a suboptimal solution for a given application. To relax the symmetry constraints, general periodic switching functions [13] are summed to obtain the desired switching waveform as depicted in Figure 1. This basis function gives freedom to place every switching event in the entire waveform independently. The resulting system of equations to be solved is now posed by (3) and (4), where nj is the jth element in a set of controlled harmonics N, D is a vector of length K with each element related to the duty ratio of the kth switching function as described by [14], is a vector of length K with each element describing the phase shift of the kth switching function, and mjreal and mjimag are the desired real and imaginary components of the njth harmonic.
f nreal ( D, ) = j

where mj is the magnitude and gj is the phase of the jth harmonic in the set N. Due to the lack of half-wave symmetry in this formulation, even harmonics are no longer guaranteed to be zero. Thus, in addition to the equations described by (3) and (4), it is now necessary to control the dc component of the waveform by enforcing the additional equation
f 0real ( D, ) = 1 K = Di 2 i=1

(7).

In the generalization presented in [5], controlling all harmonics out to a particular harmonic required at least
n +1 nswitch = 4 max +2 2

(8)

switching events where nmax is the maximum harmonic to be controlled and is always odd. This is the same number of switching events required in the traditional case presented in (1). Using the general switching function approach, for the same harmonic control, only
n +1 nswitch = 4 max +1 2

(9)

K sin n j Di m real cos n ji = 2 j i =1 nj 2

nj N

(3)

switching events are needed. Since each general periodic switching function provides two switching events, this leaves an additional degree of freedom. The best utilization of this additional degree of freedom remains an open question. Possibilities include simply fixing a switching event at a
2

Normalized Output

Normalized Output

Normalized Output 50 100 150 200 250 Anglular Time Scale (degrees) 300 350

1.5

1.5

1.5

0.5

0.5

0.5

0 0 50 100 150 200 250 Anglular Time Scale (degrees) 300 350

0 0

0 0 50 100 150 200 250 Anglular Time Scale (degrees) 300 350

a) General Periodic Switching Function (GPSF1)

b) GPSF2
1

c) GPSF3

Normalized Output

Normalized Output

Normalized Output 50 100 150 200 250 Anglular Time Scale (degrees) 300 350

1.5

1.5

0.5

0.5

0.5

-0.5

0 0 50 100 150 200 250 Anglular Time Scale (degrees) 300 350

0 0

-1 0 50 100 150 200 250 Anglular Time Scale (degrees) 300 350

d) GPSF4

e) GPSF5

f)

GPSF 1
i i =1

Figure 1. Waveform construction, fundamental, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th controlled

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convenient place such as the zero crossing of the wave form, imposing an additional optimization constraint equation, or eliminating one GPSF per every two fundamental periods. The problem posed by (3) and (4) can be solved using any of the techniques that have been previously discussed in the context of the more restrictive quarter-wave symmetric problem including iterative approaches [6, 7], elimination theory [8], minimization techniques [9, 10], homotopy methods [15] or genetic algorithms [15]. Any solution to the quarter-wave symmetric problem will also be a solution to the more complete formulation posed in this paper. B. Example Solutions Figure 2 presents several plots that illustrate one set of solutions to the two-level problem with the 1st through the 11th harmonics controlled. This requires at least 12 general switching functions to solve 23 equations (11 for the real components, 11 for the imaginary components, and 1 for the dc component). Since each switching function introduces two degrees of freedom (Di and fi), this results in 24 degrees of freedom and the problem is thus under-constrained. An iterative based solver was used to obtain solutions for D and across a range of modulation depth and the results are shown in 2a and 2b. Figure 2c shows an example waveform and harmonic content of the solution with a modulation depth of 1.00. Note that the waveform no longer possesses quarter- or half-wave symmetry and energy exists in the even harmonics of the uncontrolled spectrum. Figure 3 presents similar information for the case where triplen harmonics are not
Switching Function Phasing, (Degrees) 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 0

controlled as is typical when using harmonic elimination in motor drive applications. III. GENERAL MULTI-LEVEL WAVEFORMS

A. Problem Formulation The previous section detailed a more general problem formulation and selected solutions for the two-level harmonic control problem which is typically encountered. This problem is actually a special case of the more general m-level, nharmonic control problem defined by
f nreal ( D, ) = j f nimag ( D, ) = j

m real = ci ,1 j
i =1 K

sin n j Di nj

) cos

(n )
j i

nj N nj N

(10) (11) (12).

mimag = ci ,1 j
i =1

sin n j Di nj
K i =1

) sin

(n )
j i

f 0real ( D, ) = 0 = ci ,1 Di + ci ,2

where nj is the jth element in a set of controlled harmonics N, D is a vector of length K with each element related to the duty ratio of the kth quasi-square wave as described by [14], is a vector of length K with each element describing the phase shift of the kth switching function, mjreal and mjimag are the desired real and imaginary components of the njth harmonic, and ci,j describes the magnitude (j = 1) and offset (j = 2) of the ith switching function. The magnitude and offset of the switching functions, ci,j, take discrete values from a set C which is defined by the available voltage levels in the
Switching State 1 0 -1 0

Duty Ratio, D

0.1

50

100 150 200 250 Angular Time Scale (degrees)

300

350

Harmonic Magnitude

0.05

1 0.5 0 0

0 0

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 Modulation Depth of the Fundamental Component

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 Modulation Depth of the Fundamental Component

10

15 20 25 Harmonic Number

30

35

40

a) Duty ratio vs. modulation depth

b) Phasing of the switching functions vs. modulation depth

c) Example switching waveform and the magnitude of the resulting harmonic content at a modulation depth of 1.0 (see Appendix)

Figure 2. Example solutions for controlling the 1st through the 11th harmonics for a two-level waveform
0.25 Switching Function Phasing, (Degrees) Switching State 350 300 250 200 Harmonic Magnitude 150 100 50 0 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 Modulation Depth of the Fundamental Component 1 1 0 -1 0

0.2 Duty Ratio, D

0.15

50

100 150 200 250 Angular Time Scale (degrees)

300

350

0.1

1 0.5 0 0

0.05

0 0

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 Modulation Depth of the Fundamental Component

10

15 20 25 30 Harmonic Number

35

40

a) Duty ratio vs. modulation depth

b) Phasing of the switching functions vs. modulation depth

c) Example switching waveform and the magnitude of the resulting harmonic content at a modulation depth of 1.0 (see Appendix)

Figure 3. Example Solutions for Controlling the 1st through 13th Non-triplen Harmonics of a Two Level Waveform

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converter as
m m li l j C = 1 li l j i =1 jj = i

components, 9 for the imaginary components, and 1 for the dc component). In these examples, 5 GPSFs were chosen with (13) and 5 were chosen with
1 c= 1

1 c= 0

(17)

where m is the number of levels in the converter and li and lj are elements from the set L which contains all possible converter level magnitudes. B. Example Solutions for a Three-Level Waveform The three-level waveform problem which is often discussed in harmonic elimination papers can be obtained using the generalization of the previous section by defining the set L as L = {1, 0, 1} (14). Then by (13), the set C is defined as
1 1 2 C = , , 0 1 1

(18)

Again, note that the solutions do not possess the quarter- or half-wave symmetry that is found in previously published solutions. IV. CONCLUSION

(15).

In order to solve (10-12), it is necessary to choose an appropriate number of each type of GPSW from C. Although C includes three possible types of GPSFs for mathematical completeness, topology considerations will often limit which choices should be used. In this example, the choice of
2 c= 1

(16)

would require switching all four devices in a standard Hbridge inverter contributing unnecessarily to increased switching losses. Figures 4 and 5 present solutions to (10-12) for the threelevel harmonic elimination problem with triplens controlled and uncontrolled respectively. For both examples, at least 10 GPSFs are required to solve 19 equations (9 for the real
0.5 Switching Function Phasing, (Degrees) 350 300 250 200 0.4 Duty Ratio, D

This paper has presented a more complete formulation for the selective harmonic control problem generalizing the basic theory set forth by [1-4] and extending the generalization of [16]. It was shown that several solutions exist which have not been previously identified despite claims of completeness in several papers (although these papers did likely find all solutions to the problem they posed). In particular, these solutions differ by not imposing half- or quarter-wave symmetry constraints that previous solutions must have. The work presented in this paper may have several implications regarding traditional harmonic control applications. First, as suggested by [13], there exists an optimal switching waveform for a given harmonic control goal with respect to the uncontrolled harmonic content. This problem formulation gives the designer much more flexibility in selecting the uncontrolled harmonic content and may result in improvements in a system cost function such as system efficiency, electromagnetic compatibility, acoustic properties,
Switching State 1 0 -1 0

0.3

50

100 150 200 250 Angular Time Scale (degrees)

300

350

0.2

Harmonic Magnitude

150 100 50 0 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 Modulation Depth of the Fundamental Component 1

1 0.5 0 0

0.1

0 0

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 Modulation Depth of the Fundamental Component

10

15 20 25 Harmonic Number

30

35

a) Duty ratio vs. modulation depth

b) Phasing of the switching functions vs. modulation depth

c) Example switching waveform and the magnitude of the resulting harmonic content at a modulation depth of 1.0 (see Appendix)

Figure 4. Example Solutions for Controlling the 1st through 9th Harmonics of a Three Level Waveform
0.5 Switching Function Phasing, (Degrees) Switching State 350 300 250 200 Harmonic Magnitude 150 100 50 0 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 Modulation Depth of the Fundamental Component 1 1 0 -1 0

0.4 Duty Ratio, D

0.3

50

100 150 200 250 Angular Time Scale (degrees)

300

350

0.2

1 0.5 0 0

0.1

0 0

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 Modulation Depth of the Fundamental Component

10

15 20 25 30 Harmonic Number

35

40

a) Duty ratio vs. modulation depth

b) Phasing of the switching functions vs. modulation depth

c) Example switching waveform and the magnitude of the resulting harmonic content at a modulation depth of 1.0 (see Appendix)

Figure 5. Example Solutions for Controlling the 1st through 13th Non-triplen Harmonics of a Three Level Waveform

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etc. Investigation of such optimizations is a subject for future research. In fact, the additional degree of freedom may allow direct optimization of such a cost function in the solution process. As a final remark, it is important to realize when searching for harmonic elimination waveforms that multiple solutions can arise as result of two phenomena. First, the problem itself is fundamentally under-constrained. As such, a free parameter exists which can be varied independently giving rise to a continuum of solutions. Second, even if this free parameter is fixed, the system of transcendental equations can be rewritten as a system of polynomial equations using multiple angle identities [8, 16-18] which inherently has multiple solutions. APPENDIX Experimental verification of example waveforms displayed in paper (Note all waveform fundamental frequencies are 60Hz): Figure 4c

Figure 2c

Figure 5c ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors would like to thank the Grainger Center for Electric Machinery and Electromechanics and Motorola Communications Center for providing funding and/or facilities required for this work. REFERENCES
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Figure 3c

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[12] T. J. Liang and R. G. Hoft, "Walsh function method of harmonic elimination," in Applied Power Electronics Conference, 1993, pp. 847853. [13] J. R. Wells, B.M. Nee, P. L. Chapman, and P. T. Krein, "Optimal harmonic elimination control," in Power Electronics Specialists Conference, in press, pp. [14] P. T. Krein, Elements of Power Electronics. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. [15] A. I. Maswood, S. Wei, and M. A. Rahman, "A flexible way to generate PWM-SHE switching patterns using genetic algorithm," in Applied Power Electronics Conference, 2001, pp. 1130-1134. [16] J. Chiasson, L. Tolbert, K. McKenzie, and D. Zhong, "Eliminating harmonics in a multilevel converter using resultant theory," in Power Electronics Specialists Conference, 2002, pp. 503-508. [17] J. Chiasson, L. M. Tolbert, K. McKenzie, and Z. Du, "Elimination of harmonics in a multilevel converter using the theory of symmetric polynomials and resultants," in IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2003, pp. 3507-3512. [18] J. N. Chiasson, L. M. Tolbert, K. J. McKenzie, and Z. Du, "Control of a multilevel converter using resultant theory," IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, vol. 11, pp. 345-354, 2003.

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