Modular Multilevel Converter with Distributed Galvanic Isolation: A Decentralized Voltage Balancing Algorithm with Smart Gate Drivers

Abstract

This work introduces a novel concept of Distributed Galvanic Insulation (DGI) for multilevel converters. By daisy chaining the submodule gate drivers, the requirement in terms of isolation voltage is highly decreased. The use of Smart gate drivers, which implement advanced communication features, allows communication signals to flow along the chain. Applied to MMC, the DGI forbids the use of classical Voltage Balancing Algorithms. A new algorithm, directly integrated on the gate drivers, is proposed for DGI-MMC and is validated by simulation.