A modified voltage balancing sorting algorithm for the modular multilevel converter: Evaluation for staircase and phase-disposition PWM

This paper introduces a low complexity implementation of the voltage balancing sorting algorithm to reduce the switching frequency of the power devices in modular multilevel converters (MMCs). Two modulation techniques are evaluated; staircase modulation and phase-disposition pulse-width modulation (PD-PWM) under the conventional and the proposed algorithm. Using a circulating current controller in an MMC with 12 sub-modules per arm, PD-PWM yields better results compared to the staircase modulation technique. The test condition for this comparison is such that the power devices operate at a similar switching frequency and produce similar amplitudes to the capacitor voltage ripples in both modulation techniques. The results are verified through extensive simulations and experimentally using a phase-leg MMC laboratory prototype.