Experimental evaluation of the indirect three-level sparse matrix converter

Variable voltage and variable frequency AC drives are widely used in commercial applications in order to control motion and to improve efficiency of an electromechanical conversion chain. Matrix converter is one of the AC-AC converter topologies that receive extensive research attention for being an alternative to replace the traditional AC-DC-AC converter. Matrix converter is able to directly convert energy from an AC source to an AC load without the need of a bulky and limited lifetime energy storage element. The indirect three- level sparse matrix converter is a new topology from this family that can synthesize three-level voltage in order to improve the output performance in terms of reduced harmonic contents, which further enhances the attractiveness of matrix converter. This paper presents the modulation scheme for controlling this topology. Experimental results are presented to prove the ability of this converter to produce better output voltages when compared to a conventional matrix converter and also able to maintain a sinusoidal input current.