Generalized modular multilevel converter and modulation

Modular multilevel converter (MMC) has gained popularity recently with its modulation, capacitor voltage balancing and circulating current issues widely discussed. Contributing to this effort, a study is presented here to show how the MMC topology can be derived from the viewpoint of two series converters regulating a power grid. The generalized topology derived and notated as GMMC can then be altered to create various types of MMC, including the traditional topology that is presently well-known. This effort has not been previously discussed, and may smoothen the understanding of MMC operation. For controlling the GMMC, a simple modulation scheme is also presented, where the goal is to achieve the desired performance at a minimized complexity. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the operation of the proposed topology.