Direct torque control of an 3L-NPC inverter-fed induction machine: A model predictive approach

Predictive direct torque control for a three-level neutral point clamped inverter is proposed. The main differences between standard direct torque control and the proposed approach are the flexibility and simple algorithm implementation, which does not require complex predefined switching tables nor logic to select among them, as standard direct torque control requires. The dynamic performance is similar between them although torque ripple is smaller using the proposed controller. Predictive torque control is sensitive to parameters variation, however the prediction uses the same information required by standard direct torque control estimator. Simulation results validate the proposed control scheme and shows a performance comparison with the standard direct torque control strategy.