An improved PWM optimization method for a reactive power compensator with self-commutated inverter

A high-power voltage-source inverter can be used as a controllable source of reactive current. One of the advantages of a compensator of this kind is the small size of the reactive components compared to conventional circuits. Parts of these components are used as a harmonic filter for the line-currents. Their design is determined by the switching frequency of the inverter and the PWM-method. The optimization method presented yields pulse patterns with sufficiently low harmonics at a minimum switching frequency for a given filter and for a given distortion standard. It is shown that the method can be applied to different inverter and filter configurations