Multilevel reduced controlled switches AC-DC power conversion cells

This paper presents multilevel AC-DC single-phase power conversion cells for applications in which the regenerative operation is either not required or prohibited. The AC primary power source is a single phase from a permanent magnet (PM) generator or from an electrical grid. The cells are composed of two H-bridges in cascade: a unidirectional high-voltage H-bridge with two controlled switches and two power diodes, processing the active power, and a low-voltage H-bridge with four controlled switches and a floating capacitor. These cells can be part of multi-phase systems, in which it is required one cell for each phase. In this paper, some examples of application for three-phase systems are going to be given, exploring different ways of connection between the single-phase cells. Simulation and experimental results regarding the proposed cells will be shown for validation and comparison purposes.