Quantum mechanics

Voltage

Engineering

Traction substation

Network topology

Traction (geology)

Control engineering

Operating system

Power (physics)

Traction power network

Computer science

Computer network

Mechanical engineering

Physics

Inverter

Electronic engineering

Automotive engineering

Transformer

Electrical engineering

IEEE Access

Traction inverter has been the subject of many studies due to its essential role in the proper performance of the drive system. With the recent trend in increasing the input voltage in battery-powered electric vehicles, multilevel inverters have been proposed in the literature as a promising substitute for conventional two-level traction inverters. A critical aspect of utilizing multilevel structures is employing proper control and modulation techniques. The control system structure must be capable of handling a number of key issues, like capacitor voltage balancing and equal power loss sharing, which arise in multilevel topologies. This paper presents a review of the present-day traction drive systems in the industry, control and modulation techniques for multilevel structures in the inverters, as well as the principal challenges that need to be addressed in the control stage of the multilevel traction inverter. A comparison has been made between different methods based on the most important criteria and requirements of the traction drive system. Finally, future trends in this application are presented and some suggestions have been made for the next generation of traction drives.

A Review of Modulation and Control Techniques for Multilevel Inverters in Traction Applications