Harmonic Optimization in High Gain 13-L Switched-Capacitor Multilevel Inverter Using Hybrid Ant Colony Optimization

Abstract

A single-phase high-gain 13-Ievel switched capacitor multilevel inverter (HG-13L SC-MLI) using a single DC supply, 11 switches, 2 diodes, and 3 capacitors is proposed in this study. The proposed HG-13L SC-MLI has a voltage gain of 6, with integrated output voltage enhancement features. By utilizing a specific switching technique, the capacitors are charged in the ratio of 1:1:3, having self-balancing features and assuring optimal voltage levels at the output. To minimize the dominant low-order harmonics, a hybrid ant colony optimization (HACO), a bio-inspired algorithm based on selective harmonic elimination pulse width modulation (SHE-PWM) is employed to calculate the optimized switching angles. The proposed HG-13L SC-MLI topology using HACO algorithm is verified through mathematical analysis and simulation studies. A 450 W laboratory prototype of the HG-13L SC-MLI is tested to validate its effectiveness. Finally, the gain, total standing voltage, and active/passive component count of the HG-13L SC-MLI are compared with the existing topologies. © 2024 IEEE.