Phase-Shifted Model Predictive Control With Improved Steady-State Control Input Reference for Three-Level Active-NPC Converters

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This article proposes a phase-shifted model predictive control (PS-MPC) strategy to fully exploit the most relevant features of finite control set model predictive control (FCS-MPC) and phase-shifted pulse width modulation (PS-PWM) in a three-level active neutral point clamped (3L-ANPC) converter. Conventional PS-MPC strategies utilize a steady-state control input reference, typically a harmonic-free signal depending on the converter topology. However, this article demonstrates that the PS-MPC strategy applied to the 3L-ANPCconverter requires a control input containing a third-harmonic component with a specific magnitude and phase angle, which improves output current tracking and capacitor voltage balancing. By designing synchronized models for each carrier, the predictive controller optimizes duty cycles independently, ensuring the effective regulation of both control variables while addressing model nonlinearities. The proposed strategy is experimentally validated using a DSP F28379D microcontroller and a three-phase 3L-ANPCconverter using a total of 64 switching states in a grid-connected application. Compared to PS-PWM and FCS-MPC, the proposed approach maintains a fixed switching frequency, improves steady-state tracking, and enhances capacitor voltage balancing with a fast dynamic response. Additionally, it outperforms PS-MPC with control input change penalization (PS-MPC <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\boldsymbol\Delta} \boldsymbol{u}$</tex-math></inline-formula>) by reducing spectral dispersion while achieving lower execution time than both FCS-MPC and PS-MPC <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\boldsymbol\Delta} \boldsymbol{u}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, making it more suitable for real-time implementation. Such results are also discussed with a video demonstrating the real-time implementation.