Study of a Single Source Based High Gain 17 Level Switched Capacitor Multilevel Inverter

This paper introduces a novel 17-level Switched Capacitor Multilevel Inverter (SCMLI) structure featuring 14 switches and 5 capacitors, producing a boosted output voltage while utilizing a single DC power supply. The circuitry employs a specific capacitor charging sequence, achieving an output voltage boosting factor of 8. The Half-Height modulation method is implemented for low frequency switching of the proposed inverter. Voltage and current stress analysis have been presented in detail. The paper also delves into the optimum capacitor selection process, emphasizing Longest Discharge Time (LDT) calculations and showcasing capacitor size variations with load resistance and percentage capacitor voltage ripple. A comparative study shows the proposed inverter's betterness in terms of device count, boosting factor, and cost function compared to existing alternatives. The effectiveness and merits of the proposed inverter have been validated through the development and successful testing of a laboratory prototype. The experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed SCMLI under resistive and resistive-inductive loads, with the ability to balance self-capacitor voltages showcased.