A Method for Reliability Evaluation of Multi-Level Converters

In recent years, several multilevel converters have been developed. The best-known multilevel converter types are: diode clamped, capacitor clamped and cascade. From these basic configurations a variety of multilevel converters have been produced in order to increase efficiency, reduce number of diodes or switches and increase reliability. The increasing proliferation of these converters in motor drives, flexible ac transmission systems (FACTS), and renewable resource integration motivates the development of reliability methods to evaluate these devices and reliability issues therein. This paper proposes a method based on minimal path set to evaluate the reliability of multilevel converters. The method is demonstrated on a five-level converter.

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