In this thesis, the neutral point potential drift/fluctuation of the three-level neutral point clamped inverter is analyzed and a novel control algorithm, the two-parameter PWM method is proposed to confine the neutral point potential variation to a very small range. The two-parameter PWM method provides superior neutral point potential control performance even with small DC bus capacitors. The method is based on PWM pulse pattern modification and requires no additional hardware. Detailed analytical models of the neutral point current and potential as a function of the modulation parameters are established and the neutral point potential behavior is thoroughly investigated. Based on the study, the deficiency of the known methods is illustrated and the two-parameter PWM method is developed and its superior performance demonstrated. The performance of the two-parameter PWM method is verified by means of computer simulations utilizing both the per-PWM-cycle average model and the detailed model of the inverter. The results are supported by laboratory experiments involving both an R-L load and an induction motor drive.

Submitted by isabela.moljf@hotmail.com (isabela.moljf@hotmail.com) on 2016-08-17T13:13:35Z No. of bitstreams: 1 edgardantoniocarvalhofaria.pdf: 1973989 bytes, checksum: d3bab54ddaedb3568a6072e8ef842752 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-08-19T12:20:42Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 edgardantoniocarvalhofaria.pdf: 1973989 bytes, checksum: d3bab54ddaedb3568a6072e8ef842752 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-08-19T12:24:15Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 edgardantoniocarvalhofaria.pdf: 1973989 bytes, checksum: d3bab54ddaedb3568a6072e8ef842752 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-19T12:24:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 edgardantoniocarvalhofaria.pdf: 1973989 bytes, checksum: d3bab54ddaedb3568a6072e8ef842752 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-08-15 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Este estudo tem como objetivo apresentar uma fórmula para o cálculo de volume dos mais variados sólidos geométricos estudados no ensino médio e outros mais, a chamada Fórmula dos Três Níveis. A intenção é fornecer aos alunos do ensino médio uma única forma para calcular o volume de sólidos geométricos, desde que estes satisfaçam a uma certa propriedade, proporcionando aos alunos autonomia no estudo desse assunto. A prova do resultado é baseada no método de exaustão e, portanto, o professor que optar por fazer tal demonstração introduzirá ao aluno conceitos primitivos do Cálculo Diferencial e Integral. / This study aims to present a new formula for the calculation of volume of various geometrical solids studied in high school, as well as others, the so-called Three-Level Formula. The goal is to provide high schoolers with a single formula to calculate the volume of geometrical solids, as longs as they satisfy a certain property, allowing pupils autonomy in the study of this subject. The proof of this study is based on the method of exhaustion, and, therefore, the teacher who chooses to demonstrate this will introduce students to primitive concepts of differential and integral calculus.

abstract: A wideband hybrid envelope tracking modulator utilizing a hysteretic-controlled three-level switching converter and a slew-rate enhanced linear amplifierer is presented. In addition to smaller ripple and lower losses of three-level switching converters, employing the proposed hysteresis control loop results in a higher speed loop and wider bandwidth converter, enabling over 80MHz of switching frequency. A concurrent sensor circuit monitors and regulates the flying capacitor voltage VCF and eliminates conventional required calibration loop to control it. The hysteretic-controlled three-level switching converter provides a high percentage of power amplifier supply load current with lower ripple, reducing the linear amplifier high-frequency current and ripple cancellation current, improving the overall system efficiency. A slew-rate enhancement (SRE) circuit is employed in the linear amplifier resulting in slew-rate of over 307V/us and bandwidth of over 275MHz for the linear amplifier. The slew-rate enhancement circuit provides a parallel auxiliary current path directly to the gate of the class-AB output stage transistors, speeding-up the charging or discharging of out- put without modifying the operating point of the remaining linear amplifier, while maintaining the quiescent current of the class-AB stage. The supply modulator is fabricated in 65nm CMOS process. The measurement results show the tracking of LTE-40MHz envelope with 93% peak efficiency at 1W output power, while the SRE is disabled. Enabling the SRE it can track LTE-80MHz envelope with peak efficiency of 91%. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 2019

No description available.

The literature is clear that intentional or unintentional clustering of data elements typically results in the inflation of the estimated standard error of fixed parameter estimates. This study is unique in that it examines the impact of multilevel data structures on subject ability which are random effect predictions known as empirical Bayes estimates in the one-parameter IRT / Rasch model. The literature on the impact of complex survey design on latent trait models is mixed and there is no "best practice" established regarding how to handle this situation. A simulation study was conducted to address two questions related to ability estimation. First, what impacts does design based clustering have with respect to desirable statistical properties when estimating subject ability with the one-parameter IRT / Rasch model? Second, since empirical Bayes estimators have shrinkage properties, what impacts does clustering of first-stage sampling units have on measurement validity-does the first-stage sampling unit impact the ability estimate, and if so, is this desirable and equitable? Two models were fit to a factorial experimental design where the data were simulated over various conditions. The first model Rasch model formulated as a HGLM ignores the sample design (incorrect model) while the second incorporates a first-stage sampling unit (correct model). Study findings generally showed that the two models were comparable with respect to desirable statistical properties under a majority of the replicated conditions-more measurement error in ability estimation is found when the intra-class correlation is high and the item pool is small. In practice this is the exception rather than the norm. However, it was found that the empirical Bayes estimates were dependent upon the first-stage sampling unit raising the issue of equity and fairness in educational decision making. A real-world complex survey design with binary outcome data was also fit with both models. Analysis of the data supported the simulation design results which lead to the conclusion that modeling binary Rasch data may resort to a policy tradeoff between desirable statistical properties and measurement validity. / Ph. D.

The main focus of this thesis is on the power electronic converter system challenges associated with the grid integration of variable-renewable-energy (VRE) sources like wave, marine current, tidal, wind, solar etc. Wave energy conversion with grid integration is used as the key reference, considering its high energy potential to support the future clean energy requirements and due the availability of a test facility at Uppsala University. The emphasis is on the DC-link power conditioning and grid coupling of direct driven wave energy converters (DDWECs). The DDWEC reflects the random nature of its input energy to its output voltage wave shape. Thereby, it demands for intelligent power conversion techniques to facilitate the grid connection. One option is to improve and adapt an already existing, simple and reliable multilevel power converter technology, using smart control strategies. The proposed WECs to grid interconnection system consists of uncontrolled three-phase rectifiers, three-level boost converter(TLBC) or three-level buck-boost converter (TLBBC) and a three-level neutral point clamped (TLNPC) inverter. A new method for pulse delay control for the active balancing of DC-link capacitor voltages by using TLBC/TLBBC is presented. Duty-ratio and pulse delay control methods are combined for obtaining better voltage regulation at the DC-link and for achieving higher controllability range. The classic voltage balancing problem of the NPC inverter input, is solved efficiently using the above technique. A synchronous current compensator is used for the NPC inverter based grid coupling. Various results from both simulation and hardware testing show that the required power conditioning and power flow control can be obtained from the proposed multilevel multistage converter system. The entire control strategies are implemented in Xilinx Virtex 5 FPGA, inside National Instruments’ CompactRIO system using LabVIEW. A contour based dead-time harmonic analysis method for TLNPC and the possibilities of having various interconnection strategies of WEC-rectifier units to complement the power converter efforts for stabilizing the DC-link, are also presented. An advanced future AC2AC direct power converter system based on Modular multilevel converter (MMC) structure developed at Siemens AG is presented briefly to demonstrate the future trends in this area.

Au Vietnam, plus d’un demi-million d’habitations n’ont pas d’accès à l’électricité. Elles se situent principalement dans des régions montagneuses ou sur des îles. Cependant, c’est un pays qui possède un grand potentiel en énergies renouvelables. Dans ce contexte, l’alimentation en électricité pour les sites isolés est une solution prometteuse en termes économique et environnemental. L’énergie solaire est la plus adaptée à l’alimentation en électricité des villages en raison d’un ensoleillement important et d’une maintenance relativement facile. Dans les systèmes de conversion d’énergie utilisant des sources d’énergies renouvelables, on utilise généralement des convertisseurs statiques simples. En effet, si l’on prend un système photovoltaïque, la poursuite du point de puissance maximale (MPPT) se fait à l’aide d’un convertisseur « boost » ou « buck-boost ». Ainsi, en cas de défaillance, le système est mis hors service. L’objectif de cette thèse est d’apporter des améliorations au niveau d’un système photovoltaïque autonome pouvant être utilisé dans un site isolé. Ainsi nous avons développé un algorithme de recherche du point de puissance maximale (MPPT) utilisant des convertisseurs DC-DC à trois niveaux (CBTN) permettant d’extraire le maximum de puissance d’un générateur photovoltaïque quelles que soient les variations climatiques (température, ensoleillement) ou de la charge. L’architecture à base de panneaux solaires associé à un système de stockage a nécessité la mise en place d’un superviseur flou afin de maîtriser la gestion des flux. Enfin, nous avons proposé une méthode de détection de défauts afin de gérer efficacement les cas de défaillance d’un élément du convertisseur multiniveaux. En effet, en cas de défauts, on doit pouvoir passer en mode dégradé pour pouvoir assurer un service proche du comportement nominal ou au moins minimal en attendant une maintenance corrective. / In Vietnam, more than half a million people do not have access to electricity. They are mainly in mountainous regions or on islands. However, this country has great potential for renewable energy. In this context, these sources of energy can be regarded as promising solutions both economically and environmentally for supplying electrical power. Solar energy is the most suitable to supply villages with electricity because of the plentiful solar radiation and relatively easy maintenance of the structures. In energy conversion systems using renewable energy sources, simple static converters are generally used. Indeed, if we explore a photovoltaic system, the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is done using a boost or buck-boost converter. Thus, in case of failure, the system is simply switched off. The aim of this thesis is to make improvements to an autonomous photovoltaic system that can be used in an isolated site. Therefore, an MPPT algorithm using three-level DC-DC converters is developed to extract the maximum power of a photovoltaic generator, whatever the climatic variations (temperature, sunlight) or charge. The system’s architecture is based on solar panels associated with a storage system, which required the development of a fuzzy supervisor to control the flow management. Finally, we propose a fault detection method to efficiently manage the failure of a multi-level converter element. Indeed, if there is a fault, we must go into a degraded mode to provide a service close to normal or at least minimal functioning, pending maintenance.

The still increasing demand of electrical energy and the rising popularity of renewable energy sources in today's world are two important developments that necessitate the need for innovative solutions in the field of power electronics. Parallel operation of converters is one possible method in trying to bridge an increased current demand. The classical two-level converters, which are the standard in low voltage applications, are rarely adopted in medium and high voltage applications due to the voltage limits on power semiconductor devices. That is one reason for the growing popularity of multilevel converter topologies in medium and high-voltage applications. Although an increase in the number of voltage levels of a multilevel converter has its advantages, there are also challenges posed due to the increased number of switching devices. This has resulted in three-level converters being the most popular compared to converters of higher voltage levels. In this dissertation, the unified operation of parallel connected three-level converter units as a multilevel converter of higher voltage levels is proposed. The mathematical basis for operating parallel connected converter units as a single multilevel converter and the governing equations for such systems are derived. The analysis and the understanding of these equations are important for assessing practicality of the system and devising appropriate control structures. Parallel operation of converter units operating as multilevel converter have their own set of challenges, the two foremost being that of load-sharing and the possibility of circulating and cross currents. Developing solutions to address these challenges require a thorough understanding of how these manifest in the proposed system. Algorithms are then developed for tackling these issues. The control structures are designed and the developed algorithms are implemented. The operation of the system is verified experimentally. / Die weiterhin steigende Nachfrage nach elektrischer Energie und die zunehmende Verwendung erneuerbarer Energiequellen in der heutigen Welt sind zwei wichtige Entwicklungen, die die Notwendigkeit innovativer Lösungen im Bereich der Leistungselektronik erfordern. Der Parallelbetrieb von Stromrichtern ist eine mögliche Methode, um einen erhöhten Strombedarf zu decken. Der klassische Zweipunkt-Spanungszwischenkreisstromrichter, der bei Niederspannungsanwendungen weit verbreitet ist, wird aufgrund der Spannungsgrenzen für Leistungshalbleiterbauelemente zunehmend weniger in Mittel- und Hochspannungsanwendungen eingesetzt. Die begrenzte Spannungsbelastbarkeit der Leistungshalbleiterbauelemente ist ein Grund für die wachsende Beliebtheit von Mehrpunkt-Stromrichtertopologien in Mittelund Hochspannungsanwendungen. Obwohl eine Erhöhung der Anzahl der Spannungsstufen eines Mehrpunkt-Stromrichters Vorteile hat, gibt es auch Herausforderungen und Nachteile aufgrund der erhöhten Anzahl von Leistungshalbleitern. Dies hat dazu geführt, dass der Dreipunkt-Stromrichter die verbreiteste Topologie im Vergleich zu anderen Stromrichtern mit einer höheren Anzahl von Spannungsstufen ist. In dieser Dissertation wird der Betrieb von parallel geschalteten Dreipunkt-Stromrichtereinheiten als ein Mehrpunkt-Stromrichter mit erhöhter Anzahl an Spannungsstufen vorgeschlagen. Die mathematische Basis für den Betrieb von parallel geschalteten Stromrichtereinheiten als ein Mehrpunkt-Stromrichter und die beschreibenden Gleichungen eines solchen Systems werden abgeleitet. Die Analyse und das Verständnis dieser Gleichungen sind wichtig für die Beurteilung der Praktikabilität des Systems und die Erarbeitung geeigneter Regelstrukturen. Der parallele Betrieb von Stromrichtereinheiten hat seine eigenen Herausforderungen, wobei die beiden wichtigsten die Lastverteilung und die Möglichkeit von Kreis- und Querströmen sind. Die Entwicklung von Lösungen zur Bewältigung dieser Herausforderungen erfordert ein gründliches Verständnis dafür, wie sich diese Phänomene in dem vorgeschlagenen System manifestieren. Algorithmen zur Lösung dieser Probleme werden anschlieend entwickelt. Die Regelstrukturen werden entworfen und die entworfenen Algorithmen implementiert. Die Funktionsweise des Systems wird experimentell überprüft.

The purpose of this inquiry is to examine weather Robert Putnam’s two-level game theory could be expanded to a third level. Furthermore, the study seeks to answer the question weather international negotiations can be played on three levels. For the purpose of the study, the two-level game theory will be applied to the ongoing negotiations between Bosnia and Hercegovina (BiH) and the European Union. The third level will be investigated by considering United States’ role and its frequent involvement in negotiations. The General Framework Dayton Peace Agreement (1995) that ended the four-year war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with additional political and economic involvement of the USA in BiH will be utilized to signify the existence of the third level. The argument of this paper has been developed using qualitative research methods, where interviews have been combined with an analysis of contents. The study’s findings have several implications for the existence of the third-level. First, results demonstrate that Bosnian political figures fail to recognize USA’s involvement in the negotiation process. Second, study indicates an indirect, but intense influence of the United States due to its strategic interests. Third, the study significantly contributes to the international negotiations by incorporating the events on all three levels that influence all negotiation outcomes. The use of qualitative methods in this study deepened theoretical understanding of the three-level game, provided useful application for practitioners and opened up an opportunity to provide even greater understanding of international negotiations as a whole.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-08T14:57:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 3511521 bytes, checksum: b6fc527d9dd12a95d8694d91fe94df32 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-05-13 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This paper presents a technique of Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) converters for single-phase three-level with diode clipping, which aims at balancing the tension in the bus capacitors. The technique consists of injecting a signal common mode voltage of the sinusoidal modulating signal width modulation conventional pulse-based Carrier, which introduces an element of DC current in the neutral bus capacitors, this voltage can be controlled, with the main objective to balance the voltage of the capacitor relative to the neutral point. The technique is presented a set of equations, in order to demonstrate how the injected voltage signal introduces a component DC current at the neutral point. To test the proposed strategy, the structure of the three-level converter with diode clipping was simulated with PSIM and mounted using a digital signal processor for generating the control signals of semiconductor devices. Simulations and experimental results that demonstrate the efficiency and quality of the PWM strategy are presented. / Este trabalho apresenta uma técnica de Modulação por Largura de Pulso (PWM) para conversores monofásicos de três níveis com diodo de grampeamento, que tem como objetivo o balanceamento da tensão no barramento de capacitores. A técnica consiste na injeção de um sinal de tensão de modo comum no sinal modulante senoidal, da modulação por largura de pulso convencional baseada em Portadora (Carrier Based Pulse Width Modulation), o qual introduz uma componente de corrente CC no ponto neutro do barramento de capacitores, podendo essa tensão ser controlada, com o objetivo principal de balancear a tensão dos capacitores em relação ao ponto neutro. A técnica é apresentada em um conjunto de equações, com a finalidade de demonstrar como o sinal de tensão injetado introduz uma componente de corrente CC no ponto neutro. Para testar a estratégia proposta, a estrutura do conversor de três níveis com diodos de grampeamento foi simulada com o PSIM e montada, utilizando um processador digital de sinais para geração dos sinais de comando dos dispositivos semicondutores. Resultados de simulações e experimentais que demonstram a eficiência e a qualidade da estratégia PWM são apresentados.