Analysis of Fifteen and Thirteen-Level Novel Cascaded Inverter Design

International Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

© 2025 by SSRG - IJEEE Journal

Volume 12 Issue 11

Year of Publication : 2025

Authors : D. Narmitha, K. Karthikumar, P. Chandrasekar

10.14445/23488379/IJEEE-V12I11P112

How to Cite?

D. Narmitha, K. Karthikumar, P. Chandrasekar, "Analysis of Fifteen and Thirteen-Level Novel Cascaded Inverter Design," SSRG International Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, vol. 12,  no. 11, pp. 139-150, 2025. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488379/IJEEE-V12I11P112

Abstract:

Purpose: This study aims to develop enhanced Cascaded Multilevel Inverter (CMLI) topologies for 15- and thirteen-level operation with a reduced number of switches, while maintaining low Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) and high efficiency for applications that include energy from renewable sources and Electric Vehicle (EV) drives. Design/methodology/approach: The proposed inverters employ asymmetric DC sources and a reduced switch architecture combined with novel Level-Shifted Pulse-Width Modulation (LSPWM). The system was modelled and validated using MATLAB/Simulink simulations to examine the output voltage quality, efficiency, harmonic performance, and switching loss. Findings: The simulation results confirm that the 13-level and 15-level inverter designs achieve efficiencies above 94% with significantly lower switch counts compared to those of conventional cascaded H-bridge inverters. The proposed topologies yielded THD values of 8.08% and 7.39% for 13- and 15-level inverters, respectively. The switching losses and voltage stress are condensed through the reduced-switch approach, resulting in a compact and cost-effective system Originality/value: Unlike typical CHB inverters, which need a significant number of switches and independent sources, the proposed architectures provide high-quality output with fewer components. A comparative analysis demonstrated that reduced-switch LSPWM-based designs improve the harmonic performance, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Therefore, they are appropriate for EV motor drives and Photovoltaic (PV) applications.

Keywords:

Cascaded Multilevel Inverter (CMLI), Level-Shifted Pulse Width Modulation (LSPWM), Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), Efficiency, Electric Vehicle (EV) drives, Photovoltaic (PV).

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