Modeling and Control of a T-NPC Inverter Applied to Bidirectional Electric Vehicle Chargers

• Grant number: 24/23012-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Electrical Engineering - Industrial Electronics, Electronic Systems and Controls
• Principal Investigator: Augusto Matheus dos Santos Alonso
• Grantee: Bruno Paiva Sant'Anna
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/13330-3 - Bidirectional electric vehicle chargers connected to low-voltage grids: modeling, experimental assessment and study of supraharmonic distortions, AP.R

Abstract

Electric vehicles (EVs) have been consolidating themselves worldwide as a concrete alternative for the decarbonization of the transportation sector, although they require constant technical and scientific attention given the rapid evolution of their energy storage technologies, powertrains, and electric charging systems. Regardless of the technology employed in this context, power electronics plays a vital role in increasing energy efficiency, achieving shorter charging times, and offering greater operational flexibility for such EVs. In this context, this project focuses on power electronics applied to the electric charging system of EVs. It proposes to evaluate the use of a modern power electronic inverter (PEI) topology in the electric vehicle charger, aiming at bidirectional power and the provision of ancillary services. Therefore, the objective of this master's project is to study the integration of a T-NPC PEI into the infrastructure of an EV that connects to a low-voltage power grid. The aim is to model such a PEI and design its current/voltage/power controllers in order to provide not only EV charging, but also the possibility of dispatching energy to the grid, along with the implementation of functionalities to improve power quality, such as compensation of reactive power and harmonic currents. Computational simulations and simulations based on a real-time platform are targeted in this project, aiming to validate the developed mathematical model of the T-NPC PEI, as well as to prove the technical feasibility of its multifunctional operational characteristic.