@article{Campos-Salazar2025, 
author = {José M. Campos-Salazar and Roya Rafiezadeh and Juan L. Aguayo-Lazcano and Constanza Márquez},
title = {Reduction of harmonic distortion in electromagnetic torque of a single-phase reluctance motor using a multilevel neutral-point-clamped DC-AC converter},
year = {2025},
journal = {AIMS Electronics and Electrical Engineering},
volume = {9},
number = {2},
pages = {215-242},
keywords = {thermal analysis, harmonic distortion, multilevel converters, angular position, proportional–integral control, single-phase reluctance motor},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.3934/electreng.2025011},
doi = {10.3934/electreng.2025011},
abstract = {The harmonic performance, control robustness, and thermal characteristics of single-phase multilevel neutral-point-clamped (NPC) converters driving a single-phase reluctance motor (SPRM) are comprehensively analyzed in this study. Three converter topologies—a two-level single-phase NPC (2L-1P-NPC) converter, a three-level single-phase NPC (3L-1P-NPC) converter, and a four-level single-phase NPC (4L-1P-NPC) converter—are investigated under four modulation schemes: bipolar voltage pulsewidth modulation (BVPWM), unipolar voltage pulsewidth modulation (UVPWM), level-shifted pulsewidth modulation (LSPWM), and virtual-vector pulsewidth modulation (VVPWM), all operating at a fixed switching frequency of 10 kHz. High-fidelity simulations conducted in MATLAB-Simulink accurately replicate the coupled electromagnetic, mechanical, and thermal dynamics of the SPRM system, utilizing realistic motor and load parameters to ensure application-level relevance.The results demonstrate that increasing the converter level substantially reduces total harmonic distortion (THD), with the 4L-1P-NPC topology under LSPWM achieving the lowest THD of 23.66%, thereby significantly improving voltage waveform quality and minimizing electromagnetic torque ripple. A proportional–integral (PI)-based feedback controller is implemented for velocity and position regulation, yielding precise trajectory tracking, a fast transient response, and negligible steady-state error. Additionally, thermal analysis quantifies power losses—conduction, switching, core, and copper—highlighting the trade-off between improved harmonic/dynamic performance and increased thermal stress. Notably, the junction temperature escalates from 121.8℃ in the 2L-1P-NPC converter to 188℃ in the 4L-1P-NPC converter, underscoring the necessity for advanced heat dissipation strategies in high-power applications.By integrating harmonic distortion mitigation, closed-loop control design, and thermal evaluation, this work presents a unified framework for the optimal design and analysis of high-performance, thermally aware multilevel SPRM drives.}
}