9-Level switched capacitor-high-voltage gain boosting inverter (SC-HVGBI) topology with reduced voltage stress

The method of utilizing switched capacitors stands as an effective approach to achieve elevated voltage levels while minimizing the requirement for numerous DC sources through efficient utilization of stored energy in capacitors. This poses a significant challenge when designing high-voltage multilevel inverters with a reduced number of sources and switches. This study introduces a new boost-type multilevel inverter named the "nine-level switched capacitor-high-voltage gain boosting inverter" (9LSC-HVGBI). Notably, this specific configuration substantially reduces the DC source and capacitor count, necessitating only ten switches and a single DC source, along with two capacitors and three diodes, to produce a nine-level output. The described architecture offers several notable advantages, including a fourfold amplification capacity in voltage, automated balancing of capacitor voltages, and efficient management of inductive loads. Consequently, it demonstrates superior performance compared to other switched capacitor multilevel inverters in terms of minimal switch conduction at each level, restricting voltage stress on the switches to twice the input voltage, and optimizing efficiency. The proposed design is grounded in an intelligent series and parallel connection of switched capacitors. The study explores the operational concepts, with a specific focus on the mechanism for preserving capacitor voltage balance. The comprehensive loss evaluations and thorough comparisons with state-of-the-art alternatives substantiate its superior performance. Furthermore, the performance of the proposed 9LSC-HVGBI is validated through detailed simulation results across diverse test scenarios and experimental data collected in a well-equipped laboratory.