Dissertation Defense Announcement for Dinh Le via Webex on 10/19/2023 at 2:30 PM

October 16, 2023

Dissertation Title: Common mode electromagnetic interference attenuation for DC/AC inverters using enhanced sinusoidal frequency modulation technique

When: 10/19/2023, 2:30 PM

Where: Webex (link TBD)

Candidate: Dinh Le

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Electronics Engineering

Committee Members: Dr. Yong Fu, Dr. Xin Fang, Dr. Junming Diao, Dr. Seungdeog Choi

Abstract
Common mode (CM) electromagnetic interference (EMI) can compromise electronics systems, interfere with communication systems, and degrade mechanical systems. Multiple inverters can also generate excessive CM EMI that often exceeds individual inverter EMI standards. Due to their weight, volume, cost, and suboptimal performance, active and passive filters and chokes are inefficient as EMI mitigation options. By utilizing frequency modulation (FM) or spread spectrum frequency modulation (SSFM), EMI energy is dispersed. In spite of not requiring expensive, bulky, and heavy filters, these techniques produce significant ripples in output voltages and currents. This dissertation uses enhanced sinusoidal frequency modulation to reduce CM EMI output, bridging the gap between existing EMI solutions:

1) To reduce performance degradation, a state-of-the-art FM topology with duty cycle correction is proposed. Due to large output voltage and current ripples, FM techniques have limited bandwidth and utilization. Duty cycle correction allows for a wider FM bandwidth with better EMI attenuation while minimizing output ripple performance tradeoffs.

2) CM EMI accumulation is a growing concern in power converter networks. Even if each converter complies with EMI regulations, multiple converters may produce CM EMI that exceeds EMI standards in parallel operation. A novel algorithm is proposed to suppress CM EMI in a large-scale network using SFMCW frequency indexing. The algorithm minimizes aggregate EMI by minimizing switching frequency overlap among converters.

3) CM EMI noise in complex systems presents a critical challenge. Since standalone converters are rarely affected by CM EMI phases, they were usually overlooked in most studies until recently. CM currents generated by multiple converters can be added or subtracted based on phase differences. The CM currents in large systems with multiple inverters are distributed randomly, resulting in multiple peaks and nulls. In order to reduce network EMI, a sinusoidal FM technique with phase shift is proposed to attenuate CM EMI on multiple parallel inverters. This method overcomes conventional methods’ critical disadvantages, including the need for accurate component characterization and modeling, and reducing CM EMI without additional passive components.