Analytical calculation of the RMS current stress on the DC-link capacitor of voltage-PWM converter systems

A simple analytical expression for the current stress on the DC-link capacitor caused by the load-side inverter of a voltage DC-link-converter system is derived. The DC-link capacitor-current RMS value is determined from the modulation depth and by the amplitude and the phase angle of the inverter output current assuming a sinusoidal inverter output current and a constant DC-link voltage. Despite neglecting the output-current ripple, the results of the analytical calculation are within 8% of measurements made from digital simulation and an experimental system, even if the output-current ripple is relatively high as in the case of low-frequency IGBT inverter systems. The simple analytical expression provides significant advantages over simulation methods for designing the DC-link capacitor of PWM converter systems.