Battery Balancing on a Full-Bridge Modular Multi-Level Converter

Batteries are becoming popular in the trend of electrification. Performance andlifespan of a battery pack are closely related to how it has been utilized. Withproper balancing control to slow down aging process, variances of capacity andresistance between battery cells can be maintained at a better level. Among balancing methods, dissipative balancing is still the most common method for itssimplicity in control, low cost and high speed. Non-dissipative balancing methods like converter-based and capacitor-based are of researchers’ interest becauseof less heat generated and superior efficiency. In this thesis, the converter-based balancing method is investigated. A modular multilevel converter (MMC) with Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) pattern iscompared with another MMC with Nearest-Level Modulation (NLM). The speedto balance six battery sub-modules, output power and battery current harmonicsare examined