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Titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) is a well-known source of titanium (Ti) for the formation of titanium nitride (TiN) barrier material in the semiconductor interconnection process; however, the reaction of by-products with airborne molecules can cause unexpected pump trips and equipment breakdown from the by-product powder build-up. Plasma scrubbers are used to decompose by-products, but hydrogen chloride (HCl) and nitrogen oxides are produced during and after the process. The process mechanisms change when the temperature and applied power of the heat source change. In this paper, we study the influence of the reactor temperature and applied power to the heat source on the decomposition capacity of TiCl4 in a plasma pretreatment system (PPS). We examine the effect of the temperature and heat source power to understand the reaction mechanisms for the composition and decomposition of gaseous species with chemical reactions through simultaneous methods. We analyzed the system with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and chemical kinetic simulation to investigate the changes of the system mechanism. Subsequently, we achieved results for the correlation between the temperature of the reactor, power applied to the heat source, composition and decomposition of species, and chemical reaction mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negative-sequence current is required to be intentionally injected to support the power grid or compensate the imbalanced load in asymmetrical faults utilizing STATCOM. However, the extreme compensation range of negative-sequence current injection becomes complicated when grid voltage becomes asymmetrical. This article presents a novel off-line strategy for negative-sequence current compensation under two typical kinds of asymmetrical grid faults — single-phase voltage drop and double-phase voltage drop, with the following two benefits simultaneously: maximizing negative current compensation capacity; avoiding iterations and reducing computation burdens. In this paper, the mechanism of DC voltage balancing among three phases in STATCOM is analyzed and a new identification method of negative-sequence current compensation range is explored out. To simplify the calculation, this paper takes the ratio of negative-sequence reactive (Iq-) and active (Id-) current as a variable (s). In this way, the relationship between the extreme compensation range, asymmetrical voltage sag depth of power grid h is drawn with MATLAB. Different from the previous iterative method, the off-line identification method is applied to avoid huge iterations. By fitting the curve, the precise ranges of negative-sequence current compensation under different asymmetrical grid faults are approximated as simple polynomials, thus significantly reducing the computation burdens. Simulation and experimental results verify the practicability of the proposed compensation method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a systematic method for the identification of the load circuit parameters (say the $\boldsymbol{R}$ , $\boldsymbol{L}$ , and $\boldsymbol{C}$ elements) based only on the information of the instantaneous voltage and current measured at the point of common coupling (pcc). Geometric Algebra (GA) and concepts of differential geometry are used to produce a rigorous mathematical framework. The identification is formulated as a multidimensional geometrical problem that is solved conveniently by means of GA. Once the passive elements of the load have been identified, the active and reactive powers can be computed from first electromagnetic principles (Maxwell Equations). The theory is general and is verified with linear and nonlinear circuits. The paper shows single-phase circuits but the theory can be extended to three-phase circuits. The method is easy to program and has shown to be very robust for all tested cases. Because of its generality, the method presented will find applications beyond electric circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an adaptive self-tuned current controller design for an LCL-filtered LC-tuned single-phase shunt hybrid active power filter (HAPF), which offers adaptability and flexibility of the control system to filter parameters changes. System modelling and online identification of parameters are presented. Then, a systematic self-tuned controller (STC) design is proposed to calculate the controller parameters and obtain the final control law adaptively. The exact HAPF parameters design is described and the overall closed-loop stability evaluation with considering digital control delay is discussed in this paper. To confirm the theoretical achievements, simulations and experimental tests on a real prototype system are performed. The results are in good accordance and demonstrate the effectiveness and superior performance of the suggested control technique. Furthermore, a comprehensive comparison between the proposed control technique and other controllers is provided to show the superiority of the proposed system from different aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mainstream production of optoelectronic and electronic devices based on epitaxial III-V compound semiconductor materials largely employs metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy, a process first demonstrated for devices in the 1970’s. For this special issue in honor of Prof. P. Daniel Dapkus, this paper first briefly reviews his early contributions that spearheaded the interest of MOVPE as a III-V device epitaxy process. Next, the paper discusses MOVPE reactor development in the 1980’s, which at the time was one of the key challenges in establishing MOVPE technology as a reliable epitaxy manufacturing process. The approach combined physical modeling and numerical simulations of reactor processes followed by materials and device demonstrations. Highly uniform performance metrics of AlGaAs/AlGaAs quantum-well diode lasers and two-dimensional monolithic surface-emitting lasers were demonstrated with excellent run-to-run reproducibility. This foundational approach advanced efforts to standardize reactors and subsequent scaling for high-throughput production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning of biorefinery operations is complicated by the stochastic nature of physical and chemical characteristics of biomass feedstock, such as, moisture level and carbohydrate content. Biomass characteristics affect the performance of the equipment which feed the reactor and the efficiency of the conversion process in a biorefinery. We propose a stochastic optimization model to identify a blend of feedstocks, inventory levels, and operating conditions of equipment to ensure a continuous flowing of biomass to the reactor while meeting the requirements of the biochemical conversion process. We propose a sample average approximation (SAA) of the model, and develop an efficient algorithm to solve the SAA model. A feedstock preprocessing process consists of two-stage grinding and pelleting is used to develop a case study. Extensive numerical analysis are conducted which lead to a number of observations. Our main observation is that sequencing bales based on moisture level and carbohydrate content leads to robust solutions that improve processing time and processing rate of the reactor. We provide a number of managerial insights that facilitate the implementation of the model proposed. Note to Practitioners—This paper is motivated by the challenges faced in the bioenergy industry. The focus of this paper is on plants which use the biochemical conversion process to generate liquid fuels. It has been observed that variations in biomass characteristics, such as moisture content, cause variations in feeding of the system which lead to under-utilization of equipment. A requirement of biochemical conversion process is to maintain the carbohydrate content of biomass processed by the reactor, larger than a threshold. We propose a model that identifies the inventory levels and operating conditions of equipment to ensure a continuous flowing of biomass to the reactor. The goal is to improve equipment utilization while satisfying the requirements of the conversion process. The model is tested using real-life data. We found out that by sequencing bales based on moisture level and carbohydrate content, a plant can reduce variability in the system leading to improved system reliability, higher processing rates of the reactor, and higher throughput. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the unsymmetrical operation of the dc/dc MMC caused by parametric uncertainty. The unsymmetrical operation is referred to as the condition in which parameters involved in ac power generation are not equal in the phase-legs of the converter. Because existing models in the literature cannot exhibit the unsymmetrical operation of the dc/dc MMC, new detailed and simplified steady-state models are developed in this paper. In the developed models, the connection between the operation of different phase-legs shows itself when the dc-link impedance is considered. Using the developed models, the parameters that can force the converter to operate in unsymmetrical conditions are identified, and the maximum variation that the converter can tolerate is found. It is shown that even a small parameter variation leads to the leakage of the ac circulating current into the dc-link, which is not acceptable. By conducting various case studies, the impacts of the dc-link length, the transmitted power, and the conversion ratio on the unsymmetrical operation of the dc/dc MMC are characterized. The results showed that the converter would be more sensitive to the parameter variation as these parameters increase. Comparative analysis and simulation results confirm the validity and effectiveness of the presented models and analysis method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In renewable energy micro-source applications, a wide range of voltage conversion of the step-up converter is an essential part to equalize the typical low voltage of micro-source with DC-bus voltage of Inverter or motor drives. In order to meet this purpose, an ultra-voltage gain step-up DC-DC converter is proposed in this paper. The proposed converter has made an arrangement of the regenerative-boost fed switched inductor and capacitor configurations. Thereby, due to such an organization of structure, the proposed converter can develop an extremely high voltage-gain even at lower duty ratios. In addition, it has the advantage of lower switching stress across all power semi-conductive diodes. Furthermore, this paper describes the steady-state analysis and comparative features of the converter with existing recent literature. Finally, to validate theoretical analysis and test the feasibility and suitability of the proposed ultra-gain converter, the experimental results were observed by a 500 W fabricated prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the fault traveling wave on the LCC-MMC HVDC transmission line, this paper analyzed its reflection and refraction characteristics at the DC buses and the fault point, plotted its propagation grid diagrams, obtained the relationship between the polarity of fault traveling wave and the boundary elements, and drew the conclusion that when the impedance of DC filter is far less than the wave impedance of transmission line, the existing fault location methods that need to distinguish these two waves according to their polarities are not applicable to the LCC-MMC HVDC system. On these bases, this paper proposed a modal traveling wave arrival time difference-based location principle for pole-to-ground fault, and a fault traveling wave propagation path ratio-based location principle for pole-to-pole fault, these principles neither need to identify the wave polarity, nor need the wave velocity value. In order to better extract the wave heads and their arrival time, this paper pre-treated the sampling data to make sure all the wave heads are extracted from the same frequency band, then the wave heads and their arrival time can be extracted with the empirical mode decomposition. The simulation results verified the effectiveness of the proposed fault location principle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are widely used in street lighting, landscape lighting, liquid crystal display (LCD) backlighting, healthcare, etc. As an important part of LED lighting products, LED driver plays a vital role in maintenance costs reduction, energy saving and lifetime prolongation. In this paper, a single-stage LED driver is proposed, which is integrated by a totem-pole bridgeless power factor correction (PFC) unit and several modular LCL-T resonant rectifiers. The totem-pole bridgeless PFC unit and the LCL-T resonant rectifiers are integrated by sharing switches, which can simplify the circuit and reduce the system cost. The output current can be regulated by applying the variable inductor control. Constant duty cycle and fixed switching frequency operation can be achieved as well. The operating principle and the performance of the proposed converter are analyzed in this paper. In addition, a precise parameter design method is proposed by considering the high-order harmonics. At last, an experimental prototype is established to validate the proposed parameter design and variable inductor control method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes experimental verification of single-phase variable inductor prototypes rated at 2.4 kVAr (75 mH, 10 A, 230 V, 24 kg) and 12 kVAr (43 mH, 30 A, 400 V, 78 kg). Results for much smaller devices rated at 1-10 Var are also shown. The variability of inductance of the main AC winding was achieved by adding a DC winding, wound through the apertures placed symmetrically in the core such that both windings were magnetically orthogonal. Local saturation caused by the magnetic field due to DC winding creates virtual air gaps. This method is capable of lowering the main inductance by over 90% if no real air gap is present, but for industrial applications the range of variability is likely to be closer to 20-30% range, depending on the size of the real air gap in the magnetic circuit. The amount of variation/control can be improved by using more than one control winding. Very good repeatability of performance was observed, with relatively small total harmonic distortion introduced due to control. The experimental findings agree with a generalised analytical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel single-stage doubly grounded transformerless inverter configuration which can buck-boost the output voltage is proposed in this paper. In this transformerless inverter configuration grid neutral is directly connected to PV panel negative rail which suppresses/eliminates the PV leakage currents. In addition, the tracking of maximum power point is possible for wide variation of weather conditions due to buck-boost voltage capability of inverter. Moreover, the proposed inverter topology has symmetrical operation in both half cycles hence injects negligible DC offset current in to the grid. Here the symmetrical operation of inverter is achieved due to one inductor is used for both half cycles of the grid. The proposed topology is realized using five switches, two of which work at 50 Hz and remaining three switches at high frequency which reduces overall semiconductor losses. Further, the proposed inverter topology is controlled through a newly developed modulation technique and possible working modes are analyzed and described thoroughly. For performance validation, the experimental analysis of grid connected proposed inverter is performed on a 1 kVA system and results show that proposed inverter feeds power in to the grid with lesser THD while achieving greater efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, very high frequency (VHF) converter has attracted much attention. However, with rich parasitic parameters and complex resonance links, there are some great difficulties to the modeling of such systems. Taking the on-off controlled VHF resonant boost converter as an example, this paper presents an accurate modeling and analysis method that considers multiple parasitic parameters. First, the closed-loop VHF converter system is divided into a main network and a parasitic oscillation network. Then, based on the operation analysis, an equivalent circuit model characterized by a time-varying input voltage source and two variable duty-cycle controlled switches is proposed. It worth noting that both the time-varying input and the controlled switches take into account the influences of the parameters. Furthermore, the periodic approximate analytical solution of the output voltage in the on stage is obtained by using the equivalent small parameter method to the proposed circuit model. And then combining the solution of the parasitic oscillation network and on-off state switching conditions, the steady-state waveform of output voltage can be obtained quickly. Finally, a prototype with operating frequency of 21.44 MHz is built to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dc-dc converters with high step-up DC-voltage gain play a vital role in integrating low voltage DC sources. Though several converter topologies are reported in the recent past, attempts have been made to reduce the components, especially the switching devices, passive elements, converter losses, etc., of the converter. A novel DC-DC converter topology, viz., single switched impedance network (SSIN)-based converter with n-stage is proposed in this paper. The operation of the SSIN based converter in continuous and discontinuous conduction modes are discussed. The effect of parasitic elements on DC-voltage gain and efficiency of the SSIN is carried out. The small-signal model of the SSIN converter is derived. The performance of the SSIN converter is compared with the similar converter topologies. The 500 W prototypes of the SSIN with n = 1 and n = 2 are fabricated, and the experimental results are presented in this paper. To improve the converter performance, SiC-based semiconductor devices are used. The SSIN converter with two-stage has low switch loss at 500 W load, improved efficiency during high power and high output voltage operation, the switch stress of Vo/2, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new soft switching high voltage gain interleaved dc-dc converter with a three-windings coupled inductor for a fuel cell vehicle. Two interleaved and intercoupled boost cells are connected by the input parallel and output series (IPOS) configuration, realizing low input current ripple and high voltage gain simultaneously. All power switches can operate under soft switching conditions by only adding a simple auxiliary circuit composed of one auxiliary inductor and one power switch. Besides, the auxiliary inductor is coupled with the main inductors, which results in a rapid zero convergence of the auxiliary current and a small conduction loss of the auxiliary circuit. The operating principle, steady state characteristic, comparison with other converters, and parameter design are analyzed in this paper. Finally, the main characteristics of the proposed converter are verified by a 1-kW laboratory prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variable-switching constant-sampling frequency critical soft switching model predictive control (VSCS-MPC) method is proposed in this paper to improve the dynamic behavior, efficiency and power density of the DC/DC power converters. Firstly, this paper analyzes the boundary constraints of critical soft switching that are derived with the key parameters of the interlock time and threshold current for typical SiC and GaN devices. Then, the VSCS-MPC method is proposed for synchronous DC/DC converter. Both the current source load and resistive load converters are validated with the proposed MPC method. VSCS-MPC includes two controlling parts. First is the frequency controller to maintain the critical soft switching operation by adjusting the switching frequency based on the pre-defined boundary conditions with a constant sampling frequency. A discretized frequency controller is developed to improve the stability of the system by maintaining a fixed sampling frequency. Second part is the model predictive controller to track the output voltage/current and maintain critical soft switching during dynamic periods. The explicit optimization and oversampling methods are applied in the MPC controller to meet the high frequency demand. A large current ripple ($\triangle i_L$ $\ge$ 200 %) is introduced to achieve the critical soft switching and reduce the inductance. The switching losses are decreased by the frequency controller and the critical soft switching is maintained especially in dynamic periods due to the fast response of MPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a fault occurs on the dc side of the voltage source converter based high voltage direct current (VSC-HVDC) transmission system, the fault current rises quickly due to the low damping of the dc system. Using a dc fault current limiter (DC-FCL) to limit the rise of the fault current can significantly reduce the breaking requirements of the DCCB. A topology of a bidirectional active dc fault current limiter (BA-FCL) based on coupled inductor is proposed in this paper. No expensive full-controlled power electronic devices are used in this topology. Only a few half-controlled power electronic devices are used to achieve active control of the current limiting unit. Compared with many topologies of current limiter at present, the fault current limiting effect of BA-FCL is improved significantly while the cost, volume, topology complexity, and control complexity are reduced. The stress analysis and parameter design of the proposed current limiter are carried out. Finally, the simulation case study and hardware experiment are implemented to verify the good economy and current limiting performance of the proposed topology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modular multilevel converter (MMC), owing to the presence of a large number of submodules (SMs) and energy storing elements, requires a large footprint and initial investment. To address these issues, this paper proposes the switched modular multilevel converter (SMMC). It consists of two major elements; the chain-links (CLs), consisting of cascade connection of SMs as in MMC, and the single-pole-triple-throw (SPTT) switches, which can be realized using either the T-type or NPC-type switch strings. The SMMC works on the principle of connecting all the phase-legs in series and their respective positions are mutually interchanged. It offers a compact structure as the SMs count is reduced to 33% of MMC, which results in a much lower energy storage requirement. Furthermore, it does not have inter-phase circulating current problem and hence the CL inductors can also be avoided. The SMMC structure, operating principles, control, and modulation schemes are explained in detail. A detailed comparison of SMMC with the other major existing converters is carried out to highlight the important features of SMMC. The efficacy of SMMC is validated using PSCAD simulation studies with a 19-level grid-connected SMMC model. A 3-phase 19-level SMMC laboratory prototype is developed to further validate its feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the Multilevel Current Source Converter (MCSC) STATCOM. It proposes a new method of modulation. The new modulation method produces less THD and di/dt at the terminals of the MCSC STATCOM when compared to the widely used Phase-Shifted Carrier SPWM (PSC-SPWM). To ensure the inductors' currents remain balanced, a Current Balancing Algorithm (CBA) is presented. The CBA does not require any controls. It relies on assigning optimum switching states to each CSC module in real-time. In addition, two control strategies are presented in this paper. The first one assumes the STATCOM to be a SISO. Therefore, it only requires one PI controller. However, the gains for the controller must be changed if the STATCOM was to transition from capacitive mode to inductive mode, or vice versa. The second control strategy overcomes this problem by implementing a TITO integral state feedback controller. The contributions of this paper are validated via simulation and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current-limiting inductors (CLIs) are commonly used to suppress DC fault current to safely trip DC circuit breakers in MMC-HVDC systems, but it significantly jeopardizes DC dynamics and causes instantaneous power mismatch between AC and DC sides of islanded rectifier station (RS), exposing MMC internal states to large disturbance. This paper firstly provides a detailed analysis of the influence of CLIs on AC fault, establishes RS mathematical representation including AC side dynamic, and reveals the mechanism of DC voltage oscillation, modulation saturation and PCC waveform distortion. The analysis shows that the AC and DC fault characteristics are decoupled under unsaturated AC modulation, but coupled under excessively low submodule capacitor voltage, where AC modulation is saturated and PCC waveforms are distorted. To solve this issue, a novel RS AC fault ride through method for MMC-HVDC system with CLIs is proposed to stabilize RS DC voltage, desaturate AC modulation and decouple fault characteristics by regulating the zero-sequence modulation of circulating current suppression. In addition, a current reference disturbance and an AC energy dissipation device coordinated control are designed, which adaptively recovers the submodule capacitor voltage. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed method is verified by simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electromagnetic Transient (EMT) simulation tools are typically developed using conventional procedural programming languages. On the other hand, modern high-level and equation-based programming languages, such as Modelica, are currently available. Modelica allows formulating models that are easy to develop, maintain and understand by expressing what needs to be computed without stating how it should be computed. This paper presents a Modelica-based simulator for electromagnetic transients. It is demonstrated that this approach offers significant advantages for developing sophisticated models. Computational performance and accuracy are compared to a conventional EMT-type simulation tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid-state transformers (SST) are emerging technologies to replace the conventional low-frequency main transformer (MTR) in railway vehicles. In order to isolate the load side from the AC 25 kV high-voltage (HV) side and to reduce the whole size of the SST, HV insulation and high-frequency transformers should be used in DC/DC converters. Furthermore, due to the severe constraint of installation space and difficulty of heat dissipation management in the bottom of railway vehicles, high-power density and minimum transformer loss should be considered. To satisfy such design requirements of the proposed SST for railway vehicles, high efficiency integrated transformers, which inherently have leakage inductance, are proposed for dual-active-bridge (DAB) converters in this paper. In order to obtain appropriate equivalent leakage inductance for the DAB converters, a calculation methodology for the leakage inductance has been introduced and verified by simulation. Two separated winding structures in the center-core are adopted to improve the core loss, and appropriate winding turns with 60 kV HV insulation capability are selected, according to the proposed design procedure of the integrated transformers. In order to compare the proposed transformers with the conventional transformer having additional inductors and to verify the major characteristics of the transformers, two 125 kW proposed transformers and conventional transformers have been built and evaluated by an 250 kW SST module, operating at 10 kHz switching frequency. Under a 125 kW full-load condition, 99.7% transformer efficiency was obtained by the proposed integrated transformers, which are 4.7% smaller and 7.0% lighter than the conventional transformer. As a result, 26°C maximum temperature improvement has been obtained and 60k V HV insulation capability has been satisfied by the proposed integrated transformers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a novel frequency domain technique to globally evaluate the accuracy of electro-magnetic transient simulations. It is shown that simulation accuracy at low frequencies can sometimes be poorer than at high frequency. A modified approach which quantifies accuracy from a driving point as a function of frequency is also introduced that uses the Bilinear Transformation and Norton equivalents, to produce a “simulation accuracy spectrum”. This approach can be applied to large systems without explicitly forming state space equations. It also permits the accuracy analysis of networks with distributed components such as frequency dependent transmission lines. Two examples are used to verify the proposed technique, a small network with a frequency dependent transmission line modeled by the universal line model; and the IEEE 39 bus system connected with an LCC-HVdc system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the current limiting behavior based on an air-core high-temperature superconducting transformer (HTST) and a group of inductor–capacitor series resonant limiters. The air-core HTST is composed of four same double-pancake type high-temperature superconducting coils made up of Bi-2333/Ag tape, and both of primary and secondary windings include two series superconducting coils. It plays the roles of inductive fault current limiting and transformation impedance; in addition, the magnetic flux saturation can also be avoided. Meanwhile, the inductor and capacitor series with the secondary winding of the air-core HTST in series resonance state are the conventional devices. The influence of them on the circuit can almost be ignored, because they are in series resonant state in normal operation. While the fault current appeared in the primary circuit, it will be limited by the impedance of the air-core HTST and the inductor without quench (the inductor and capacitor would quit the series resonant state). According to the preliminary experiment carried out in our laboratory, this superconducting current limiting module can operate as expected, and its behavior is satisfactory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The DC-DC converter for fuel cell vehicles should be characterized by high-gain, low voltage stress, small size and high-efficiency. However, conventional two-level, three-level and cascaded boost converters cannot meet the requirements. A new non-isolated DC-DC converter with switched-capacitor and switched-inductor is proposed in this paper, which can obtain high-gain, wide input voltage range, low voltage stresses across components and common ground structure. In this paper, the operating principle, component parameters design, and comparisons with other high-gain converters are analyzed. Moreover, the state-space averaging method and small-signal modeling method are adopted to obtain the dynamic model of converter. Finally, simulation and experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed topology. The input voltage of the experimental prototype ranges from 25 V to 80 V. The rated output voltage is 200 V and rated power is 100W. The maximum efficiency is 93.1% under rated state. The proposed converter is suitable for fuel cell vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi-level boost topology based on a flying capacitor is compared in this work with the hybrid, multi-level, partial power processing topology already presented in the literature for use as a highly efficient and compact dc/dc stage in 1500-V, two-stage, grid-connected PV systems. Different variations of the resonant stage of the hybrid topology are analyzed and compared in terms of losses, volume and complexity. Full multivariable optimization is conducted for the multi-level boost topology with different number of levels and for all the analyzed variations of the resonant stage of the hybrid topology. Appropriately rated new classes of 650-V and 900-V WBG devices are included in the optimization algorithm. It is concluded that due to the dominant conduction losses and gap in the voltage rating of the commercially available WBG devices between 650V and 200V, increase of the number of levels over 4 leads to the deteriorated loss and volume performances. All the analysis related to the resonant stage of the hybrid topology is confirmed by detailed and comprehensive measurements of two prototypes of 4kW of nominal and 7kW of maximal power. Additionally, all the loss models applied in the optimization algorithms presented in this paper are confirmed by detailed measurements, thermal calibration and finite element thermal simulations of the wide bandgap devices and inductor designs employed in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic wireless charging (DWC) is one of the most promising and economical power supply solutions for electric vehicles (EVs), which can address range anxiety and downsize the volume of onboard batteries. To solve the null power phenomenon and transfer power pulsation phenomenon in DWC scheme, this paper proposes a new magnetic coupler array to implement continuous charging and reduce the output power variation. The transmitters are placed with a proper interval to eliminate the adjacent coupling and enlarge the coil array’s effective length. ANSYS Maxwell is utilized to demonstrate the finite element analysis (FEA) of the DWC system. A larger receiver coil is designed to significantly mitigate power pulsation and increase the magnetic coupling as the receiver moves along the array. With the well-designed receiver coil, the output power pulsation is $\pm$ 1.52 $\%$. For the high-power capacity scenario, a multilevel connected DC-DC converter is designed on the receiver side to regulate the transfer power. Besides, a passivity-based control (PBC) is developed for the receiving DC-DC converter based on the Euler-Lagrange (EL) model, and a current sharing compensator is employed to balance each phase inductor current. Finally, a 500- $\text{W}$ prototype is constructed, and experimental results are represented to validate the proposed optimized coil array and the proposed PBC method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the analysis and experimental validation of bidirectional Z-source breaker and bidirectional Z-source breaker using coupled inductor for low-voltage dc microgrid application. The proposed topologies use an SCR as a switch to isolate the fault from the system, and LC network to generate required commutation conditions for the SCR under fault conditions. Thus, both topologies are able to isolate the fault naturally within a few microseconds without any fault detection and sensing circuit. In this paper, the breaker operating principle is discussed during fault condition and breaker design criteria are derived. When the breaker is connected in series with power electronic converter, Z-source components offer filtering characteristic. The filtering characteristic offered by the breaker components is analyzed. Functional prototypes are developed for both configurations to validate the breaker performance and experimental results are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the development of a Class-D full-bridge zero-voltage switching (ZVS) inverter, applicable to wireless power transfer (WPT) systems, operating at 13.56 MHz switching frequency with dynamic dead-time control (DDTC). Resonant-coupled WPT systems are being designed at ultrahigh switching frequencies to reduce the size of the wireless link and the passive components. Maintaining ZVS while controlling the output power delivered to a fixed or variable load is one of the major challenges of designing inverters at multi-MHz switching frequencies. DDTC is the approach deployed in this paper to sustain soft switching of a Class-D full-bridge inverter over the full range of output power while regulating the input dc bus voltage. Simulation results are presented to show that dynamically controlling the dead-time during input dc bus voltage variations reduces switch-node voltage overshoot, prevents large current spikes in the switching devices, and reduces associated high switching loss. Practical results obtained show that DDTC reduces switch-node voltage overshoot, increases the inverter efficiency, and reduces the steady-state temperature of the inverter during output power regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a unified second-stage LC filter applied in the three-state switching cell buck–boost converter, which provides current and voltage with low ripple and low noise. The unified second-stage filter promotes a reduction in the number of devices while maintaining the filtering performance of the converter, with second-stage LC filters at the input and at the output. Moreover, the unified filter, when associated with a three-state switching cell buck–boost converter, allows a size reduction of filter devices, especially for designs with duty cycle range around 1/2. Furthermore, the unified filter arrangement provides nondissipative clamping of switching devices and reduce the system order when compared to the converter with second-stage LC filters. In this paper, the static and dynamic characteristics of the proposed converter in continuous conduction mode (CCM) are reported. Experimental data were obtained from a laboratory prototype with an input range of 32 $\sim$ 72 V, constant output of 48 V, a load of 150 W, and switching frequency of 45 kHz. The measured efficiency for the rated load was 97% for maximum input voltage. A comparison of the size and performance of the proposed filter with the topology that uses second-stage LC filters at the input and at the output is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]