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The main standard for avionic equipment DO-160G defines a set of tests that require compliance before the employment of a device in aircraft. An important test involves the generator voltage and consequential current distortion of the three-phase load in the variable 360–800 Hz frequency grid. The main purpose of this paper is to present and analyze a systematic design methodology for three-phase boost and buck rectifiers in order to meet with the voltage distortion test requirement. For a given voltage harmonic profile, the current harmonic limits that have to be satisfied are translated into equivalent per-harmonic admittances and a profile of maximum rectifier input admittance versus frequency is obtained. The defined profile, due to normalization, is applicable to arbitrary power level with simple shifting by the base admittance governed by the converter nominal power. It is shown that for boost-type rectifiers there is a tradeoff between current controller bandwidth and input inductor size, while for the buck-type rectifiers main limitation lies in the input LC filter design used for differential electromagnetic interference filtering. The experimental results conducted on an SiC three-phase 10 kW VIENNA rectifier are tightly backing up the proposed theoretical analysis. This paper is accompanied by three videos demonstrating experimental measurement of d-axis open-loop duty cycle to inductor current transfer function, loop-gain of d-axis current controller with 3.8 kHz bandwidth and variable grid frequency 360–800 Hz operation of the converter under 0% and 10% input three-phase voltage total harmonic distortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates a Vienna rectifier as a charger for series-connected battery packs. Focusing on carrier-based pulsewidth modulation (CBPWM), the ripple current flowing through the neutral point (NP) results in the voltage oscillation if the loads are resistive. To reduce the ripple of average NP current with mitigated distortion under balanced and unbalanced dc-link voltages conditions, a novel CBPWM with segmented component injection scheme (SCIS) is proposed in this paper. After dc component injection, continuous intervals for optimized component injection and clamping intervals for compensation component injection are identified. Optimized components are calculated originally based on unbalanced factor to make the average NP current zero-size in one switching period. Moreover, unique compensation components generate suitable NP current to shape the sinusoidal input currents according to the circuit analysis. In consequence, the SCIS not only keeps the input current with low-harmonic distortion, but also minimizes the oscillation of dc-link voltage under balanced and unbalanced conditions. In addition, the value of the NP current during the clamping intervals is analyzed under various operating conditions. The effectiveness and the performance of the proposed SCIS are verified by simulation and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes the predictive control with the discrete space-vector modulation (DSVM) for Vienna rectifier connecting to the permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) of the wind turbine system (WTS). Since Vienna rectifier has the special operation principle, Vienna rectifier generates only the feasible eight voltage vectors, which can be a candidate vector for the predictive control, depending on the sign of the input currents. In the proposed predictive control, the feasible voltage vectors are extended from 8 to 19 consisting the 8 original voltage vectors and 11 virtual voltage vectors by using the DSVM for improving the current quality related to the torque ripple, vibration, and noise, and the neutral-point voltage balance with low voltage ripple is guaranteed by using the offset value calculated based on the model of two dc-link capacitors in Vienna rectifier. The scheme for reducing calculation burden is applied in selecting the candidate vector. In addition, the limited operation range for the maximum torque per ampere control of PMSG connected to Vienna rectifier is analyzed. The performance of the proposed predictive control with DSVM for Vienna rectifier with PMSGs is verified in simulation and experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a generalized design framework for three-phase Vienna rectifiers to handle the neutral point voltage balance issue. On the basis of the design framework, it is convenient to construct various neutral point voltage balancing methods with the guarantee of stability. As demonstration, three representative neutral point voltage balance approaches are presented by choosing different zero-sequence voltages. A comprehensive comparison among the three approaches is given in the aspects of input current quality, capacitor voltage fluctuation, and system efficiency. The comparison results provide guidance for constructing the most appropriate approach based on the specific requirement. Finally, simulation and experimental results verify the correctness and effectiveness of the presented approaches and the related performance analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The VIENNA rectifier is increasingly being considered as the active front-end converter in many applications that do not require regeneration or controllable input reactive power. In such applications, this rectifier is normally operated at unity source displacement factor, which derates its nominal voltampere (VA) rating. Moreover, in the “source voltage oriented” reference frame that is normally used for control, this rectifier has complex operating limits on the rectifier terminal voltage (imposed by the operating conditions), which needs to be computed online to avoid the line currents from going through zero-crossing distortions. Also, the source voltage has to be either measured or estimated, which further increases the cost and/or computational burden. This paper proposes a control method that eliminates the requirement of the input voltage sensors (or estimators) and makes the limits on the rectifier terminal voltage far simpler to compute. The control method is implemented in the input line current oriented reference frame, considering unity displacement factor at the rectifier input terminals, which minimizes the VA rating of the rectifier (for a given rated load power). The proposed sensorless current-oriented control approach is compared with the conventional voltage-oriented control strategy through experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies extra junction capacitances and switching commutation loops introduced by line-frequency devices (i.e., non-active every other half line cycle) in three-level ac/dc converters and investigates the corresponding effects. Junction capacitances and power loops are well known as the key factors that impact converter switching loss and device stress, thus influence device selection, power stage layout, and thermal design. By examining switching transients of the commonly used T-shaped and I-shaped three-level converters, the cause and mechanism of the extra junction capacitances and power loops are presented. The impacts on switching loss, device voltage stress, and ac-side voltage/current distortion are respectively reported and analyzed. A loss calculation scheme for the three-level converter to include that extra loss is proposed. A power layout scheme to mitigate the device voltage stress is provided. Compensation and modeling of the voltage and current distortion are also proposed. Experimental results conducted on several types of three-level converter prototypes including a gallium nitride based 115 $V_{{\text{ac}}}{\text{/650}}$ Vdc/1.5-kW/450-kHz Vienna-type rectifier and a SiC mosfet based 1-kV/10-kW/280-kHz three-level active neutral-point-clamped inverter confirm the presented effects and verify the associated analysis and solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Vienna rectifier can produce three voltage levels, however only the connection to the neutral-point is fully controllable using the bidirectional switches. When the neutral-point voltage is not imposed in a phase-leg, the polarity of the pulses generated depends on the diode that is conducting in that phase-leg, which is defined by the current direction. As a result, the voltage pulses generated can go in the opposite direction to what is demanded by the controller, and the current becomes distorted. This can be mitigated by injecting a particular zero sequence so that the reference voltage is clamped to the neutral-point during the intervals, where the current of a phase-leg has the opposite sign than its reference voltage. However, the converter is at risk of entering into overmodulation when operating with high modulation indices. In this article, a hybrid modulation strategy is introduced where a calculated minimal amount of reactive current depending on the operating conditions is injected to avoid overmodulation. The reduction of reactive current required compared to the state-of-the-art solutions is up to 100% in certain operating conditions. With the proposed method, the Vienna rectifier can operate in a wide range of power factors without compromising the quality of the source currents. The concept is verified by simulation and in a 1-kW Vienna rectifier experimental setup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, analysis and design of a 3.3-kW isolated single-stage three-phase buck-type rectifier for aircraft applications is presented. The operating principle and modulation method of the proposed rectifier are introduced. The advantageous zero-voltage switching (ZVS) feature in all of the switching transitions is analyzed. A comparison with the VIENNA Rectifier III is done, being different both in the phase-leg implementation and the modulation sequence. A detailed rectifier design guideline is discussed and losses estimations are provided aiming at reaching 93.7% overall efficiency, including the EMI (electromagnetic interference) filter. Simulation waveforms are presented. Finally, experimental results obtained with the designed 3.3-kW hardware demonstrator are provided. The results verify achievement of ZVS in all of the switching transitions from full load down to 50% of nominal load, while exhibiting 1.9% THD $_I$ (total harmonic distortion) and 0.9996 PF (power factor) at nominal power, ultimately showing very good agreement to the simulation results. This article is accompanied by a video demonstrating experimental operation of the proposed rectifier at nominal input voltage, output voltage, and output power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutral-point (NP) voltage imbalance is an inherent issue of three-level converters. The alternating input current distortion is generated by using the conventional discontinuous pulsewidth modulation (DPWM) scheme without NP voltage balance control. In this article, the deviation vector between the synthesis vector and the reference vector, which is the fundamental cause of alternating input current distortion under NP voltage unbalance conditions, is revealed. Then, by optimizing the subsector division and the switching state sequence, a dynamic-space-vector DPWM (DSV-DPWM) is proposed to eliminate the deviation vector. Further, the comparisons of the proposed DSV-DPWM, the conventional DPWM, and an existing triangle carrier-based DPWM (TCB-DPWM), are addressed. Finally, a 10-kW prototype was built to verify the effectiveness of the proposed DSV-DPWM scheme. Experimental results show that, compared with the conventional DPWM scheme and the TCB-DPWM scheme, both the current THD performance and efficiencies can be significantly improved by the proposed DSV-DPWM scheme under unbalanced NP voltage conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a harmonic voltage injection pulsewidth modulation (PWM) method for a Vienna rectifier with an LCL filter. Existing PWM methods for Vienna rectifiers with full power factor can lead to resonance problems. It generates current oscillation at the resonant frequency. It is analyzed that why the resonance problem occurs in Vienna rectifier with the existing PWM methods. To solve these resonance problems, the proposed method injects a sinusoidal harmonic voltage into the sinusoidal reference voltage. The magnitude and phase of the injection voltage are determined by the power factor of the rectifier-side. Compared to other PWM methods, the proposed PWM method eliminates the possibility of resonant problems. Considering the operation characteristics of the proposed PWM method, this article suggests a design process for an LCL filter. The effectiveness and performance of the proposed PWM method and the design process for an LCL filter are verified by simulation and experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with continuous pulsewidth modulation (PWM), discontinuous PWM (DPWM) is a preferred solution in high-frequency Vienna-type rectifiers due to its inherent characteristics of less commutation number and higher efficiency. In this article, redundant clamping modes at the same subsector with opposite effects on the neutral point (NP) voltage are presented. Then, a modified DPWM (MDPWM) scheme is proposed to regulate the NP voltage by using redundant clamping modes. Thus, the NP voltage can be controlled in each switching period to lower the NP voltage fluctuation. The implementation of the proposed MDPWM is given with variable power factors analysis. Further, the switching loss comparison of conventional space vector PWM (SVPWM), hybrid DPWM (HDPWM), and proposed MDPWM is presented as well. A simulation model was built to verify the proposed NP voltage balance with different modulation indices and variable power factors. Finally, a 10-kW prototype is built to evaluate the proposed MDPWM scheme at conversion efficiency and current total harmonic distortion (THD). Experimental results and analysis show that comparing conventional SVPWM and HDPWM, the efficiency of MDPWM is the highest. The THD of DPWM is slightly higher than that of SVPWM, and it is only 2.5% at rated output power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-phase three-level Vienna rectifier using powder core inductors has been widely used for power conversion. Inductor current ripple analysis of rectifier is essential for pulsewidth modulation method optimization, loss estimation, filter inductor design, etc. However, it is hard to analyze the current ripple of Vienna rectifier. Moreover, the inductance of powder core inductor varies with sinusoidal input current, which makes it even more complicated. In this article, a current ripple analysis method for three-phase Vienna rectifier considering the inductance variation of the powder core inductor is presented. The current ripple distribution of Vienna rectifier with constant inductance is studied based on the space vector approach. To determine the current ripple of Vienna rectifier with powder core inductors, an inductor voltage calculation method considering inductance variation is proposed. The compensation voltage is introduced to compensate for the effect of inductance variation on current ripple. Then, the analytical expression of the peak-to-peak current ripple with powder core inductor is derived. In addition, a design method of powder core inductor is proposed based on the analytical expression. At last, the correctness of the analytical result is verified by both simulation and experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]