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Rising power demands in more electrical aircraft (MEA) put power converters for commercial airplanes under increasing pressure to fulfill current harmonic distortion regulations as specified, for example, in DO-160G. Today, the implementation of filters is seen as an effective tool for dealing with harmonics; however, their increased weight and volume are not welcomed in the aerospace industry. This paper proposes a circuit, named forced commutation controlled series capacitor (FCSC-rectifier), which is able to maintain low individual harmonic current levels without the need for filter components. The FCSC-rectifier includes a variable capacitive line reactance that interacts in a controlled manner with the inductive line impedance. The result is that the converter input current is nearly purely sinusoidal with a power factor of almost unity. The FCSC-rectifier is to be used for stand-alone variable-voltage, variable-frequency generation systems and can, therefore, power the full authority digital electronic control system (FADEC) in an MEA. This paper shows that the FCSC-rectifier can maintain a high power factor and acceptable current harmonic levels without the use of filters, despite large voltage and frequency variations. A full description of the circuit modes of operation is presented in this paper together with simulation results showing circuit performance characteristics over a range of voltages and frequencies. Results are experimentally verified using a 1-kW test circuit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new soft-switching bridgeless single-phase power factor correction (PFC) converter is presented and analyzed. Employing an auxiliary switch, the input current dead angle that is the main drawback of the existing buck-type PFCs is omitted, and thus, the power factor (PF) is improved, which is the main contribution of the paper. Proposed PFC converter operates under discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) and draws sinusoidal input current from power supply inherently. All switches and diodes are turnedonandoffunder soft switching, which leads to low switching losses and elimination of diode reverse recovery problems. Also, minimum numbers of semiconductor devices are in the power flow path that reduce the conduction losses. A 120-W laboratory prototype is implemented and experimental results verify the validity of theoretical analysis and show efficiency of 92.1%. In addition, total harmonic distortion (THD) of 3.3% is achieved and the input current harmonics complies with IEC61000-3-2 Class D requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the digital implementation of a boundary controller with unipolar switching characteristic for single-phase voltage source full-bridge inverters. This paper expands the application of a second-order switching surface-based control method to unipolar switching of single-phase voltage source inverters (VSIs) using a finite-state machine. The finite-state machine has been formulated considering four different states of the inverter; positive,zero1, negative, andzero2. The second-order boundary control governs the current state of the system and provides proper switching action to keep the system within the desired reference. The control law is implemented digitally in F28m35x digital control card. A full-bridge inverter topology is used to achieve the three-level voltage switching. Various simulations and experiments were performed in a 550 VA, 120 V, 60 Hz VSI with a digitally implemented controller to verify the theoretical predictions. A high-quality voltage output was obtained for various loading conditions. The transient performance of the controller was investigated using a reference and load changes. A comparison of the implementation was made with the existing classical controllers to verify the fast-dynamic response of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comprehensive optimization control scheme to improve efficiency and dynamic response of dual-active-bridge (DAB) dc–dc converters. Unified-phase-shift (UPS) control is widely used to increase the efficiency of DAB dc–dc converters by minimizing the peak current, but dynamic performance of the converters needs to be further enhanced. In this paper, to gain superior dynamic performance of DAB dc–dc converters, an equivalent power-balancing (PB) model is employed, which is capable of predicting dynamic behavior of converter output voltages due to input voltage fluctuation and load disturbance. And then, combining the UPS control and the PB control, a comprehensive UPS and PB (UPS-PB) scheme is proposed to improve the efficiency and dynamic performance simultaneously. This work also includes the detailed inductance parameter sensitivity of the proposed UPS-PB scheme and a zonal voltage control strategy to further improve dynamic responses of the output voltage under the start-up process or a large step change of the output voltage reference. Moreover, the variant of UPS-PB scheme for constant power load is analyzed in the experimental part. Finally, experimental results have verified the excellent performance of the proposed UPS-PB scheme and correctness of theoretical analysis in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power converters and electric motor drives when tightly regulated behave as constant power loads. These loads are different from resistive loads and have destabilizing negative impedance characteristics, which impact a system's stability. A boost converter is intrinsically nonlinear and is a nonminimum phase system at the output voltage with respect to the control input. The linear approximation of this boost converter loaded with a constant power load has a zero and poles in the right half of the $s$ -plane, making the system unstable and very difficult to control. Control techniques that employ some form of system inversion cannot be implemented for a nonminimum phase system. This paper describes a technique to modify the nonminimum phase boost converter to a minimum phase for a constant power load, further implementing the input–output linearization technique to stabilize the system. This paper also provides a methodological analysis of the problem followed by the proposed solution. Furthermore, it verifies the analysis of the proposed solution through simulation and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high step-up dc–dc converter is proposed in this paper. The presented converter benefits from some advantages such as high voltage gain and continuous input current, which makes it suitable for the renewable energy applications. The presented converter is based on the SEPIC converter. However, the converter voltage gain is improved by employing a coupled inductor and two voltage multipliers. A passive clamp circuit is also added to the proposed converter that increases the voltage gain and reduces the voltage stress on the main switch. Thus, a switch with low $R_{{\text{DS(on)}}}$ will be needed that decreases the conduction loss. Besides, the voltage stress on the output diode in the proposed converter is reduced, which alleviates reverse recovery problem. The steady-state analysis of the proposed converter is discussed in this paper. The analysis is verified with experimental results under the output power of 245 W. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a high step-up quasi-Z Source (QZS) dc–dc converter is proposed. This converter uses a hybrid switched-capacitors switched-inductor method in order to achieve high voltage gains. The proposed converter have resolved the voltage gain limitation of the basic QZS dc–dc converter while keeping its main advantages, such as continuous input current and low voltage stress on capacitors. Compared to the basic converter, the duty cycle is not limited, and the voltage stress on the diodes and switch is not increased. In addition to these features, the proposed converter has a flexible structure, and extra stages could be added to it in order to achieve even higher voltage gains without increasing the voltage stress on devices or limiting the duty cycle. The operation principle of the converter and related relationships and waveforms are presented in the paper. Also, a comprehensive comparison between the proposed and other QZS based dc–dc converters is provided which confirms the superiority of the proposed converter. Simulations are done in power systems computer aided design (PSCAD) in order to investigate the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) capability of the converter. In addition, the valid performance and practicality of the converter are studied through the results obtained from the laboratory built prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power modules are the most common components to fail in power converters that are employed in mass transportation systems, thus leading to high unscheduled maintenance cost. While operating, high junction temperature swings occur that result in high thermomechanical stress within the structure of the power module, reducing the lifetime of the module. Liquid metals as a cooling medium received so far little attention in the area of power semiconductor cooling, despite being able to remove high heat fluxes. This paper shows for the first time how liquid metal is used to reduce actively the junction temperature swing. A magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pump has been designed for this purpose allowing active control of the flow rate of the liquid metal that impinges against the baseplate of the module. The pump has been 3-D printed and is attached directly to the power module. A closed-loop temperature control system is implemented, able to estimate the insulated-gate bipolar transistor's junction temperature, and thus, controls the MHD power. This paper presents simulation and experimental results showing reductions in the temperature swing over the full load cycle with 12 °C as the highest observed reduction rate. This paper also shows detailed designs of the MHD pump and the controller hardware. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel kind of direct-current and alternate-decay-current hybrid integrative magnetization and demagnetization power supplies applied to transformer dc bias treatment based on a nanocomposite magnetic material. First, according to the single-phase transformer structure, one dc bias magnetic compensation mechanism was provided. The dc bias flux in the transformer main core could be eliminated directionally by utilizing the material remanence. Second, for the rapid response characteristic of the magnetic material to an external magnetic field, one positive and negative dc magnetization superimposed decaying ac demagnetization hybrid integrative power supplies based on single-phase rectifier circuit and inverter circuit was designed. In order to accurately control the magnetic field strength by which a good de/-magnetization effect could be achieved, this paper adopts the double-loop control technology of the magnetic field strength and magnetizing current for the nanocomposite magnetic state adjustment. Finally, two 10 kVA transformers and the experiment module of the hybrid integrative power supplies were manufactured and built. Experimental results showed that the integrated power supplies have good de/-magnetization effect and practicability, proving the validity and feasibility of the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a hybrid ac/dc grid, the ac-side unbalance voltage introduces adverse effects on dc grids and interfacing converters (IFC) (active power oscillations, dc-link voltage oscillations, and IFC peak current increase at the same average power production). For parallel IFCs, these adverse effects can be easily aggregated. In this paper, two new control strategies are proposed for parallel IFCs to improve both ac and dc subgrids power quality. The proposed control strategies focus on canceling active power oscillations of parallel IFCs that provide oscillation-free dc link and sharing collective peak current of parallel IFCs. In the first proposed control strategy, IFCs’ power coefficients are controlled by solving a set of nonlinear equations, and this method is called as coefficient-based strategy, whereas, in the second proposed control strategy, peak currents of IFCs are controlled directly through the derived relationship of IFCs' peak currents under zero power oscillation in this paper, and this method is named as peak current based strategy. This peak current based strategy features much simplified calculation and could be easy to implement. To achieve control objectives, thorough study on parallel IFCs' peak currents is conducted. Based on the study, it is shown that the collective peak current of all IFCs is a constant under zero total active power oscillation, and therefore, keeping all IFCs' peak currents in the same phase and in-phase with collective peak current optimizes the utilization range of parallel IFCs. The numerical examples and experimental results are provided to verify the validity of the proposed control strategies under different operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the possibility of deploying a finite control set model predictive control (FCS-MPC) algorithm for dynamic stabilization of a dc microgrid (MG) that supplies tightly regulated point-of-load (POL) converters. Within their control bandwidth, such converters behave as constant power loads (CPLs), where the MG sees them as impedances with a negative incremental resistance. Due to this characteristic, POL converters have a destabilizing impact that may cause large voltage oscillations or even a blackout of the whole MG. This paper proposes an active damping method realized by introducing a stabilization term in the cost function of the FCS-MPC algorithm that is used for regulation of the POL converter. This approach, on one hand, stabilizes a dc MG without implementing any additional active or passive components; thus, providing higher energy efficiency and better cost-effectiveness than methods that rely on such components. On the other hand, when compared to other approaches that focus on dc link stabilization via POL converter control, the proposed method has a significantly lower influence on the load voltage regulation performance. These findings are confirmed through comprehensive analytical investigation that shows how the proposed stabilization term affects the input impedance of the POL converter and the load voltage tracking performance. This is followed by experimental validation, where an FCS-MPC regulated uninterruptible power system inverter was used as a particular CPL example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study on the gate driver circuitries that need to be implemented to drive several power devices when associated in series connection. More specifically, the propagation paths of parasitic currents through the gate driver circuitries, exited under high switching speeds, are studied in different configurations trying to minimize common mode currents generated. In a gate driver circuitry for a regular low side–high side switching cell configuration with one upper switch and one lower switch, the voltage transient dv/dt at the middle point applied across the primary-secondary parasitic capacitance of gate driver supplies, and control signal isolation units are the reasons for the generation of conducted electromagnetic interference (EMI) perturbations. In complex power converters, multicell, multilevel, or even series connection of power devices, many driver circuits are required and implemented. Similarly, in such converters, there are several dv/dt sources generated at different floating points producing conducted EMI perturbations from the power part to the control part through many gate driver circuitries. Based on previous works, this paper analyzes the best configuration to minimize parasitic currents, especially reducing the conducted common mode currents in series connected transistors topologies. Simulations and practical results validate the analysis for two power devices in series connection, and then the extrapolations for more power devices in series connection, up to six are discussed and analyzed with the help of simulations results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inductive power transfer systems deployed in material handling have traditionally used parallel-tuned (current-sourced) boost regulators to independently control and regulate the load on each secondary. This paper evaluates the current doubler as an alternative parallel-tuned secondary controller within this application to better match the current and voltage requirements in the secondary resonant tuning network in high-power applications. This enables designs that enable the secondary magnetic pickup to achieve a smaller profile and fit within typical space constraints of material-handling vehicles. This paper presents the design approach needed for this regulator and compares its operation and performance against a traditional boost controller using both the simulation and the measurement of two built 5-kW secondary regulators. The current doubler naturally achieves a lower output ripple due to its interleaved switching and is found to have a comparable efficiency to the boost controller but requires slightly more components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In dc distribution networks, the parallel H-bridge dc/dc converters (HBDCs) are widely adopted to convert voltage levels with the higher power rating and reliability, in which the parallel HBDCs are naturally connected in input-parallel output-parallel (IPOP) form. However among IPOP HBDCs, there are complicated circulating currents that will influence the safe and steady operation of dc distribution networks. This paper focuses on the suppression of these circulating currents. First, the detailed mathematic models of circulating currents among IPOP HBDCs are derived. Through the model, it is found that various types of circulating currents exist in the system, including the circulating currents within the single HBDC and the circulating currents among the multiple HBDCs. Hence, the suppression of circulating currents among IPOP HBDCs is a multiobjective control problem. In this paper, it is proven that the conventional one degree of freedom control based on the bipolar modulation cannot eliminate all the circulating currents. Second, a novel two degrees of freedom control method is proposed to suppress all kinds of circulating currents based on the improved modulation way of HBDCs, which consists of two parts. The droop based control is used to suppress the circulating currents among the multiple HBDCs, whereas the common mode control is used to control the circulating currents within the single HBDC. All the theoretical analyses are verified by the real-time hardware-in-loop tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modular smart transformer (ST) is composed by several basic converters rated for lower voltage and power. In this paper, the quadruple active bridge (QAB) is used as the basic block for the modular ST. In this application, the efficiency and cost are the most important design parameters. Therefore, the paper focus on the design of the converter, with the aim to optimize its efficiency, taking the cost into consideration. To do so, the losses of all components are carefully modeled and a computer-aided design is used, where an algorithm to calculate the losses and cost is developed, allowing to perform multiobjective optimization. Additionally, silicon IGBTs and silicon carbide mosfets are considered for the design and the performance of the converter using both semiconductors technology is compared. Experimental results obtained for the optimized 20 kW QAB converter has shown an efficiency of 97.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a split-capacitor four-wire current source inverter, which is the dual of the split-capacitor four-wire voltage source inverter. Since the midpoint of the dc link is tied to the neutral point of ac filter capacitors, the common-mode voltage (CMV) is reduced significantly. Consequently, the leakage current issue is effectively addressed. The proposed circuit is cost-effective as no extra switch is added. This paper, first, establishes the equivalent common-mode circuit of the proposed inverter. The impact of the neutral line inductance on CMV is also analyzed. Then, a specific modulation is introduced to balance the dc-link voltages/currents. To achieve good input/output performance, a nonlinear control method is developed based on time-domain models. Finally, all the proposed methods and related theoretical analysis are verified by simulations and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple coupled inductors are used in power electronics to improve the dynamic cross regulation and to reduce mass and volume, mainly in high performance application, such as space or defense, where manufacturing cost is not the main driver. These elements can be modeled with its inductance matrix which is a symmetric and positive semidefinite matrix. The inductance matrix eases circuit analysis, many known circuital models are directly related to it and it can be used in SPICE simulation via its coupling coefficient component, which can be identified as the normalized matrix of the inductance matrix. Therefore, a precise and correct measurement technique of the inductance matrix or coupling coefficient matrix is needed. This paper analyzes different measuring techniques described in the technical literature and proposes a new method to measure the coupling coefficient or inductance matrix of tight coupled or dissimilar turns’ number windings, where other methods fail. A discussion follows, to know the influence of parasitic elements in the accuracy of the new proposed method called resonance (RE) method. The paper adds three experimental examples to verify the theoretical study and concludes that the RE method provides correct values of the coupling coefficient $k$ of tight coupled or dissimilar turns’ number windings compared to other measurement techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) uses an internal combustion engine to extend its cruising range, and to produce the electric power needed to be supplied to its electric motor when the charge level of the vehicle's battery becomes low and reaches a predetermined state of charge (SOC). This paper provides a better solution by replacing the internal combustion engine of a PHEV with a small-size photovoltaic (PV) module located on the roof of the PHEV, and a micro wind turbine located in front of the PHEV, behind the condenser of the air conditioning system. Thus, this study proposes a novel battery/PV/wind hybrid power source to be utilized in PHEVs. The power source equipped with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology is composed of a 19.2-kWh Lithium (Li)-ion battery used as the main energy storage device, and a PV module and a wind energy conversion system. A prototype of the battery/PV/wind hybrid power source has been constructed and utilized in a PHEV. Experimental verifications are presented that demonstrate utilizing the PV module and micro wind turbine adds 19.6 km to the cruising range of a PHEV with the weight of 1880 kg during two sunny days, and provides higher power efficiency (91.2%) and speed (121 km/h). Highly accurate dc-link voltage regulation and producing an appropriate three-phase stator current for the traction motor by using pulse width modulation technique are the other contributions of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a new bidirectional single-phase inverter topology. The proposed topology has three ports: a dc port, an ac port, and a ripple port. The ac and dc ports are bidirectional to support rectifier or inverter operation. A small inductor, which is of alternating current, exchanges power between different ports of the single-phase system. The proposed topology is capable of accomplishing voltage step-up or step-down, suppressing the ripple power, and performing inversion or rectification operation in one stage of power conversion. The proposed configuration offers an active decoupling function, which not only eliminates the double-frequency ripple power at the dc port but also achieves minimum capacitance requirements to minimize the size of the decoupling capacitor. This facilitates the use of a very small thin-film capacitor, which offers a much longer life-cycle and higher reliability compared with a bulky electrolytic capacitor. A control approach is also developed to regulate the dc-port and ac-port currents and manage the ripple power through proper distribution of power between each port. Moreover, a very small capacitor can be placed in parallel with the inductor to reinforce the proposed configuration with soft-switching operation, which enhances the overall efficiency and minimizes the voltage stress over the semiconductor devices. This converter is capable of accommodating an arbitrary number of dc or single-phase ac sources and/or loads configuring a multiple-input multiple-output inverter without introducing any additional passive elements or sacrificing the performance of the inverter. The primary focus of this paper is dc-to-ac conversion mode of operation, in spite of the fact that it can easily be configured to serve as a rectifier. Experimental and simulation results are presented to validate the operation of the proposed topology and its control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the two-stage converters for electric bike battery charging comprise of a boost converter for power factor correction (PFC) followed by a dc–dc converter with universal input voltage. These two-stage conversions suffer from poor efficiency and increased component count. In this paper, a single-stage switched inductor Cuk converter based PFC converter is proposed, which offers high step-down gain, low current stress, high efficiency, and reduced component count. The operational analysis and design equations for various components of the proposed converter are carried out in continuous current mode. This paper presents mathematical modeling, analysis, simulation, and experimentation on the proposed converter rated for 500 W, 48 V/10.4 A. The performance investigation of the proposed converter with respect to power quality indices like voltage total harmonic distortion (THD), current THD, and total power factor is carried out with various types of loads such as resistive load and battery load in both constant voltage (CV) and constant current (CC) mode. Furthermore, the dynamic performance of the proposed converter with battery charging is investigated in CV mode and CC mode with respect to the wide range of supply variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel discontinuous pulse-width modulation (DPWM) method to reduce the current harmonics and improve the system efficiency for a single-phase three-level neutral-point clamped inverter. In single-phase inverters, the unipolar pulse-width modulation (UP-PWM) method is commonly used. However, this method has the disadvantage of power losses due to numerous switching operations. Conventional DPWM methods reduce the power losses and improve efficiency but increase the current total harmonic distortion (THD). To overcome these weaknesses, this paper proposes a hybrid DPWM switching method combining two PWM methods: the UP-PWM method and the conventional DPWM method called one-pole clamped PWM method. Since the proposed DPWM method offers all the advantages of both PWM methods, the optimal performance—with regard to the power losses and current THD—is obtained. The combination of two PWM methods is investigated by analyzing the power losses and current THD. Based on the analysis, the process determining the optimal operating condition is introduced. The effectiveness of the proposed DPWM method is demonstrated through simulations and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel platform for accurate mathematical modeling of the propulsion system of electric cars. It provides, for the first time, a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) real-time experimental verification case study of a General Motor Chevrolet Volt for power, control systems, and the mechanical systems. The contribution of this paper can be categorized into three approaches: First, each component of the powertrain is accurately modeled taking transient dynamics of all components of the electric vehicle into consideration. Further, a PSIM simulation platform is consequently developed to demonstrate the validity of this mathematical modeling. Finally, the Typhoon HIL is used to provide the experimental verification of the proposed model in real time, which precisely validates the viability of the model. HIL technology is used to prototype and test the proposed control system while simulating the power circuit on the HIL module platform. The permanent magnet synchronous motor and the power electronics hardware components are simulated in real time at which the parameters can be changed during the simulation. However, the control algorithm is generated as a C code and downloaded to the TI controller that exists on a digital signal processing board. The results from the simulation based on PSIM environment and hardware validations using HIL are in agreement, which validates the developed model. The performance has been investigated under different load operating conditions in real time to verify its robustness. The case study can be extended for any electric car as it provides a generic platform for modeling any propulsion system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Voltage-controlled voltage-source converters (VSCs) are widely applied in islanded microgrids, dynamic voltage restorers, and uninterruptible power supplies, etc. Typically, an LC filter with a large filter capacitance is employed to improve the quality of output voltage and system robustness against external disturbances. Nevertheless, a large capacitance may lead to a low LC-resonant-frequency and cause unstable voltage control of VSCs when a single-loop proportional-resonant (PR) or resonant controller is used. This paper proposes a novel design of single-loop voltage control, where a negative proportional gain is adopted in the PR voltage controller, and it is revealed that the voltage control can be stable even with a low LC -resonant-frequency, e.g., lower than one-third of the system sampling frequency. To tackle the poor dynamic issue introduced by the negative proportional gain, this paper further proposes a closed-loop zeros configuration-based control method, which can flexibly tune the system dynamic response without affecting its stability. Finally, simulation and experimental results are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new power decoupling control method for a direct ac-to-ac converter. The ac-to-ac converter consists of two half-bridge converters, two input filter capacitors, and a series-resonant circuit, which enables it to convert the single-phase line-frequency ac input to the high-frequency ac output directly. The proposed power decoupling control method stores input power pulsation at double the line frequency in the input filter capacitors. Thus, the proposed control method realizes a unity power factor in the line-frequency ac input and a constant amplitude current in the high-frequency ac output without any additional switching device or energy storage element. This paper theoretically discusses the principle and operating performance of the proposed control method and confirms the effectiveness of the proposed control method in experiments using an isolated ac-to-dc converter based on the direct ac-to-ac converter. As a result, the proposed power decoupling control method effectively improved the displacement power factor of the line-frequency ac input current to more than 0.99 and reduced the voltage ripple in the dc load to 4%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) converter for grid connection through a high-leg delta transformer. The converter is composed of a symmetrically connected boost converter and three half-bridge inverters. One of the three half-bridge inverters is connected to the boost converter, and the others are directly connected to the PV terminals. As a result, this circuit configuration enables to reduce the power losses in both boost converter and inverters. This paper also proposes a new cooperative control method between the symmetrically connected boost converter and inverter. The control method can reduce the average switching frequency to 75% of that in a conventional one, resulting in a great reduction in the switching power loss. Experimental results confirm that the proposed circuit configuration makes it possible to improve its European efficiency from 91.6% to 94.5%. Moreover, system performance is evaluated on the assumption of maximum power point tracking operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual active bridge (DAB) based converters offer the benefit of smaller volume due to high-frequency isolation and controllability of active power flow, making them attractive for various applications, such as renewable energy generation, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and distribution systems. This paper presents a novel converter topology along with a modulation strategy for a DAB-based three-phase ac to dc converter. The major benefits are single-stage conversion, no unreliable intermediate dc-link capacitor, reduced number of switches, i.e., only two active switches on the ac side, simple control scheme, open-loop unity power factor operation, bidirectional power flow, and partial soft-switching. This paper presents the analysis of all the operating modes of the converter, resulting in the analytical estimation of power transfer and rms winding current and investigation of soft-switching conditions for the power devices. Simulation and experimental results have been presented to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed technique and accuracy of the analysis.1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wide-range ubiquitous wireless power environment, called a ubiquitous Wi-power zone, where any electric devices can be charged by three-dimensional (3-D)-omnidirectional wireless charging, is newly proposed in this paper. By virtue of the proposed direct-quadrature (DQ) transmitting (Tx) coils composed of multiple Tx modules with same size, a ubiquitous Wi-power zone having the transmitting (Tx) coils can be provided over wide-range 3-D space. In this area, a number of electric devices can be simultaneously charged during operation. Therefore, the proposed IPT is expected to be the next generation of wireless power transfer (WPT), as the internet of things (IoT), mobile devices, and sensor technologies evolve. For magnetic shielding behind the Tx coils and high power efficient operation of the proposed DQ Tx coils, providing an evenly distributed magnetic field, a conductive plate is adopted, and the effects of the conductive plate for the dipole coil structure were thoroughly evaluated by a 3-D FEM simulation. To create the proposed ubiquitous Wi-power zone, simulation-based optimum design procedures are established based on four design considerations and the optimized number of modularizations for the DQ Tx coils can be found by an optimum point of figure of merit (FoM). The DQ Tx module composed of the DQ Tx coils and series resonant capacitors was adopted as a standard unit of the proposed IPT so that different sizes and shapes of 3-D space can be utilized for universal use of the proposed ubiquitous IPT; hence, a general solution to create the proposed ubiquitous IPT is provided in this paper. A prototype 5 × 5 modularized IPT composed of 25 DQ Tx modules having the same size of ${\text{10 cm}} \times {\text{10 cm}}\times {\text{2 cm}}$ was fabricated and experimentally verified for a ${\text{1 m}}\times {\text{1 m}}\times {\text{0.7 m}}$ ubiquitous Wi-power zone. Experimental results showed that 95.5%, 92.1%, and 98.8% of high magnetic field uniformity for $z_{1}= {\text{25}}$  cm, 50 cm, and 75 cm, respectively, and 3-D omnidirectional wireless power delivery have been achieved; thus, meeting essential requirements for the proposed ubiquitous Wi-power zone. Nine Rx coils can be simultaneously charged with 14.2 W of total received load power and 8.2% power efficiency at $z_{1}= {\text{70}}$  cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a unified framework for the modeling, analysis, and design of load-independent Class E and Class EF inverters and rectifiers. These circuits are able to maintain zero-voltage switching and, hence, high efficiency for a wide load range without requiring tuning or use of a feedback loop, and to simultaneously achieve a constant amplitude ac voltage or current in inversion and a constant dc output voltage or current in rectification. As switching frequencies are gradually stepping into the megahertz (MHz) region with the use of wide-bandgap (WBG) devices such as GaN and SiC, switching loss, implementing fast control loops, and current sensing become a challenge, which load-independent operation is able to address, thus allowing exploitation of the high-frequency capability of WBG devices. The traditional Class E and EF topologies are first presented, and the conditions for load-independent operation are derived mathematically; then, a thorough analytical characterization of the circuit performance is carried out in terms of voltage and current stresses and the power-output capability. From this, design contours and tables are presented to enable the rapid implementation of these converters given particular power and load requirements. Three different design examples are used to showcase the capability of these converters in typical MHz power conversion applications using the design equations and methods presented in this paper. The design examples are chosen toward enabling efficient and high-power-density MHz converters for wireless power transfer (WPT) applications and dc/dc conversion. Specifically, a 150-W 13.56-MHz Class EF inverter for WPT, a 150-W 10-MHz miniature Class E boost converter, and a lightweight wirelessly powered drone using a 20-W 13.56-MHz Class E synchronous rectifier have been designed and are presented here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetically coupled resonant (MCR) wireless power transfer (WPT) is one of the most promising WPT technologies for its remarkable capability of simultaneous noncontact power transfer for multiple independent loads. Nevertheless, diverse energy requirements of different loads and efficiency quota make it difficult to design and optimize the multiload system. In this paper, a novel driver configuration for the MCR WPT system with multiple loads is proposed, in which the transmitting resonant tank is driven synchronously by multiple inverters operating at multiple switching frequency and sharing a common dc voltage source, then a multifrequency superposition methodology is presented to achieve high efficiency and targeted power distribution. The dominant features of the methodology are listed as follows: 1) the multifrequency power components from multiple inverters can be simultaneously delivered to multiple loads through a single transmitter; 2) the receiving coils are elaborately designed at different resonant frequencies that correspond to the operating frequencies of multiple inverters to achieve targeted power transfer and high efficiency; 3) the resonant frequency of the transmitter can be modulated within the adjacent area of multiple operating frequencies, and the power distribution to meet the requirements of selective loads will be realized; and 4) the resonant frequencies of receivers can also be adjusted to effectively realize the power distribution. In this paper, a double-frequency MCR WPT system with two loads is comprehensively investigated as a representative example, and the studied methodology has been experimentally verified by two prototypes of the proposed circuit configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents nonlinear optimization-based position and speed estimation scheme for IPMSM drives with arbitrary signal injection generated by inherent switching ripples associated with finite control set model predictive control (FCSMPC). The existing standard sensorless techniques are not suitable for FCSMPC which applies voltage vectors directly to an electrical machine without a modulator. The proposed method optimizes the nonlinear cost function derived from the standard IPMSM model with respect to position and speed at every sampling interval. This method can be applied to any type of signal injection and, hence, an ideal candidate for sensorless FCSMPC. In this method, the signal injection is needed only to generate persistent excitation to maintain the observability at low speeds. A strong persistent excitation is always present with FCSMPC except at standstill where the control applies null vector when the reference currents are zero. This situation is overcome in this paper by introducing a small negative $d$ -axis current at standstill. Thus, the proposed method can estimate the position and speed over a wide speed range starting from standstill to the rated speed without a changeover or additional signal injection. This paper also presents detailed convergence analysis and proposes a compensator for standstill operation that prevents converging to saddle and symmetrical solutions, and therefore, also eliminates the well-known ambiguity of $\pi$ rad in position estimation. The performance of the proposed sensorless scheme is experimentally verified for a wide range of operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper comprehensively analyzes the stability of a grid-interfacing inverter with the LCL -filter in the discrete domain, where the LCL-filter, along with the controller, is modeled in a polar coordinate. System open-loop and closed-loop poles are analytically studied and expressed in the z -domain. Through the poles movement and distribution analysis, the relationship between system stability and the ratio of resonance frequency over sampling frequency is mathematically revealed and calculated as well as the system control gain limit. Moreover, this paper demonstrates that a grid-voltage feedforward regulator would significantly alter the inverter stability in a weak power system. By means of Jury stability criterion, the stability status under different filter resonance frequency is given. The selection of resonance frequency and filter parameters makes a considerable difference on system behavior. Finally, to improve the robustness against grid inductance variation, a conservative design recommendation of filter parameters and control gain is given. Through the tests on a laboratory-scale prototype, the theoretical analysis is validated by experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contactless energy transfer and vibration system (CETVS) for rotary ultrasonic machining, the energy is delivered to an ultrasonic transducer equipped with a rotary spindle shank through a loosely coupled transformer (LCT). The purpose of this paper is to present a simplified construct, referred to as self-compensation system, to overcome the drawbacks of external compensation elements occupying the limited shank space during the LCT's leakage inductance compensating and the transducer's capacitance compensating. The advantage of this approach is that the secondary leakage inductive reactance of the LCT and the capacitive reactance of the transducer are mutually compensated without an intermediate element, which conserves the spindle shank space and reduces the operating load of an LCT. In this paper, we first derive the mutual compensation equation between a transducer and an LCT. Then, for a given transducer, the structural parameters of an LCT are designed with theoretical calculations and simulation analysis. Experiments are conducted with the self-compensation system excited by a 50 V ultrasonic signal. The results show that the energy transfer efficiency of LCT reached 92.0%, the amplitude of the transducer reached $10.7\,\mu {\rm{m}}$ , when the CETVS is self-compensated. These results indicate that this self-compensation theory and design are feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a three-dimensional (3-D) wire bondless power module using silicon carbide (SiC) power devices. Commercially available SiC power devices are designed for wire bonding. Wire bonds have an inherent parasitic inductance that limits high-frequency switching. This results in an underutilization of the full potential of SiC power devices, which have very low switching losses at high frequencies. Wire-bonded power modules run into a performance ceiling when it comes to ultrafast switching. This paper strives to provide a solution to this issue, which involves reconfiguring a commercially available bare die SiC power device into a flip-chip-capable device. A wire bondless SiC Schottky diode package was demonstrated and its performance was contrasted with a conventional wire-bonded package. A 24% reduction in the ON-state resistance was observed in the wire bondless package. As a next step, wire bondless SiC MOSFET packages were developed and tested in a half-bridge configuration in a highly integrated 3-D arrangement. This approach departs from the conventional concept of a power module—demonstrating a direct-bonded-copper-less and baseplate-less half-bridge switching cell. Double-pulse tests conducted on the cell showed >3× reduction in the parasitic inductance of the 3-D cell as compared with a conventional wire-bonded module. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hybrid electric bus (HEB) presents an emerging solution to exhaust gas emissions in urban transport. This paper proposes a multiport bidirectional switched reluctance motor (SRM) drive for solar-assisted HEB (SHEB) powertrain, which not only improves the motoring performance, but also achieves flexible charging functions. To extend the driving miles and achieve self-charging ability, photovoltaic (PV) panels are installed on the bus to decrease the reliance on fuelsbatteries and charging stations. A bidirectional front-end circuit with a PV-fed circuit is designed to integrate electrical components into one converter. Six driving and five charging modes are achieved. The dc voltage is boosted by the battery in generator control unit (GCU) driving mode and by the charge capacitor in battery driving mode, where the torque capability is improved. Usually, an extra converter is needed to achieve battery charging. In this paper, the battery can be directly charged by the demagnetization current in GCU or PV driving mode, and can be quickly charged by the PV panels and GCUAC grids at SHEB standstill conditions, by utilizing the traction motor windings and integrated converter circuit, without external charging converters. Experiments on a three-phase 128 SRM confirm the effectiveness of the proposed drive and control scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is known that, when tightly regulated, actively controlled power converters behave as constant power loads (CPLs). These loads can significantly degrade the stability of their feeder system. The loop-cancelation technique has been established as an appropriate methodology to mitigate this issue within dc–dc converters that feed CPLs. However, this has not yet been applied to uncontrolled rectifier based ac–dc converters. This paper therefore details a new methodology that allows the loop-cancelation technique to be applied to uncontrolled rectifier based ac–dc converters in order to mitigate instability when supplying CPLs. This technique could be used in both new applications and easily retrofitted into existing applications. Furthermore, the key contribution of this paper is a novel adaptive stabilization technique, which eliminates the destabilizing effect of CPLs for the studied ac–dc power system. An equation, derived from the average system model, is introduced and utilized to calculate the adaptable gain required by the loop-cancelation technique. As a result, the uncontrolled rectifier based ac–dc feeder system is always stable for any level of CPL. The effectiveness of the proposed adaptive mitigation has been verified by small-signal and large-signal stability analysis, simulation, and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the comparison of four predictive torque control schemes for a permanent-magnet synchronous machine (PMSM). The first method is the finite-set model predictive control (FS-MPC). In FS-MPC, the optimal switching state is selected based on the evaluation and minimization of a cost function for all possible voltage space vectors (VSVs) of the inverter. The second method performs a simplified FS-MPC where the selection and evaluation of the possible VSVs are reduced to only three. The third method is based on the principle of predictive direct torque control (PDTC), where the duty cycle of the switching state is optimized for application in the inverter. Finally, a method that combines FS-MPC and PDTC named model predictive torque control is presented. This paper introduces the methodology and the results of a comprehensive comparison of the four predictive schemes based on different criterions. The control schemes are implemented on a field-programmable gate array and are applied to a PMSM. Experimental results are presented to validate the presented comparison and discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a high-frequency modular medium-voltage AC (4160 VAC or 13.8 kVAC) to low-voltage DC (400 VDC) system that is scalable in order to be used for different scale microgrids. A 15 kW, 500 kHz DC/DC converter is demonstrated as the most important stage of the system overall, which can be scalable to a 225 kW 4160 VAC to 400 VDC system. Motivation of a CLLC resonant converter and its design parameters determination is carefully illustrated. The high-frequency transformer is the key element for the DC/DC converter. Then, the paper focuses on high-frequency transformer design to realize high-voltage insulation, high efficiency, and high density at the same time. Based on a split winding UU core transformer structure, transformer insulation materials and dimension parameters are determined referring to the IEEE insulation standard. The transformer magnetic loss model is reviewed based on which loss design tradeoff is carefully analyzed. Different working frequency impact on transformer design over three different core materials is also presented. Finally, a 500 kHz transformer prototype has been developed and demonstrated with the IEEE standard required insulation tests. A whole CLLC resonant converter is also present with experiments results. The converter holds outstanding 98% efficiency and 2.9 kW/L power density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dc–dc power converter based on a two-phase synchronous buck converter that reproduces single-carrier digital modulation schemes by controlling the first switching harmonic of the output voltage ripple is presented in this paper. The dc–dc power converter carries out both the lighting and the transmission functionalities of visible light communication transmitters. Control of both the amplitude and the phase of sinusoidal currents injected toward high-brightness LEDs enable the use of efficient modulation schemes, such as quadrature amplitude modulation, carrierless amplitude and phase modulation, amplitude-shift keying, and phase-shift keying. These modulation schemes achieve higher spectral efficiency (i.e., more data can be transmitted using the same bandwidth) than previously proposed modulation schemes performed by visible light communication transmitters based on the use of dc–dc power converters. To the authors' knowledge, the ratio between the bit rate achieved and the switching frequency of the dc–dc power converter presented in this paper is the highest that can be found in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses dynamic behavior of a dual-active-bridge (DAB) dc–dc converter. Conventional phase-shift control methods for the DAB converter may cause dc offsets in both inductor current and transformer magnetizing current in transient states. The dc offset in the inductor current would introduce an excessive peak current through the switching devices. The dc offset in the magnetizing current may induce magnetic-flux saturation. Conventional methods simultaneously turn on and off the diagonal switches in each H-bridge converter and produce a square-wave voltage with a 50% duty ratio. In contrast, the proposed method in this paper independently controls each switch to modify the duty ratio in transient states. This paper clearly derives the requirements of each switch to eliminate the dc offsets in both currents with a settling time shorter than half the switching period. Experimental results using a 5-kW 20-kHz system verify the validity of the proposed control method, which is effective not only in a single step change, but also in a continuous change in the phase-shift reference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnitude of hysteresis torque band has a considerable effect on the performance of two-level direct torque control (DTC) of induction machines. The conventional DTC fails at low speed due to the poor flux regulation. In this paper, two dynamic hysteresis torque band (DHTB) strategies for the conventional DTC are proposed to solve this problem by dynamically altering the amplitude of hysteresis torque band based on a flux error range. In this way, the simplicity of DTC algorithm is retained since it only requires a minor modification on its structure. The paper also presents further analysis on flux degradation, particularly the droop in between the flux sectors. In addition, the switching frequency effect of reverse voltage vectors for both DHTB schemes is investigated on the performance of the speed-sensorless DTC drive. The effectiveness of the proposed schemes is confirmed by simulation and experimental validation. Results show a significant enhancement in the flux regulation and dynamic torque response from zero motor speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In high-power applications, parallel-operated T-type three-level pulse width modulation (PWM) rectifiers (T3LPRs) are widely employed to improve the power capacity and system reliability. For parallel-operated T3LPRs, there are two important issues need to be properly addressed: 1) the neutral-point potential (NPP) balancing, and 2) the zero sequence circulating current (ZSCC) between the common ac and dc bus. In this paper, the fluctuation of NPP in a T3LPR and the generative mechanism of ZSCC in parallel-operated T3LPRs are first investigated. The zero sequence voltage (ZSV) difference between the parallel-operated T3LPRs is identified as the main excitation source of the ZSCC problem. Meanwhile, the disconnection of the neutral point and the control effect difference of NPP balancing in each T3LPR also affect the ZSCCs within the parallel-operated T3LPRs. To adjust the ZSV of T3LPRs, the dwell time of the positive small voltage vector in each switching period of the converter, which is usually adjusted to balance the NPP, is also required to be controlled to suppress ZSCC. Therefore, in this paper, to avoid the possible conflict, an improved modulation mechanism is designed to guarantee simultaneous ZSCC suppression and NPP balancing. The neutral points of each T3LPR are connected. Then, by adjusting the dwell time of the positive small voltage vector, the charging time of two dc capacitors is adjusted to balance the NPP, and the ZSV differences between different T3LPRs are adjusted to suppress ZSCCs. To avoid the control effect difference of independent NPP balancing in different T3LPRs, all T3LPRs share the same value marking the difference between two dc capacitor voltages. Thus, a communication with a greatly reduced baud rate requirement is needed for NPP balancing to transfer the difference between the two dc capacitor voltages. Moreover, no extra circuit is needed for ZSCC suppression. These approaches make the proposed improved space vector PWM strategy much more practical and easy to employ. The proposed method is verified with experiments on two 3-kW T3LPR prototypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is introducing a new method of operation for a series resonant converter, with intended application in megawatt high-voltage dc wind turbines. Compared to a frequency controlled series resonant converter operated in subresonant mode, the method (entitled pulse removal technique) allows the design of the medium frequency transformer for highest switching frequency, while being operated at lower frequency without saturation. The main focus of this paper is to identify and analyze the operating modes of the converter with pulse removal technique. With the use of variable frequency and variable phase displacement in subresonant mode, the new method of operation promises transformer size reduction and facilitates soft-switching transition of the insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and line frequency diodes on rectifier side. Four modes of operation are identified, while equations for output power, voltage, and current stress are identified. Experimental results are concluded on a 1 kW, 250 V/500 V prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents two novel measurement methods to characterize silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET devices. The resulting data are utilized to significantly improve the extraction of a custom device model that can now accurately reproduce device switching behavior. First, we consider the $I_{\text{d}}- V_{\text{ds}}$ output characteristics of power devices such as SiC transistors. These are typically measured using traditional curve tracers, but the characterization of the high-voltage and high-current (HVHC) region is very challenging because of device power compliance and self-heating. In this paper, we introduce a measurement technique that overcomes self-heating and derives the HVHC region from switching waveforms. The switching transient characteristics of devices are used to determine drain current $(I_{\text{d}})$ as a function of drain–source voltage $(V_{\text{ds}})$ in the HVHC range. Second, we consider another challenging characterization area: measurement of nonlinear capacitances when device is turned on. These capacitance characteristics of on-state devices are important for correcting disagreements between simulations and measurements in turn-off switching transient waveforms and cannot be measured using a conventional capacitance-voltage meter. We introduce S-parameter measurements as an effective method to obtain the capacitance characteristics of both off-state devices and on-state devices. These novel measurement techniques have been applied to the modeling of a SiC device. The extracted device model, a modified version of the popular Angelov−GaN high-electron-mobility transistor model, shows significant improvement in terms of the accuracy of switching waveforms of devices over a wide range of operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an inverter topology named the multi-source inverter that aims to connect several independent DC sources to the same AC output using a single stage of conversion. This power converter has been developed for applications, such as electrified powertrains. Compared to the conventional hybrid powertrains that use a DC/DC converter to provide an adaptable voltage to the load, the multi-source inverter can drive a traction motor from variable DC voltages without the use of an additional power converter. Hence, the high power DC/DC converter can be dissociated from the traction mode and its use will be restricted to the engine $^{\prime }$ s start-up and regenerative braking, allowing a significant reduction of its power rating from tens of kWatts to a few kWatts. The overall efficiency of the electrified traction drive can also be improved due to the single conversion stage between the battery and the motor. In this paper, the multi-source inverter topology is introduced and its different operating modes are determined through the study of the inverter circuit. Closed-loop control simulations and experiments with a scaled-down prototype and an induction motor were performed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed topology and concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes generation of a 15-level (14 concentric) dodecagonal voltage space vector structure (DVSVS) for a star connected induction motor drive. The proposed multilevel DVSVS is obtained by cascading two inverters, namely a primary and secondary inverter. The primary inverter is a five-level (5L) structure formed by stacking two three-level flying capacitors with individual reduced dc sources and the secondary inverter is also a 5L structure formed by cascading two capacitor-fed cascaded H-bridges (CHB). The active power is supplied by the primary inverter, while the secondary inverter acts as switched capacitor harmonics filter, and capacitors in the secondary inverter are balanced naturally irrespective of load power factor for entire modulation index. The high-voltage dc supply fed primary inverter is operated in quasi-square wave mode, while the high frequency switching is applied to low voltage CHBs, thus, reducing the overall switching loss. The proposed scheme gives the advantages of both DVSVS and multilevel structure, thus, making it one of the solutions for battery or stacked dc-fed applications. The paper also presents the experimental results as well as comparison study with the existing topologies to support the advantages of proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a hybrid electronic and magnetic structure named a variable-inverter-rectifier-transformer (VIRT) that enables a transformer with fractional and reconfigurable effective turns ratios (e.g., 12:0.5, 12:2/3, 12:1, and 12:2). This functionality is valuable in converters with wide operating voltage ranges and high step-up/down, as it offers a means to reduce the turns count and copper loss within the transformer while also facilitating voltage doubling and quadrupling. These properties are especially beneficial for miniaturizing the transformer stage in many power electronics applications, such as universal serial bus wall chargers. We introduce the principle of operation of the structure and present models for its magnetic and electrical behavior. The instance of VIRT described in this paper comprises four half-bridge switching cells distributed around a planar magnetic core and connected to two “half-turns” wound through that core. By controlling the operating modes of the half-bridge cells, we gain control over the flux paths and current paths used in the transformer, and this hybridization enables fractional and reconfigurable effective turns ratios. An experimental prototype integrates the VIRT with a stacked-bridge LLC converter to accommodate a widely varying input (120–380 \textV\text{dc}) and output (5–20 \textV\text{dc}), and VIRT is shown to be highly beneficial in keeping efficiency high over this wide output voltage range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constant on-time V^2 control for point-of-load buck converters has instability issues in the cases that the output capacitors' RC time constants are small. This paper intensively studies the proposed solution using capacitor current ramp compensation, which is a superior solution featuring fast response and universality. A frequency-domain small-signal model based on describing function method is proposed in this paper. The time-domain large-signal response to the load step change is analyzed. The analysis illustrates the unique transient response behaviors of the capacitor current ramp compensated V^2 control. The design optimization methodology based on frequency-domain and time-domain analysis is presented. The proposed model and the design guidelines are verified by the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a generalized power-decoupling control scheme using a multiport isolated bidirectional converter for a multilevel inverter, which has multiple dc links inside. In the proposed method, a single power-decoupling capacitor is needed for all the dc links in the multilevel inverter cell. First, a prototype of the power-decoupling concept of individual H-bridge cells in the multilevel inverter is proposed, using a separate power-decoupling circuit. Then, a more advanced one-step power-decoupling method is proposed. The lifetime and reliability of the multilevel inverter is improved as film capacitors replace the large capacitance electrolyte capacitors. A multi-input ports/single output voltage-fed dual half-bridge converter (MDHB) is used for the power-decoupling circuit. A steady-state analysis for the peak and root mean square of the MDHB current is carried out for the loss breakdown. The currents are functions of the switching frequency, phase shift, leakage inductance, turn ratio, and output voltage, which make the multiport transformer design complex. A design methodology is proposed, which takes into account the design of the copper and core losses as functions of the switching frequency and number of turns. Furthermore, a special winding method for the input port is illustrated to obtain identical leakage inductances for the uniform current distribution in the multiport transformer. The proposed MDHB employs a current-sensorless power-decoupling control that contributes to the spontaneous ripple rejection of all the dc links without individual link current information, as well as to the cost and size reduction. Hence, the ripple-rejection controller is independent of the control configuration of the multilevel inverter, and also available for universal applications of various inverter topologies. Since the primary-input ports of MDHB share a single magnetic core for interfacing the ripple power to the unified secondary ripple capacitor, the controller design becomes difficult in considering the dynamic interaction among the ports, along with the average-voltage control loop design. In this paper, the dynamic analysis and controller design procedure of the circuit is also presented. The power decoupling is achieved even when the ripple frequency is other than the double frequency of the inverter output, since the single-pole transfer function of the small-signal model of the MDHB allows sufficient phase margin, along with high bandwidth. The proposed power-decoupling method for the multilevel inverter is validated with the help of simulation and 1.2-kW hardware prototype experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Class $E^2$ DC–DC converter composed of Class $E$ power amplifier (PA) and rectifier is a promising candidate for MHz wireless power transfer. It is soft-switching based and able to achieve high efficiency at MHz frequency. However, the converter implemented through traditional static design is sensitive to the variations of operation condition. Its performance gets deteriorated when DC load and coil coupling deviate from their respective optimum values. This paper demonstrates that the degradation of system efficiency is mostly due to the mismatch of PA load, and the efficiency drop can be efficiently improved by adding an L-type impedance matching network (IMN) after PA. A fixed IMN is sufficient to maintain a high efficiency, while a tunable IMN is required to ensure stable output power when operation condition dramatically changes. Key techniques, particularly system-level optimization, are discussed in this paper that ensure high efficiency over a wide range of variation in operation condition and also with reduced capacitor/inductor tuning ranges in the IMN. The 6.78-MHz Class $E^2$ DC–DC converters with and without the fixed/tunable IMN are fabricated and measured for validation purposes. The experimental results show that both high efficiency ( $>$66%) and stable output power (around 9 W) are maintained for the tunable converter when there are variations in the DC load and coil coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superjunction MOSFETs in cascode configuration with low-voltage silicon MOSFETs are evaluated in this paper. The proposed structure combines the good switching performance provided by the cascode configuration with the benefits of the silicon technology such as its robustness, maturity, and low cost. This paper aims to explain and to demonstrate the reduction of switching losses of superjunction MOSFETs in cascode configuration with respect to their standalone counterparts (directly driven). A detailed simulation analysis of power loss contributions is carried out under hard-switching operation. Moreover, experimental evidence is provided using a boost converter (100–400 V) operating in continuous conduction mode for different switching frequencies (100–400 kHz) and output power levels (180–500 W). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]