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The extra-LC auxiliary-resonant-snubber-based converter (ELCARSC), as a soft-switching converter, has the advantages of low switching loss, low electromagnetic interference noise, and low-output distortion caused by the dead-time effect. However, the dead-time effect is still the main problem in a high-precision application. Besides, the traditional control and compensation methods rely on the accuracy of the circuit parameters, especially the junction capacitance, thus resulting in compensation error. Therefore, this paper proposed a novel high-precision control method through modulating the initial resonant current to eliminate the dead-time effect of ELCARSC. The method does not need complicated online calculation and reduces the dependence on the accuracy of the circuit parameters, especially the influence of the junction capacitances of the switches. In this paper, the dead-time effect of the ELCARSC is analyzed. The output voltage error with the conventional variable-timing control method is analyzed. Subsequently, the proposed modulated initial resonant current control is introduced. Finally, a prototype was developed that verified the effectiveness of the control method. The quality of the output current and voltage is improved by utilizing the proposed control method. However, the peak current of the auxiliary switch is increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a high-efficiency single-phase T-type boundary conduction mode (BCM) microinverter. The conventional full-bridge BCM microinverter has achieved zero voltage switching (ZVS) and thereby improved the efficiency, but it suffers from high switching losses under light load conditions. The proposed T-type BCM microinverter reserves ZVS and uses a multilevel technique to further decrease the switching losses. The BCM operation with multilevel technique will have too low switching frequency when the grid voltage approaches half of the dc link voltage. To solve this problem, this paper adopts a third operation mode for the T-type switching leg to maintain the switching frequency above a minimum value. The corresponding mode transitions are also detailed to ensure a smooth operation. Because of the turn-offdelay of the freewheeling transistor, the actual lower current boundary deviates from the programmed one, which will distort output current. To address this issue, this paper also proposes a boundary compensation method. A prototype has been built for performance verification, which can test both full-bridge and T-type topology. Compared with the full-bridge BCM microinverter, the proposed T-type BCM microinverter has a higher efficiency over the whole load range. [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]

This paper proposes a new single-phase single-stage switched-boost inverter with four switches. Like the quasi-Z-source inverter and quasi-switched boost inverter (qSBI), the proposed inverter has the main features as continuous input current, buck/boost voltage with single-stage conversion, and shoot-through immunity. Compared to the qSBI, the proposed inverter uses one more capacitor and one less switch. This paper presents the operating principles, pulse-width modulation control strategy, parameter design guidelines, and simulation results for the proposed inverter. To verify the performance of the proposed inverter, an 800-W prototype was built with an 110 V/50 Hz output voltage in stand-alone and grid-connected modes. The simulation and experimental results matched those of the theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, two structures are proposed for the switched-inductor quasi-Z-source inverter. In the proposed structures to extend the voltage gain of inverter, two new switched-inductor structures are used. In the proposed structures, voltage across the capacitors in the Z-source network and in the switched-inductor is symmetric and small. The other advantage of proposed inverters is known as achieving higher voltage gain per smaller duty cycle ratio (of shoot-through). Compared with a conventional continuous input current switched-inductor quasi-Z-source inverter at the same gain voltage, there is less of a ripple of input current in the proposed inverters. In this paper, at first the both the conventional and the proposed switched-inductor Z-source inventers are thoroughly investigated to find out their governing relations. Then, the proposed Z-source inverters are compared with the conventional ones by simulating them to assess their performance efficiency. Next, applying the simple boost pulse width modulation the simulation is carried out with PSCAD/EMTDC software. After that, to evaluate the obtained results, the prototypes of the proposed inverters with 48 Vdc input voltage are used. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, new half-bridge and full-bridge topologies for a switched-boost inverter are proposed. These topologies have a high boost factor in comparison with conventional types. In addition, the proposed topologies have continuous input current and can generate zero-voltage level in output. In this paper, the operation of the proposed inverters in different operating modes is analyzed. Then, the values of inductors and capacitors are designed. Moreover, the used switching pattern and its logical diagram are introduced. A comprehensive comparison between the proposed and conventional topologies in terms of the boost factor, the number of elements, and the efficiency shows the good features of the proposed inverters. Finally, to verify correct operation of the proposed topologies and derived equations, simulation and experimental results are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to provide high and extendable power levels for inductive power transfer (IPT) system, a parallel multi-inverter system based on modular inverter is presented. Various power requirements can be implemented by an adjustment of the number of paralleled inverters, which provides a high modularity. A master−slave scheme is employed for the switching-driver signals of parallel inverters, where one acts as a leader while others act as followers. Despite the master−slave scheme, the proposed circuit topology has natural robustness because of the equality in terms of the hardware configuration of each modular inverter. For proper parameters, the output phase (current lagging corresponding voltage) of an inverter is lower than the average of output phase of all inverters, when its output voltage lags behind others, and vice versa. Based on this approach, PI controllers are designed to implement phase synchronization for output voltages of all inverters. An IPT prototype supplied by the proposed parallel multi-inverter with three inverters was designed, built, and tested. Experiments show that the proposed parallel multi-inverter system has not only good circulating current suppression capacity but also excellent performance of phase synchronization. The maximum dc−dc efficiency was 94% at a 35.1 kW receiving power. This paper is accompanied by a Matlab/Simulink file demonstrating phase synchronization control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new multi-input multi-output (MIMO) dc–dc converter with high step-up capability is proposed for wide power ranges. Also, in order to increase each output voltage, diode–capacitor voltage multiplier (VM) stages are utilized in the proposed converter. The number of input stages, output stages, and VM stages are arbitrary and dependent on design conditions. At first, the general structure of proposed MIMO converter is presented. Then, in order to explain the converter operation, we walk through the design of a 1-kW four-input two-output example, including loss and efficiency calculations. We validate the design with a prototype that matches efficiency calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 1-φ hybrid nine-level inverter (H9LI) topology has been proposed in this paper. The proposed H9LI topology uses a simple phase disposition pulsewidth modulation strategy to generate nine-voltage levels in the output. The main advantage of this topology is that it has a low switch count (ten switches) compared to the existing nine-level inverter topologies. To regulate the voltage across auxiliary capacitor, two innovative control techniques are proposed, which are integrated with the inverter modulation technique itself. Hence, it does not require any extra voltage balancing circuits to maintain the voltage across the auxiliary capacitor and input dc capacitors. A major advantage of these control techniques is that they eliminate the sensing of the coupled inductor current. Another significant advantage of H9LI is that loss distribution among all the power switches is more uniform compared to existing nine-level inverters. Due to low part count and absence of extra voltage balancing circuits, the H9LI achieves higher efficiency (η ≍ 94.5%) and lower cost. Furthermore, the requirement of filter size reduces due to the presence of coupled inductor in H9LI. The proposed 1-φ grid connected H9LI is verified through MATLAB/Simulink simulations and validated through experiments on a laboratory prototype of 400-VA rating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new diode-clamped multilevel inverter that can effectively balance the voltages of dc capacitors. For the proposed inverter, the inductors are inserted between the diodes and the main switches. Also, the voltage balance of the dc capacitors can be guaranteed by controlling the opening time of the corresponding main switches in particular modes. Thus, the parallel circuits on the dc side in the conventional inverters are canceled. Consequently, the proposed topology requires fewer switches, diodes, and capacitors, although it adds the compensation currents to the corresponding main switches. Both the simulation and experimental results demonstrate the suitability and applicability of the proposed topology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop thermoelectric power conditioning systems that are highly efficient over a wide range of input voltages and support medium-rated power, this paper introduces a hybrid resonant dc/dc converter using an active voltage-doubler rectifier. When the input voltage is higher than the preset nominal input voltage, the converter operates in the phase-shift full-bridge series-resonant converter mode, in which it achieves high efficiency by softly switching the primary-side switches and reducing the conduction loss. When the input voltage is lower than the nominal one, it operates in the resonant boost mode that boosts the resonant inductor current. By using the active voltage-doubler rectifier on the secondary side of the converter, we can build the converter with less number of active components. As a result, the proposed converter achieves, at low cost, high boost-ratio and high efficiency over a wide range of input voltages. A detailed analysis of the converter operation is presented along with the design procedure. At 35–55 V, a 600-W/360-V prototype of the proposed converter has been built and tested to demonstrate its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates a multilevel inverter composed of series/parallel-connected H-bridges. The presented structure can be used for applications in which the use of semiconductor switches with low-voltage and low-current ratings is intended. A comprehensive system model, an overall control strategy to adjust the output voltage with constant magnitude and frequency, and a level-shifted PWM (LS-PWM) strategy based on a voltage vectors unidimensional analysis and a plane analysis are presented. The LS-PWM is capable of mitigating the low-frequency circulating current, thus generating multilevel voltage signals with low harmonic distortion, maximum number of levels, and low dv/dt. In addition, considering a wide range of values of voltages and currents and various power levels, the total converter losses are reduced compared with the conventional multilevel converters. Two multilevel conventional inverters with the same number of semiconductor switches are used for comparison. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the studied converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leakage current minimization is one of the most important considerations in transformerless photovoltaic (PV) inverters. In the past, various transformerless PV inverter topologies have been introduced, with leakage current minimized by the means of galvanic isolation and common-mode voltage (CMV) clamping. The galvanic isolation can be achieved via dc-decoupling or ac-decoupling, for isolation on the dc- or ac-side of the inverter, respectively. It has been shown that the latter provides lower losses due to the reduced switch count in conduction path. Nevertheless, leakage current cannot be simply eliminated by galvanic isolation and modulation techniques, due to the presence of switches' junction capacitances and resonant circuit effects. Hence, CMV clamping is used in some topologies to completely eliminate the leakage current. In this paper, several recently proposed transformerless PV inverters with different galvanic isolation methods and CMV clamping technique are analyzed and compared. A simple modified H-bridge zero-voltage state rectifier is also proposed, to combine the benefits of the low-loss ac-decoupling method and the complete leakage current elimination of the CMV clamping method. The performances of different topologies, in terms of CMV, leakage current, total harmonic distortion, losses and efficiencies are compared. The analyses are done theoretically and via simulation studies, and further validated with experimental results. This paper is helpful for the researchers to choose the appropriate topology for transformerless PV applications and to provide the design principles in terms of common-mode behavior and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generally, single-stage buck–boost inverters consist of distinct circuits operating individually in buck/boost or positive/negative modes, the latter definitely leading to crossover distortion in the output current. This paper proposes a switching strategy that changes the bimodal operation of a single-stage buck–boost topology to a single-mode inverter. This is due to the consequent voltage gain that ensures that the output voltage polarity, apart from its magnitude, is an exclusive function of the duty ratio. Operational principle and salient hardware design are explained with the help of equivalent circuits. Details about the dynamic model are presented, based on which controller design is carried out for both stand-alone and grid-connected operation. Experimental results obtained from a 300-W, 110-V laboratory prototype are presented to validate the performance of the proposed switching strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, dual-buck structured single-stage buck–boost inverters that use power MOSFETs to achieve high efficiency are presented. The proposed inverters require fewer switches, and half of the switches have reduced current stresses. They have no shoot-through problem; therefore, high system reliability can be obtained. The dead-time in PWM signals can be minimized or eliminated, which improving the quality of the output ac voltages and increasing the efficiency. In the proposed inverters, MOSFETs can be used without reverse-recovery issues of their body diodes to boost the efficiency and increase the switching frequency. To further improve the efficiency and stability of the proposed single-phase inverter, PWM strategies combining high- and low-frequency modulation are presented. A hardware prototype of the single-phase inverter was built and tested using resistive, inductive, and nonlinear loads. Experimental results for a 300-W prototype inverter show a 97.4% peak efficiency with a 25 kHz switching frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a single-stage light-emitting diode (LED) driver based on an inverted buck topology, using current path control switches. The proposed circuit consists of a control circuit, a bridge diode, and an inverted buck converter with multiple switches connected to the LED segments in parallel. Whereas the typical buck LED driver operates with a fixed LED forward voltage, the proposed driver operates with a variable LED forward voltage, according to the input voltage level. Because of this capability to adjust the LED forward voltage, it can reduce the current ripple and the switching frequency with a small inductance value. In addition, it enables operation with LED lamps of a wide voltage range, while simultaneously achieving small dead-angles. The detailed operation principles are described, and the design considerations for the proposed driver are discussed. The proposed driver circuit and control operation are verified experimentally using a 7 W hardware prototype with four LED segments. The obtained experimental results show that under a 110 Vrms input voltage, the proposed driver achieves a power factor of 0.94 with a small dead-angle and an efficiency of 94%. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To solve the problem of the mismatched voltage levels between the dynamic lower voltage of the fuel cell stack and the required constant higher voltage (400 V) of the dc-link bus of the inverter for fuel cell vehicles, a boost three-level dc–dc converter with a diode rectification quasi-Z source (BTL-DRqZ) is presented in this paper, based on the conventional flying-capacitor boost three-level dc–dc converter. The operating principle of a wide range voltage-gain for this topology is discussed according to the effective switching states of the converter and the multiloop energy communication characteristic of the DRqZ source. The relationship between the quasi-Z source net capacitor voltages, the modulation index, and the output voltage is deduced and then the static and dynamic self-balance principle of the flying-capacitor voltage is presented. Furthermore, a boost three-level dc–dc converter with a synchronous rectification quasi-Z source (BTL-SRqZ) is additionally proposed to improve the conversion efficiency. Finally, a scale-down 1.2 kW BTL-SRqZ prototype has been created, and the maximum efficiency is improved up to 95.66% by using synchronous rectification. The experimental results validate the feasibility of the proposed topology and the correctness of its operating principles. It is suitable for the fuel cell vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Z-source inverter (ZSI) employs an LC impedance network between the main inverter bridge and the power source. The unique feature of the ZSI is that it can operate either in buck or boost mode with a wide range of obtainable output voltages from a given input voltage. This topology also exhibits better electromagnetic-interference noise immunity when compared to a traditional voltage-source inverter (VSI). However, the LC impedance network of ZSI significantly increases the size and cost of the power converter and can make it unsuitable for low-power applications. This paper proposes a novel topology called switched boost inverter (SBI) which exhibits similar advantages of ZSI with lower number of passive components and more active components compared to ZSI. The steady-state and small-signal analyses of SBI, along with its pulsewidth modulation (PWM) control strategies, have been discussed in this paper. This paper also presents a comparison of SBI and ZSI with the same input and output parameters. The theoretical analysis given in this paper has been validated using a laboratory prototype of SBI, and the experimental results are presented for verification. The experimental harmonic spectrum of the inverter's output voltage with the proposed PWM technique is also plotted and compared with that of a traditional VSI. All the experimental results show good correlation between theory and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper focuses on the common dc-link voltage between a three-phase diode rectifier and a modular multilevel cascade inverter based on double-star chopper cells (MMCI-DSCC) for a medium-voltage motor drive. This motor drive can be operated even when no capacitor exists on the dc link. However, a nonnegligible, but predictable, amount of switching-ripple voltage occurs on the dc link. This paper achieves modeling and analysis of the switching-ripple voltage, thus making it possible to design a small-sized dc passive filter consisting of series connection of a film capacitor and a damping resistor. A 400-V, 15-kW down scaled system is used to confirm the effectiveness of the analysis and the dc filter. Experimental results show that the switching-ripple voltage can be attenuated satisfactorily by the dc filter, and that the power loss dissipated in the damping resistor is negligible, compared to the rated power of 15 kW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new single-phase switched-coupled-inductor dc–ac inverter featuring higher voltage gain than the existing single-phase qZ-source and semi-Z-source inverters. Similar to the single-phase qZ-source and semi-Z-source inverters, the proposed inverter also has common grounds between the dc input and ac output voltages, which is beneficial especially for photovoltaic inverter systems. The inverter volume and maximum current flowing can be reduced significantly through the coupling of all inductors. A theoretical analysis of the proposed inverter is described and a 280-W experimental prototype is built to verify the performance of the inverter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a single-phase, single-stage buck–boost inverter for photovoltaic (PV) systems. The presented topology has one common terminal in input and output ports which eliminates common mode leakage current problem in the grid-connected PV applications. Although it uses four switches, its operation is bimodal and only two switches receive high-frequency pulse width modulation signals in each mode. Its principle of operation is described in detail with the help of equivalent circuits. Its dynamic model is presented, based on which a bimodal controller is designed. Experimental results, in stand-alone and grid-connected mode, obtained with a 300-W laboratory prototype are presented to validate its performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new single-phase \uppi-\texttype 5-level inverter using 3-terminal switch-network (3TSN) is proposed in this paper. The topology is considered as a variant of T-type 3-level structure or dual-buck inverter with coupled inductors. This new inverter is suitable for multilevel power inversion with low dc-bus voltage. The merit of the proposed topology is to apply only four active power switches to achieve 5-level operation. Other benefits include double frequency operation of output inductor and equal division of the current that flows through power switches and filter inductor. Hence, it leads to high efficiency and low harmonics. These characteristics allow improvement of losses distribution and volume reduction of output filter inductor. The operation scenario with sinusoidal pulsewidth modulation (SPWM) is described in details. Meanwhile, the magnetic analysis and design are studied and discussed. Finally, a prototype is built to verify the theoretical analysis and demonstrate the benefits of the proposed topology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Voltage source inverter cannot provide an output voltage higher than its input and needs a dead-time scheme for its switches to prevent dc-link short circuit due to spurious turn-on of switches by electromagnetic interference (EMI). Impedance source inverters have eliminated these disadvantages by providing boost functionality with improved EMI immunity. Coupled inductor-based impedance source inverters provided increased gain at the expense of increased coupled inductor turns-ratio. In this paper, a coupled inductor based high gain inverter is proposed, which achieves higher gain by increasing the coupled inductor turns-ratio (n = n2/n1) within a very narrow turns-ratio range of $0 \leq n < 1$, which is a major improvement over the other coupled inductor based high boost impedance source inverters. The proposed inverter, named Improved Trans–Current–Fed Switched Inverter, is described along with its equivalent operating states and relation between its input and output variables are derived. The steady-state inverter waveforms are shown using PSpice simulations. The operation of the inverter is validated by the experimental results, which show strong correlation with the theoretical analysis. A 110-V RMS ac output is obtained from 26-V dc input using a coupled inductor with turns-ratio of 0.33 to demonstrate its high-boost operation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes novel single-phase solutions with increased inverter voltage levels derived by means of a nonstandard inverter configuration and impedance source networks. Operation principles based on special modulation techniques are presented. Detailed component design guidelines along with simulation and experimental verification are also provided. Possible application fields are discussed, as well as advantages and disadvantages. Finally, future studies are addressed for the new solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper deals with a new family of high boost voltage inverters called switched-inductor quasi-Z-source inverters (SL-qZSIs). The proposed SL-qZSI is based on the well-known qZSI topology and adds only one inductor and three diodes. In comparison to the SL-ZSI, for the same input and output voltages, the proposed SL-qZSI provides continuous input current, a common ground with the dc source, reduced the passive component count, reduced voltage stress on capacitors, lower shoot-through current, and lower current stress on inductors and diodes. In addition, the proposed SL-qZSI can suppress inrush current at startup, which might destroy the devices. This paper presents the operating principles, analysis, and simulation results, and compares them with those of the SL-ZSI. To verify the performance of the proposed converter, a laboratory prototype was constructed with 48 Vdc input and an ac output line-to-line voltage of 120 Vrms. The simulation and experimental results verified that the converter has high step-up inversion ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A family of isolated buck–boost dc/dc converter for wide input-voltage range is proposed in this paper, and the full-bridge (FB) boost converter, being one of the typical topologies, is analyzed. Due to the existence of the resonant inductor (including the leakage inductor), the FB-boost converter can only adopt the two-edge-modulation (TEM) scheme with the FB cell being leading-edge modulated and the boost cell being trailing-edge modulated to minimize the inductor current ripple over the input-voltage range, and a phase-shift-control-scheme-based TEM with the use of the market available controller IC such as UC3895 is proposed, which realizes phase-shifted control for the FB cell to achieve zero-voltage switching. In order to improve the reliability and efficiency of the FB-boost converter, a three-mode dual-frequency control scheme is proposed, in which the FB-boost converter operates in boost, FB-boost and FB modes in low, medium and high input voltage regions, respectively, and for which the expression of the inductor current ripple is derived in this paper. As the input voltage in the FB-boost mode is close to the output voltage, the inductor current ripple in this mode is much smaller than that in the other modes, and the switching frequency of the boost cell in this mode can be lowered to one-(2N+1)th of the preset switching frequency to reduce the switching loss, and hence, to improve the efficiency. A 250–500 V input, 360 V output, and 6 kW rated power prototype is fabricated to verify the effectiveness of the design and control method. The average efficiency over the input-voltage range is 96.5%, and the highest efficiency attained is 97.2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many modern energy conversion systems, a dc voltage, which is provided from a sustainable energy source or energy storage device, must be boosted and converted to an ac voltage with a fixed amplitude and frequency. In this paper, a switching pattern based on the concept of the conventional space-vector pulsewidth-modulated (SVPWM) technique is developed for single-stage, three-phase boost-inverters using the topology of current-source inverters. The six main switching states, and two zeros, with three switches conducting at any given instant in conventional SVPWM techniques are modified herein into three-charging states and six discharging states with only two switches conducting at any given instant. The charging states are necessary in order to boost the dc input voltage. The developed switching pattern was experimentally verified through a laboratory-scaled three-phase 500-W boost inverter and the results are presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional current-source inverter has two major problems: unidirectional power flow and voltage boost operation, which make it impossible to be used in many applications, such as hybrid electric vehicles and general-purpose variable-speed motor drives. Z-source inverters (ZSIs) can solve both problems. Quasi-ZSIs (qZSIs) were recently proposed as an important improvement to traditional ZSIs. Besides the advantages inherited from ZSIs, qZSIs also have several of their own merits. This paper presents a comprehensive study on the new features of current-fed qZSI, including the advantageous buck–boost function, improved reliability, reduced passive component ratings, and unique regeneration capability. The current-fed qZSIs are bidirectional with an additional diode, unlike the voltage-fed ZSI that needs a switch to achieve bidirectional power flow. A modified space vector pulse-width-modulation method is proposed, and the available operating regions for motoring and regeneration operation are analyzed in this paper. Since the current-fed qZSI has the same operation as the current-fed ZSI, many results of this paper are also applicable to the current-fed ZSI. A reverse-blocking insulated-gate bipolar-transistor-based current-fed qZSI prototype was developed in the laboratory. Simulation and experimental results are shown to verify the theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, a new topology for half-bridge switched boost inverter (HB-SBI) is proposed. The proposed half-bridge inverter uses more active elements rather than capacitors and inductors in comparison with the conventional half-bridge Z-source inverter with two Z-networks, which results in reduction of weight, size, and cost. Moreover, the proposed inverter has the capability of eliminating inverter leg short-circuit issues and is able to further increase the output voltage level in comparison with its conventional types. Generating zero-level output voltage is also another advantage of this topology. Based on theoretical calculations, the steady-state and small-signal analysis of the proposed topology in different operating modes are performed and the ripple of inductors’ current and capacitors’ voltage are also calculated. A comprehensive comparison is also made between the proposed inverter and the conventional types. Finally, the experimental results are provided to reconfirm the performance of the proposed inverter. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Class EF and Class E/F inverters are hybrid inverters that combine the improved switch voltage and current waveforms of Class F and Class F-1 inverters with the efficient switching of Class E inverters. As a result, their efficiency, output power and power output capability can be higher in some cases than the Class E inverter. Little is known about these inverters and no attempt has been made to provide an in depth analysis on their performance. The design equations that have been previously derived are limited and are only applicable under certain assumptions. This paper is the first to provide a comprehensive set of analytical analysis of Class EF and Class E/F inverters. The Class EF$_2$ inverter is then studied in further detail and three special operation cases are defined that allow it to either operate at maximum power-output capability, maximum switching frequency, or maximum output power. Final design equations are provided to allow for rapid design and development. Experimental results are provided to confirm the accuracy of the performed analysis based on a 23-W Class EF$_2$ inverter at 6.78-MHz and 8.60-MHz switching frequencies. The results also show that the Class EF $_2$ inverter achieved an efficiency of 91% compared to a 88% efficiency when operated as a Class E inverter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new topology for an enhanced-boost Z-source inverter (ZSI) with combined two Z-impedance networks. By two Z-impedance networks and low shoot-through duty cycle, the proposed inverter produces high output voltage gain. In traditional ZSIs for high boosting voltage, a low modulation index is required; hence, under these conditions, the output voltage will have low quality with high total harmonic distortion. Compared with the conventional high-boost ZSI topologies, the proposed inverter uses shorter shoot-through duration and a larger modulation index to improve the output waveform quality. Comparison between the proposed topology and previously proposed schemes, in terms of inductor numbers, voltage and current stresses on elements, sizes of inductors and capacitors, efficiency, and switching device product (SDP) factors of diodes, is made, and the results verify the priority of the proposed topology. The operating principle of the proposed topology is analyzed in detail. Both simulation and experimental results verify the high performance of the proposed inverter. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a new topology named the active-switched-capacitor/switched-inductor quasi-Z -source inverter (ASC/SL-qZSI), which is based on a traditional qZSI topology. Compared to other qZSI-based topologies under the same operating conditions, the proposed ASC/SL-qZSI provides higher boost ability, requires fewer passive components such as inductors and capacitors, and achieves lower voltage stress across the switching devices of the main inverter. Another advantage of the topology is its expandability. If a higher boosting rate is required, additional cells can easily be cascaded at the impedance network by adding one inductor and three diodes. Both the simulation studies and the experimental results obtained from a prototype built in the laboratory validate proper operation and performance of the proposed ASC/SL-qZSI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new family of high efficiency dc/ac grid-tied inverter with a wide variation of input dc voltage. It is a “boost in boost, buck in buck” inverter, meaning that only one power stage works at high frequency in order to achieve minimum switching loss. The minimum voltage drop of the filtering inductor in the power loop is achieved to reduce the conduction power loss in both “boost” and “buck” mode. The principle of operation is demonstrated through the analysis on the equivalent circuits of a “half-bridge” single-phase inverter. The theoretical analysis shows that when input dc voltage is larger than the magnitude of the ac voltage, it is a voltage-source inverter, and on the contrary it is current-source inverter in the other mode. A 220 V/50 Hz/ 2000 W prototype has been constructed. Simulations and experiments show that it has a good control and system performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quasi-Z-source cascaded multilevel inverter (qZS-CMI) presented many advantages over conventional CMI when applied in photovoltaic (PV) power systems. For example, qZS-CMI provides the balanced dc-link voltage and voltage boost ability, saves one-third modules, etc. However, current research studies only disclosed control of single-phase qZS-CMI-based PV power systems, and there was no literature related to control of three-phase qZS-CMI-based PV power systems. In this paper, for the first time, three-phase qZS-CMI's control is proposed and demonstrated for application to PV power systems. The models of PV-panel-fed qZS H-bridge module and qZS-CMI-based PV power system are built to accurately design control algorithms for each module and the whole system. The proposed control method includes the distributed maximum power point tracking for each module, dc-link peak voltage balance control for all modules, and grid-tie control for the whole system; moreover, a new multilevel space vector modulation method is proposed for the three-phase qZS-CMI. Simulation and experimental results on a test bench with a three-phase seven-level qZS-CMI-based PV power system verify the proposed control and modulation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

On the basis of the classical Z-source inverter (ZSI), this paper presents a novel ZSI which only contains inductors and diodes in Z-source network. The inverter uses a unique inductor and diode network for boosting its output voltage, provides a common ground for the dc source and inverter, and avoids the disadvantage causing by capacitor in the classical ZSI and SL-ZSI, especially in prohibiting the inrush current at startup and the resonance of Z-source capacitors and inductors. The inverter can increase the boost factor through adjusting shoot-through duty ratio and increasing the number of inductor. The working principle of the proposed ZSI and comparison with the classical ZSI and SL-ZSI are analyzed in detail. Simulation and experimental results are given to demonstrate the operation features of the inverter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel direct current-fed interleaved phase-modulated single-phase unfolding inverter for fuel-cell applications. Two active-clamped zero-voltage switching current-fed half-bridge isolated converters are interleaved in parallel input and series output configuration. Phase modulation is proposed to control these two converter cells, which generate a rectified sinusoidal pattern at the dc link. A simple H-bridge unfolding dc–ac inversion is used to produce single-phase sine voltage at line frequency switching using square-wave control. This not only simplifies the inversion stage in terms of modulation but also reduces the switching losses. Direct front-end current-fed based unfolding inverter is not reported in literature yet. Detailed analysis and design of the proposed direct current-fed single-phase unfolding inverter has been presented. Simulation waveforms using PSIM 9.0.4 are given to verify the presented analysis and design. Experimental results on a laboratory prototype rated at 200 W are demonstrated to support the investigation, to validate the accuracy of the proposed analysis and design, and to test the performance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In high current applications, paralleling three-phase voltage sourced inverters represents a modular solution for improving the system power conversion quality. Single-phase output reactors are often inserted between the output terminals of the two inverters that supply the same phase output. One function of these inductors is to limit circulating currents between the two inverters. These currents are produced by common-mode voltage differences between the three-phase output terminals of the two inverters. Since standard interleaved pulse width modulation (PWM) techniques naturally produce high-frequency common-mode voltage differences between parallel connected inverters, this paper describes a modified discontinuous PWM scheme that eliminates these voltage differences. As a result, a three-phase parallel inverter system can be operated using a single three-limb coupled inductor, significantly improving the system power conversion density as a result. An experimental 3 kW prototype system is used to compare the operation of the resultant inverter against one using separate single-phase coupled inductors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, a novel single-phase five-level inverter is proposed using coupled inductors. This inverter can output five-level voltage with only one dc source. No split of the dc voltage capacitor is needed, totally avoiding the voltage balancing problem in conventional multilevel inverters. The level of the output voltage is only half of the dc-link voltage in all conditions, leading to much reduced dv/dt . This inverter is based on the widely used three-arm power module and the voltage stresses on all the power switches are the same, making it very easy to construct. Operation mechanism of this inverter is analyzed and the possible switching patterns are investigated. Based on these analyses, a novel optimized modulation scheme is presented. With this modulation method, no dc components exist in the inductor currents, which is very helpful for minimization of the inductors. Simulation and experimental results show the validity of the proposed inverter together with the optimized modulation scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an alternative to the traditional dc-dc converter interfacing the battery with the inverter dc bus in plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) traction drives. The boost converter used in commercial HEVs meets with obstacles when it comes to upgrading the power rating and achieving high efficiency while downsizing the converter. A four-level flying-capacitor dc-dc converter is explored that can overcome these drawbacks by dramatically reducing the inductance requirement. A special case of the four-level converter, the 3X dc-dc converter, operates at three discrete output/input voltage ratios, thus further reducing the inductance requirement to a minimal value (almost zero). When further compared to its switched-capacitor dc-dc converter counterparts, the 3X dc-dc converter can be operated at variable output/input voltage ratios without sacrificing efficiency, and it lowers the capacitance requirement by utilizing the parasitic inductance. The operating principle, current ripple analysis, the transient control to limit the inrush current, and power loss analysis are introduced. Experimental results of a 55-kW prototype are provided to demonstrate the principle and analysis of this topology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an indirect current control algorithm for seamless transfer of three-phase utility-interactive voltage source inverters. With the proposed method the inverter is able to provide critical loads with a stable and seamless voltage during the whole transition period including both clearing time and control mode change. The LCL filter design which is suitable for the indirect current control is also proposed to meet the harmonic limits. The proposed control method is validated through simulation and experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an energy regeneration circuit for three-phase voltage-fed inverters using a modified Undeland snubber. The proposed system uses a quasi-square-wave zero voltage switching dc–dc auxiliary converter to regenerate the energy from snubber capacitor to the dc bus. The regenerative circuit uses a single active switch, and it operates independently of the three-phase inverter. Operation stages, theoretical waveforms, and a design methodology are presented. Experimental results based on a 4.5-kVA three-phase inverter prototype are included to validate the proposed topology. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a new high step-up dc–dc converter designed especially for regulating the dc interface between various microsources and a dc–ac inverter to electricity grid. The figuration of the proposed converter is a quadratic boost converter with the coupled inductor in the second boost converter. The converter achieves high step-up voltage gain with appropriate duty ratio and low voltage stress on the power switch. Additionally, the energy stored in the leakage inductor of the coupled inductor can be recycled to the output capacitor. The operating principles and steady-state analyses of continuous-conduction mode and boundary-conduction mode are discussed in detail. To verify the performance of the proposed converter, a 280-W prototype sample is implemented with an input voltage range of 20–40 V and an output voltage of up to 400 V. The upmost efficiency of 93.3% is reached with high-line input; on the other hand, the full-load efficiency remains at 89.3% during low-line input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]