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This paper documents a new three-switch, isolated boost dc–dc converter. The major features of the proposed converter are as follows: 1) continuous input current; 2) reduced one active switch, one additional diode, and one additional capacitor; 3) unchanged primary and secondary voltage waveforms of the transformer when the duty cycle is changed; and 4) removal of the snubber circuit. This paper presents the operating principles, analysis, parameter design guidelines, and simulation results for the proposed converter. To verify the performance of the proposed converter, a 400 W prototype was constructed with a 40–60 V dc input. A PID controller was used to maintain the dc output voltage at 400 V. The simulation and experimental results matched those of the theoretical analysis. [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 presents a variable switching point predictive current control (VSP $^2$CC) for the quasi-Z-source inverter (qZSI). The proposed VSP $^2$CC aims to remove the output current error on the ac side, as well as the inductor current and capacitor voltage errors of the quasi-Z-source network on the dc side of the converter. Unlike the previously presented direct model predictive control (MPC) strategies for the qZSI, the proposed control scheme can directly apply the switching signals not only at the discrete time instants, but at any time instant within the sampling interval. Consequently, the shoot-through state can be applied for a shorter time than the sampling interval, resulting in lower output and inductor currents ripples. Experimental results based on field programmable gate array are provided to verify the effectiveness of the introduced control method. As it is shown, the proposed method leads to lower inductor current ripples and less output current total harmonic distortion when compared with the conventional direct MPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic voltage restorer (DVR) technology has become a mature power quality product. In high-power applications, DVR using a multilevel converter is commonly used. However, DVR using a multilevel direct pulse width modulation (PWM) ac–ac converter has not been well studied. This paper presents a new DVR topology using a cascaded multilevel direct PWM ac–ac converter. In the proposed scheme, the unit cell of the multilevel converter consists of a single-phase PWM ac-ac converter using switching cell structure with coupled inductors. Therefore, the multilevel converter can be short- and open-circuited without damaging the switching devices. Neither lossy RC snubber nor a dedicated soft commutation strategy is required in the proposed DVR. This improves the reliability of the DVR system. The output voltage levels of the multilevel converter increase with the number of cascaded unit cells, and a high ac output voltage is obtained by using low-voltage-rating switching devices. Furthermore, a phase-shifted PWM technique is applied to significantly reduce the size of the output filter inductor. A 1-kW prototype of single-phase DVR is developed, and its performance is experimentally verified. Finally, the simulation results are shown for a three-phase DVR system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new type of matrix converter (MC) also called a single-phase high-frequency transformer isolated (HFTI) buck MC is proposed. The proposed converter can provide step-down operation of the input voltage with various types of output voltages such as in-phase and out-of-phase output voltages, rectified (or positive) output voltage, and output voltage with step-changed frequency. By incorporating HFT isolation, the proposed MC saves an extra bulky line frequency transformer, which is required for the conventional MCs to provide electrical isolation and safety, when used in application such as dynamic voltage restorers, etc. Two different circuit variations of the proposed HFTI MC are presented with and without continuous output currents, with the latter having less passive components. The safe-commutation strategy is also employed for the proposed HFTI MC to provide current path for the inductor during dead-time, which avoids switch voltage spikes without adding any snubber circuits. The operation principle and circuit analysis of the proposed MC are presented, and switching strategies are also developed to obtain various output voltages. Moreover, a prototype of the proposed MC is fabricated, and experiments are performed to produce in-phase/out-of-phase and rectified output voltages, and output voltage with step-changed frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper presents a new bridgeless power factor correction (PFC) topology, using a recently proposed controllable LCL filter, namely active virtual ground to achieve efficient power conversion, and high-frequency common mode voltage (CM) reduction. The proposed PFC circuit consists of high-frequency semiconductors for shaping inductor current and low-frequency semiconductors to form two different LCL structures for different conditions. This reduces grid differential mode current ripple or inductance. Besides, the PFC CM voltage, a main problem of bridgeless PFCs, is significantly reduced, since the capacitor in the LCL filter clamps the voltage between the grid and the converter ground. The performance of the proposed PFC is experimentally verified. The results show that the proposed PFC guarantees sinusoidal input current, low high-frequency common-mode voltage noise, and has a good agreement with the theoretical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel high step-up dc–dc converter with a quasi-active switched-inductor structure for a renewable energy system is presented in this paper. The proposed converter is composed of two coupled inductors which can be integrated into one magnetic core, two capacitors, two active switches, and three diodes. The primary sides of coupled inductors are charged in parallel by the input source, and the secondary sides of coupled inductors are discharged in series with the input source and two capacitors to achieve high step-up voltage gain with an appropriate duty ratio. The two sets of diode–capacitor circuits not only help to lift the voltage conversion gain but also alleviate voltage spike affected by the leakage inductance to limit the voltage stress across the power switch effectively. Therefore, the two low on-state resistance switches can be adopted to reduce conduction loss. Furthermore, the two diodes have no reverse-recovery problem due to turn off naturally, the reverse-recovery problem of the output diode is also alleviated by the leakage inductor and lower part count is needed; therefore, the power conversion efficiency can be further improved. The operating principles and steady-state analyses are discussed in detail; then, the performance of the proposed converter is compared with existing converters. Finally, a prototype is established in the laboratory, and the experimental results are given to verify the correctness of the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactor switching is a test duty for circuit breakers (CBs) in special locations. This duty is characterized by a relatively low current but the CB is stressed with high voltages. Furthermore, this is a stress which will appear frequently in breakers used for switching voltage-control elements. The different international standards define test procedures, which should be used to determine the CB characteristic and the withstand capability for the corresponding operating voltages. Usually, HV CBs need to be tested in synthetic test circuits. Due to the strong interaction between CBs and network synthetic test circuits, it is not possible to be used for inductive switching. Also, the direct test circuit may not be available due to the necessary short-circuit power and the required test voltages. Therefore, a test method has been developed to obtain the necessary information in a multistep method combining testing and calculation. Using the proposed method will enable smaller testing stations to give judgment on CB capabilities. For other very high requirements where even no test possibilities may exist, it will provide some evidence avoiding field tests. A validation of the presented multistep method is given in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a soft-switching dc/dc converter with secondary-side phase-shift control strategy is proposed to improve the conversion efficiency and minimize the primary switch voltage stress in the high input voltage applications. Zero-voltage-switching performance is achieved for both the primary- and secondary-side power devices in a wide load range to reduce the switching losses due to the secondary-side phase-shift control scheme. Furthermore, compared with the conventional phase-shift control mechanism, the circulating current at the freewheeling stage is effectively suppressed as well to minimize the conduction losses. Moreover, the voltage stress of the primary switches is only half of the input voltage by employing the improved three-level structure, which makes the low-voltage rated power devices available to improve the circuit performance. In addition, the converter can work in the buck, balance, and boost modes to achieve a relatively wide input voltage range, which is an expected advantage for the communication power system to minimize the electrolytic capacitors with an acceptable hold-up time. The operation principle is analyzed and experimental results of a 1-kW 100-kHz prototype are provided to verify the effectiveness and the advantages of the proposed converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a perspective on progress toward realization of efficient, fully integrated dc–dc conversion and regulation functionality in CMOS platforms. In providing a comparative assessment between the inductor-based and switched-capacitor approaches, the presentation reviews the salient features in effectiveness in utilization of switch technology and in use and implementation of passives. The analytical conclusions point toward the strong advantages of the switched-capacitor (SC) approach with respect to both switch utilization and much higher energy densities of capacitors versus inductors. The analysis is substantiated with a review of recently developed and published integrated dc–dc converters of both the inductor-based and SC types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]