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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]

Conventional matrix converters (MCs) have limited voltage gain that is less than 0.866, whether for direct MC (DMC) or indirect MC (IMC). The Z-source MCs (ZSMCs) overcome the voltage gain limitation of the traditional MC and achieve buck and boost operation with reduced switches count, thereby achieving low cost, high efficiency, and reliability, compared to the back-to-back converter. Furthermore, it will leads to more MC industrial applications. This paper presents an up-to-date comprehensive overview of the different ZSMC topologies and their configurations, circuit analyses, modulation schemes, and applications. This study offers a comprehensive and systematic reference for the future development of the ZSMCs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, a novel four-phase interleaved high step-down converter is presented. The proposed converter can provide an extremely high step-down voltage conversion ratio within a moderate duty cycle. There are four main advantages of the proposed converter. First, the blocking capacitors can store energy as usual. Therefore, they are used as voltage sources to reduce the input voltage as well as to reduce the switch voltage stresses. Second, due to the charge balance of the dc blocking capacitors, the converter possesses an automatic uniform current sharing characteristic of the interleaved phases without adopting any extra circuitry. Third, due to the phase shift between the interleaved phases, the architecture provides a low output current ripple. Fourth, the number of phases can be expanded or reduced to any even phases; therefore, the converter has a wide range of applications. Finally, the operating principles and analysis of this architecture are given, and an experimental prototype is also provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed converter. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To process the power in hybrid energy systems using a reduced part count, researchers have proposed several multiinput dc–dc power converter topologies to transfer power from different input voltage sources to the output. This paper proposes a novel bidirectional nonisolated multi-input converter (MIC) topology for hybrid systems to be used in electric vehicles composed of energy storage systems (ESSs) with different electrical characteristics. The proposed converter has the ability to control the power of ESSs by allowing active power sharing. The voltage levels of utilized ESSs can be higher or lower than the output voltage. The inductors of the converter are connected to a single switch; therefore, the converter requires only one extra active switch for each input, unlike its counterparts, hence resulting in reduced element count. The proposed MIC topology is compared with its counterparts concerning various parameters. It is analyzed in detail, and then, this analysis is validated by simulation and through a 1-kW prototype based on a battery/ultracapacitor hybrid ESS. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Hardware-in-the-Loop tests of components for high-voltage dc transmission grids, for example circuit breakers, require converter systems capable of generating a high output current with fast transients of the output signal at different output voltages. In this paper, a three-level buck converter (N3L) employing three different supply voltages to enable a wide voltage operation range is presented. The modulation of the converter is investigated in detail with special focus on ripple cancellation, the startup of the interleaved converter and the level shifting between different converter output voltages. A prototype system is designed and constructed, optimized for pulsed power operation and compared to a two level and to a neutral point clamped converter design. The system has been simulated numerically and the design boundaries are validated by measurements on the prototype system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic method for developing isolated buck-boost (IBB) converters is proposed in this paper, and single-stage power conversion, soft-switching operation, and high-efficiency performance can be achieved with the proposed family of converters. On the basis of a nonisolated two-switch buck-boost converter, the proposed IBB converters are generated by replacing the dc buck-cell and boost-cell in the non-IBB converter with the ac buck-cell and boost-cell, respectively. Furthermore, a family of semiactive rectifiers (SARs) is proposed to serve as the secondary rectification circuit for the IBB converters, which helps to extend the converter voltage gain and reduce the voltage stresses on the devices in the rectification circuit. Hence, the efficiency is improved by employing a transformer with a smaller turns ratio and reduced parasitic parameters, by using low-voltage rating MOSFETs and diodes with better switching and conduction performances. A full-bridge IBB converter is proposed and analyzed in detail as an example. The phase-shift modulation strategy is applied to the full-bridge IBB converter to achieve IBB conversion. Moreover, soft-switching performance of all active switches and diodes can be achieved over a wide load and voltage range by the proposed converter and control strategy. A 380-V-output prototype is fabricated to verify the effectiveness of the proposed family of IBB converters, the SARs, and the control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new formulation of a finite control set model-predictive control (FCS-MPC) algorithm, allowing to determine the best commutation instant in order to optimize the converter current tracking. This algorithm, mixing properties of FCS-MPC method and time resolution related to pulse width modulation schemes, is illustrated in a parallel flying capacitor converter. The parallel association of classical commutation cells is a good solution for increasing the output current driven by the converters, while the standard semiconductor technology is used. The control strategy used with this type of connection must be able to ensure not only a good distribution of the output current among the different legs, but also the balancing of the floating capacitor voltages. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The two-switch cascade converter is the most appropriate solution for efficient high-power applications among the existing converter topologies. However, the cascade structure and the nonlinear dc gain of boost circuit are more likely to cause severe oscillations if the criterion for the selection of the operation mode is chosen improperly during step-up/step-down transition. A novel high-power input-parallel output-series buck-half-bridge (IPOSBHB) converter is proposed in this paper. The circuit structure, operating principles, and basic relations are analyzed. Comparisons between IPOSBHB and two-switch cascade converter are also elaborated on with respect to voltage and current stress, total volume of magnetic components, and efficiency. In addition, the inconformity of the transfer functions, the discontinuity caused by the switching time delay, and the disturbance of input voltage are analyzed. Methods for compensation are also proposed. The proposed converter can achieve satisfactory comprehensive performance when the step-up ratio is low. The combinational control strategy and the compensation methods proposed in this paper are easy to carry out in order to achieve effective control at steady state, smooth transition at mode change, and reduction of the adverse effect caused by the disturbance of input voltage. A 15-kW prototype is used to validate the proposed theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new three-level single-stage power-factor-corrected ac/dc converter is presented. The proposed circuit integrates the operation of a boost power factor correction converter and a three-level dc/dc converter into one converter. It does not have the problem of high component stress due to high rising intermediate bus voltages at light load conditions that other single-stage converters have because of its three-level structure. It can operate over a wider load range with significantly less output inductor current ripple; moreover, its input current has little distortion. In the paper, the operation of the new converter is explained in detail and analyzed, its steady-state characteristics are determined, and its design is discussed. Experimental results obtained from a prototype are presented to confirm the feasibility of the new converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a three-phase current-fed dual-active-bridge (DAB) bidirectional DC-DC converter is presented. Compared to the voltage source DAB converter, the proposed converter allows low RMS current and maintains zero voltage switching (ZVS) in the whole operating range by keeping the ratio between primary side and secondary side DC-link voltage constant, leading to high efficient energy conversion over a wide input voltage range. In addition, the ZVS conditions can be maintained using small DC inductors and the input current ripple still remains small because of high DC inductor current ripples being alleviated by three-phase interleaving structure. Furthermore, the proposed topology with Y-Y connected transformers is proven to have better current sharing capability compared with other three-phase topologies with different transformer connections. The operation mode analysis, soft switching conditions, and hardware design guidelines are derived in this paper. A 6-kW hardware prototype with input voltage range of 24~48 V and rated 288 V output voltage is developed and tested in the laboratory. The experimental results verified that the proposed converter could maintain high efficiency over a wide input voltage and power range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the conditions for transformer winding resonances with an emphasis on oscillatory excitation voltages originating from various switching events in the power grids. A section of the Eastern Regional Power Grid in India has been simulated in this paper by using the Alternative Transient Program for the purpose of defining high-frequency transient voltages which may occur during various switching events. The investigation reveals that such oscillatory voltages could excite natural frequencies of a 400/220/132-kV power transformer, which closely matches the terminal excitation frequencies. Short time Fourier transform (STFT) has been used to analyze the frequency contents of the oscillatory terminal excitation as well as the voltage response of the windings. The results of the STFT confirmed the presence of resonant frequency in the oscillatory terminal voltage and in the 400-kV main and tap changer windings of the transformer. It has been demonstrated that the voltage stresses in the windings under certain critical switching operations can exceed the stresses developed under the standard 1.2/50-\mus lightning impulse at the transformer's basic insulation level voltage. The reduction in winding voltage stresses under resonance is possible by deploying some remedial measures involving winding design modifications which have also been suggested in this paper. [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]

This paper presents a single-phase power factor corrector based on a tapped-inductor buck–boost converter. This paper suggests simplified models of the power stage under current-mode control and derives small-signal transfer functions of both the current and voltage control loops. Design rules for implementation of the proposed power factor corrector (PFC) are also suggested. The proposed PFC features low dc bus voltage, arbitrary lower than the peak line voltage. The proposed PFC is suitable for applications in computers and communications, where dc isolation can be provided by the downstream dc/dc converters. Simulation and experimental results are also reported and stand in good agreement with theoretical expectations. [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]

A new zero-voltage-switched bidirectional dc–dc converter with coupled inductors is proposed in the paper. The proposed converter can operate with a steep conversion ratio, soft switching, a continuous inductor current, and fixed switching frequency. It can also operate with the switch stresses of a conventional pulsewidth-modulation-tapped/coupled-inductor converter regardless of the direction of power flow and without any voltage spikes across the switches during turn-OFF. These features are due to a very simple auxiliary circuit that is operational regardless of the direction of power flow and absorbs energy from the leakage inductance of the coupled inductors during switch turn-OFF. In the paper, the operation and design of the converter are discussed and its feasibility is confirmed with experimental results obtained from a prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Resistance emulation using one cycle control (OCC) has been used extensively in single-phase full-bridge boost rectifiers. This paper proposes a new control strategy called dual comparison OCC (DC-OCC), which eliminates the limitations of OCC. The advantages of the proposed control strategy is that it ensures the average current is equal to grid voltage scaled by emulated resistance, in each switching cycle. This eliminates issues such as dc offset due to the peak current comparison in OCC. It also ensures that there is no distortion in current when the converter is lightly loaded. It is analytically shown that the proposed DC-OCC does not have the light load instability concerns of conventional OCC. The proposed method is also shown to achieve unipolar pulse-width modulation without sensing the grid voltage resulting in lower effective switching frequency. The proposed control requires only one additional comparator and additional logical elements for implementation. Detailed simulation and experimental studies are carried to validate the proposed control and the high performance that can be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper introduces a new magnetically coupled single-switch nonisolated dc–dc converter with a high-voltage gain. The topology utilizes magnetic coupling for boosting its output voltage, but unlike other converters with coupled magnetics, its voltage gain is increased by reducing its magnetic turns ratio. The name “Trans-inverse (Tx−1)” is thus used for representing this inverse operating principle of the converter. The converter draws a continuous current from the source and is, hence, suitable for many types of renewable sources. Its leakage energy from the coupled magnetics has further been recycled and transferred to the load by an integrated regenerative snubber circuit. Its inclusion of dc-current-blocking capacitors has also helped to prevent core saturation, which, together with other performance features, has been verified experimentally. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a new dual-switch control structure for an ac/dc noninverting cascaded buck–boost power factor correction converter. The proposed converter operates at a discontinuous capacitor voltage mode providing an inherent high-power factor and a zero voltage turn-off switching. Additionally, the proposed control structure enables for a nondistorted sinusoidal current for a wide range of output voltage levels. Unlike the conventional methods, a mode detector is not required and consequently there is no hard transition between buck and boost modes. Although both converter switches are controlled, only one feedback control loop is required to obtain the desired power flow at a unity power factor. The principle of operation, theoretical analysis, simulation, and experimental results of a 1.6-kW prototype grid-connected converter are presented. The results confirmed the validity of the proposed system under various operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Semiactive quadrupler rectifiers (SAQRs) are proposed in this paper to serve as the secondary rectification circuits, which make the secondary-side voltages to be controllable and help reduce current stress and conduction losses. An interleaved isolated boost converter is developed based on the proposed SAQRs. By utilizing the pulse-width modulation (PWM) plus phase-shift (PPS) control strategy, the primary- and secondary-side voltages are well matched to reduce the current values and circulating conduction losses. With the proposed SAQRs, the voltage gain is extended and the voltage stresses on power devices and passive components used in rectification circuits are reduced to the half of the high output voltage. Hence, the efficiency is improved by using a transformer with a smaller turns ratio and reduced parasitic parameters, and by employing low-voltage rating devices with better switching and conduction performance. With optimal design, lower voltage, and current stresses on the primary-side switches, minimized input current ripple can be realized. Moreover, the zero-voltage turn on switching of the active switches and the zero-current turn off switching of the diodes can be achieved over a wide load and voltage range by the proposed SAQR-based converter and the control strategy. Meanwhile, the higher voltage gain, the lower voltage, and the current stresses on power devices can be obtained with the proposed SAQR-based converter compared with passive quadrupler rectifier-based converter. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed SAQRs and the derived converter are verified by a 380-V output prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Compared with constant duty cycle-controlled discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) boost power factor (PF) correction (PFC) converter, constant duty cycle-controlled quadratic DCM–DCM boost PFC converter features with much lower second-order line frequency output voltage ripple, and however, it suffers from low PF. To increase PF of quadratic DCM–DCM boost PFC converter, a variable duty cycle control technique for quadratic DCM–DCM boost PFC converter is presented in this paper. An approximation equivalent for the variable duty cycle is employed to simplify the implementation circuit. The corresponding expressions of PF and output voltage ripple are analyzed. For input voltage range of 100–240 Vac, quadratic DCM–DCM boost PFC converter with variable duty cycle control benefits with very high PF, and tradeoff between PF and output voltage ripple of this converter is analyzed. Experimental results from 100-W prototypes are given to verify the theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

One important test for the formation and grading of a lithium-ion battery is to confirm the performance of the battery while discharging it down to zero volts. In this paper, a novel soft-switching charge/discharge converter with the zero voltage discharge function is proposed. The proposed converter is able to discharge a battery until its voltage reaches zero volts. The phase-shift full-bridge method is used to charge the battery and the current-fed push–pull method with bidirectional switches is used for the discharge. Zero voltage switching (ZVS) of the switches is achieved at turn-on during the charge operation. ZVS turn-on and zero current switching turn-off of the switches are achieved during the discharge operation. The charge/discharge controllers are designed taking into account the internal impedance of the battery. The performance of the system is verified by the experiments using lithium-ion batteries. [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]

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]

This paper proposes a new type of ac–ac converter which can operate as traditional noninverting buck and boost converters, and inverting buck–boost converter as well. The proposed converter uses six unidirectional current flowing and bidirectional voltage blocking switches, implemented by six reverse blocking insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) or series mosfet–diode pairs, two input and output filter capacitors, and one inductor. It has no shoot-through problem of voltage source (or capacitor) even when all switches are turned-on, and therefore, pulsewidth modulation dead-times are not needed resulting in high-quality waveforms, and solves the commutation problem without using bulky and lossy RC snubbers or dedicated soft-commutation strategies. It has smaller switching losses because only two switches out of six are switched at high frequency during each half-cycle of input voltage, and it can use power MOSFETs as body diode never conducts, making it immune from mosfet failure risk which otherwise may occur due to poor reverse recovery problem of body diode. The noninverting buck–boost mode of the proposed converter can be used in applications with both step-up and step-down demand, while the inverting buck–boost mode can also be used in its application as dynamic voltage restorer. Detailed analysis of the proposed converter is given, and experimental results are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a common grounded Z-source dc–dc converter with high voltage gain is proposed for photovoltaic (PV) applications, which require a relatively high output–input voltage conversion ratio. Compared with the traditional Z-source dc–dc converter, the proposed converter, which employs a conventional Z-source network, can obtain higher voltage gain and provide the common ground for the input and output without any additional components, which results in low cost and small size. Moreover, the proposed converter features low voltage stresses of the switch and diodes. Therefore, the efficiency and reliability of the proposed converter can be improved. The operating principle, parameters design, and comparison with other converters are analyzed. Simulation and experimental results are given to verify the aforementioned characteristics and theoretical analysis of the proposed converter. [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]

Soft-start strategy is very important for boost converters to guarantee the stability of the output voltage. However, previous methods may cause large initial inrush current and long output voltage settling time. In this paper, a variable ramp-slope with predefined voltage (VRSPV) soft-start strategy is proposed. As a result, one branch of the initial inrush current is successfully eliminated and the output settling time of the boost converter is shortened by using the variable slope soft-start voltage. Also, an adaptive inrush current suppressing (AICS) technique is designed. The series resistance of the output capacitor is adaptively regulated by AICS technique to further suppress the initial inrush current. Finally, the VRSPV strategy and AICS technique are combined and implemented in a voltage-mode boost converter. The measurement results show that the peak initial inrush current and settling time are decreased by 60% and 40%, respectively. The output voltage of the boost converter increases smoothly during the soft-start period and finally achieves stability. The proposed method of combining VRSPV strategy and AICS technique is very suitable to be integrated on a chip to save the printed circuit board area and cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the Class-Fn/E power amplifier (PA) and the inverse Class-E (Class- \mboxE^-1) PA under zero-current switching and zero-current-derivative switching conditions at any duty ratio are analyzed. The maximum switch voltage and current, output power capability, and element values as functions of the duty ratio are obtained for both classes. The main objective of the analysis is to choose the proper duty ratio to maximize the output power capabilities at optimum conditions. The element values are dependent upon the duty ratio and require a careful selection of the duty ratio to reach desired specification. The effect of the duty ratio D=0.3-0.7 on the performance of the Class- \mboxE^-1 and Class-F3/E PAs is demonstrated. The duty ratio is used not only as the design specification but also as the adjusting parameter for achieving a certain condition. The measured maximum drain efficiency of 88% and 87% are obtained at 4 MHz at 30-dBm input power for the Class-F3/E and Class- \mboxE^-1 PAs, respectively. The results show that lower peak switch voltage and current are obtained in the Class-F3/E PA in comparison with Class- \mboxE^-1 for the same conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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 novel bridge-type solid-state fault current limiter (BSSFCL) based on one series reactor which operates in ac and dc modes. The proposed BSSFCL includes a rectifier bridge with a reactor. This reactor is used as a dc reactor in normal operation mode and as an ac reactor in fault conditions. The advantages of the proposed BSSFCL over the existing dc reactor-type FCLs are its negligible impedance in normal operation mode and its high impedance during a fault interval using simple and novel switching. In other words, during the normal operation mode, the proposed BSSFCL operates in dc mode and in the fault interval, its topology is changed to the ac mode. This switching decreases the switching transient recovery voltage and introduces considerable impedance during the fault period. MATLAB/Simulink software is used for simulations and a prototype is designed and tested for results verification, and to show the performance of the proposed BSSFCL. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Power electronics solutions based on multiple converter configurations offer cost-effective solutions by integrating a number of components at input or output power stages. This paper proposes a new multiinput isolated three-level converter for renewable and sustainable energy systems adopting high dc link voltage. Multiple dc sources are integrated to the three-level dc/dc converter before the isolation stage, resulting in reduced part-count, determining dc link voltage level and allowing flexibility in transformer design. The proposed architecture eliminates two boost switches which are present in the two-stage counterpart. The input inductors are operated in discontinuous conduction mode; thus, power can be shared between input sources through proper selection of input inductors. A low voltage prototype has been designed to serve as a proof of concept. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a novel single-phase ac–ac Z-source converter based on the Γ-structure. The proposed converter uses a coupled transformer to produce the required gain. The obtained gain can be tuned by varying the turn ratio $\gamma _\Gamma$ of the transformer within the narrow range of $1 < \gamma _\Gamma < 2$. Also, the gain factor increases with decrease of the transformer turns ratio, $\gamma _\Gamma$ . Small transformer turn ratio results in more practical topology in some voltage gains. It makes the transformer design easier and reduces construction cost. Also, in the proposed topology, the input and output voltages share the same ground. In order to avoid voltage and current spikes on the switches, a commutation strategy is proposed and safe commutation is achieved without using a snubber circuit. The operating principles and steady-state analyses are presented to verify the operational concept of the proposed topology. Also, experimental results are given to verify the validation of the proposed converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a family of three-phase direct pulse-width modulated (PWM) ac–ac converters consisting of buck, boost, and buck–boost converters is proposed. The proposed converters have no commutation problem even if all of the switches are turned on or off simultaneously. They do not use lossy snubbers and do not sense the voltage polarity for commutation, and produce high-quality output voltage waveforms. The proposed converters allow the use of power MOSFETs and fast recovery freewheeling diodes independently. The use of power MOSFETs as active switches and freewheeling diodes with extremely fast recovery features lower the switching losses and enable us to reduce the volume of passive components by increasing switching frequency. The input (or output) filter inductor experiences twice of the converter switching frequency and thus can be designed with minimum size. To increase power density of the proposed converters, a three-phase three-limb coupled inductor is proposed. Three-phase coupled inductor integrates three separate coupled inductors of the proposed converters in one three-limb core. In comparison with separate coupled inductors, the three-phase coupled inductor has a smaller size with large current-handling capability. Experimental results obtained for the boost-type converter show the robustness of the proposed three-phase ac–ac converters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) dc–dc converters with digital sensorless current mode (DSCM) control, an observed current error occurs, owing to a low-accuracy current observer. Moreover, a reference current error occurs due to a low-accuracy current controller or a finite dc gain of current loop. Conventionally, the observed current is compensated to increase current regulation accuracy, whereas the reference current error is neglected. However, for charge balance principle (CBP)-based DSCM (CBP-DSCM) control, this paper proves that the reference current should be compensated in a same quantity to that of observed current. Otherwise, single or unequal compensation leads to output voltage steady-state error. For this reason, a dual current error compensation strategy for CBP-DSCM control is proposed. It compensates the errors in a same quantity through a current error observer, which considers parasitics and calculates the current errors without approximation. To verify the proposed strategy, small-signal models with parasitics for both the converter and the controller are constructed by differential functions of key variables. Furthermore, converter stability is analyzed at typical operation condition, while the stability at various operation conditions is verified through robustness analysis. Finally, simulations and experimental results verify the analysis and the improved transient response of the converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the application of a switched-diode-capacitor voltage accumulator (SDCVA) on conventional boost converter. This study aims to obtain two different kinds of multi-input step-up converters with high voltage gains, low component stresses, low ripples, simple control, and high conversion efficiencies: one is based on the parallel SDCVA and the other based on the serial SDCVA. The double-input step-up converter based on the parallel SDCVA and the double-input step-up converter based on the serial SDCVA are, respectively, taken as an example to do theoretical analysis, including operating principles and performance analyses when they work individually and simultaneously. The two proposed converters are implemented with a voltage closed-loop control at the switching frequency of 30 kHz. Experimental results obtained from the implemented prototypes are provided to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed converters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a novel transformer-less direct current (dc) converter that features low switch voltage stress and automatic uniform current sharing. An interleaved four-phase voltage divider operating from a 400 V dc bus is used to achieve a high step-down conversion ratio with a moderate duty ratio. Based on the capacitive voltage division, the proposed converter achieves two major objectives, i.e., increased voltage conversion ratio, due to energy storage in the blocking capacitors, and reduced voltage stress of active switches and diodes. As a result, the proposed converter permits the use of lower voltage rating MOSFETs to reduce both switching and conduction losses, thereby improving the overall efficiency. In addition, due to the charge balance of the capacitors, the proposed converter enables automatic uniform current sharing of the interleaved phases without adding extra circuitry or complex control methods. The operation principles and performance analyses of the proposed converter are presented, and its effectiveness is verified by a 500 W output power prototype circuit that converts 400 V input voltage into 24 V output voltage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

In this paper, an analysis and calculation of the dc-link current and voltage ripples are presented for a three-phase inverter with unbalanced load. A comparison of the dc-link average and root-mean-square (rms) currents between considering and ignoring high frequency harmonics of the output current is drawn. It is shown that high frequency harmonic currents have little effect on the dc-link current, and therefore, they can be ignored. Based on the symmetrical components method, the dc-link average and harmonic rms currents are derived, and the dc-link voltage ripple is compared between the balanced and unbalanced loads. It can be found that the dc-link current and voltage ripples consist of not only high frequency harmonics but also the double fundamental frequency harmonic, and the voltage ripple is independent of the positive-sequence component and determined by the negative-sequence component, under the unbalanced load. Experimental results are shown to verify the accuracy of the theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discontinuous current mode boost power factor (PF) correction converter features a zero-current turn-on for the switch, no reverse recovery in diode, and constant frequency operations. However, when the duty cycle is constant in a line cycle, the input current contains rich third harmonic which has a phase difference of π with respect to the fundamental component. The harmonic results in not only a lower PF but also larger peak and RMS current values of the main power components, which lead to a higher conduction and switching turn-off loss. In this paper, a variable duty cycle control scheme is proposed to make the input current contain only third harmonic which is in phase with fundamental component, while remaining the same PF at a certain input voltage as that of constant duty cycle control. A method of fitting the duty cycle is further proposed for simplifying the circuit implementation. The efficiency is improved as the critical inductance increases and the peak and RMS current values consequently decrease. The proposed method also achieves an output voltage ripple or the output storage capacitance reduction. The experimental results from a prototype of 120 W are given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new discontinuous modulation technique is presented for the operation of the modular multilevel converter (MMC). The modulation technique is based on adding a zero sequence to the original modulation signals so that the MMC arms are clamped to the upper or lower terminals of the dc-link bus. The clamping intervals are controlled according to the absolute value of the output current to minimize the switching losses of the MMC. A significant reduction in the capacitor voltage ripples is achieved, especially when operating with low modulation indices. Furthermore, a circulating current control strategy suitable for this modulation technique is also proposed. Simulation and experimental results under various operating points are reported along with evaluation and comparison results against a conventional carrier-based pulse width modulation method. [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]

A high-voltage tapped-inductor buck converter utilizing a novel autonomous high-voltage valve is presented in this paper. Its application as auxiliary power supply for high-power cascaded-converter submodules is discussed, followed by a presentation of the most challenging problems in designing a low-power high-voltage step-down converter. The TI-buck converter topology is analyzed, which together with the novel autonomous high-voltage valve overcomes most of the problems. Analytical expressions describing the operation as well as circuit simulations are presented. Finally, an experimental evaluation of a 3-kV 70-W prototype converter utilizing the proposed autonomous high-voltage valve with series-connected super-junction MOSFETs is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a power factor correction (PFC)-based bridgeless Luo (BL-Luo) converter-fed brushless dc (BLDC) motor drive. A single voltage sensor is used for the speed control of the BLDC motor and PFC at ac mains. The voltage follower control is used for a BL-Luo converter operating in discontinuous inductor current mode. The speed of the BLDC motor is controlled by an approach of variable dc-link voltage, which allows a low-frequency switching of the voltage source inverter for the electronic commutation of the BLDC motor, thus offering reduced switching losses. The proposed BLDC motor drive is designed to operate over a wide range of speed control with an improved power quality at ac mains. The power quality indices thus obtained are under the recommended limits of IEC 61000-3-2. The performance of the proposed drive is validated with test results obtained on a developed prototype of the drive. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we present an interface circuit designed to match low-power and low-voltage harvesters to generic electronic loads. The interface circuit consists of a power management unit, a supply regulation unit, and an energy storage module. The electric power delivered by the harvester is stored in a low leakage capacitor, converted to match the load electrical characteristics, and used cyclically to supply the load during fixed time-windows. The interface circuit is compatible with dc harvesters with a current of at least 2 μA at 0.5 V and exhibits an efficiency of 65% in the 1 μW-1 mW range. The supply regulation unit is a two-stage, self-starting boost circuit that steps-up the 0.5-V input voltage to 3 V. To test the interface circuit, an autonomous wireless sensor node has been realized; it exploits the little electric power delivered by a 385 μm × 245 μm photovoltaic harvester to sense and transmit information about the environment wirelessly. The harvester is implemented with a custom 0.35-μm BCD SOI chip. The system has been designed to be low cost, fully autonomous and smaller of 9 cm3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a digitally controlled single-phase rectifier with power factor correction (PFC) based on a modified three-level boost converter topology. In comparison with the conventional boost-based systems, the new PFC rectifier has about three times smaller inductor and significantly lower switching losses. The improvements are achieved by replacing the output capacitor of the boost converter with a nonsymmetric active capacitive divider, with a 3:1 division ratio, and by utilizing the downstream converter stage for the capacitive divider's center-tap voltage regulation. The nonsymmetric voltage divider and applied switching sequence effectively provide four-level converter behavior using the same number of components as three-level converters. As a result, a 66% reduction of the inductor compared to the conventional boost-based PFC and a 33% compared to the standard three-level solutions operating at the same effective switching frequencies are also achieved. Experimental results obtained with a 400 W, 200 kHz, universal input voltage (85 Vrms-265 Vrms) PFC prototype demonstrate three times smaller inductor current ripple than that of the conventional boost converter allowing for the same inductor reduction. Efficiency improvements of up to a 6% are also demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]