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In this paper, a new class of bidirectional partial-resonance power converters is presented. The proposed family can be configured to interface single- or multi-port dc, single- or multi-phase ac systems at input-side and/or output-side. The proposed family offers a very modular structure, which can lead to cost reduction from a common designed module. In this converter, which accomplishes power conversion in a single stage, a small inductor placed in series with the input and output switch-bridges forms the link. This small link inductor is responsible for transferring power between different ports of the system. The proposed topologies can operate in buck, boost, and buck–boost modes of operation to step up and/or step down the voltage. In buck–boost mode of operation, the converter is controlled such that the power is entirely transferred through the link inductor; whereas, in buck or boost modes of operation only a fraction of the power is transferred through the link inductor, and the remaining power is directly transferred from input phases to the output phases. Galvanic isolation, which is typically a prominent factor contributing to power density of a converter, can be provided by means of a compact and lightweight single-phase high-frequency transformer added to the link. In comparison with earlier generations of partial-resonance inductive-link power converters, in the proposed converter, the level of link peak current and consequently power-loss, as well as voltage and current stress of switches are dramatically decreased. A very small film capacitor can be placed in parallel with the link inductor to facilitate zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) operation for all the switches/diodes. Apart from increasing the overall efficiency, minimized dv/dt stress and improvement in power density are achieved by adding the link capacitor. The proposed converter employs four-quadrant switches, i.e., bidirectional-conducting bidirectional-blocking switches, and charges the link inductor in both positive and negative directions in each cycle. In view of this, better utilization of the link inductor and lower total harmonic distortion (THD) are offered. Furthermore, two distinct switching algorithms are developed for the proposed family of converters. In this paper, the detailed behavior of the proposed family is investigated analytically, and simulation and experimental results are presented to evaluate the performance and effectiveness of the proposed converter. A low-power proof-of-concept prototype with input voltage of 59 V/161 V, load voltage of 178 V/73.5 V, maximum switching frequency of 4.9 kHz/3.65 kHz at 215 W/450 W in a step-up/step-down operation is considered for the experimental verification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new structure for a nonisolated boost dc–dc converter is proposed. The proposed converter generates higher voltage gain than some conventional nonisolated boost dc–dc converters. In this paper, the voltage and current equations of the elements and voltage gain in continuous conduction mode and discontinuous conduction mode are extracted. Then, the critical inductance converter is extracted and the current stresses in the switches are calculated. To achieve high voltage gain, a generalized structure based on the proposed structure generates for dc–dc converters. Meanwhile, the root mean square current relations of devices are obtained for an extended structure. Finally, the results of PSCAD/EMTDC software and laboratory prototype are used to reconfirm theoretical concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photovoltaic (PV) systems having rechargeable batteries are prone to be complex and costly because multiple converters are necessary to individually regulate a load, PV panel, and battery. This paper proposes novel nonisolated multiport converters (MPCs) integrating a bidirectional pulsewidth modulation (PWM) converter and phase-shift-switched capacitor converter (PS-SCC) for standalone PV systems. A PWM converter and PS-SCC are integrated by reducing the total switch count, realizing the simplified system and circuit. In the proposed MPCs, two control freedoms of duty cycle and phase shift angle are manipulated to individually regulate the load, PV panel, and/or battery. The detailed operation analysis was performed to mathematically derive gain characteristics and zero voltage switching operation boundaries. For the battery discharging mode, in which the PV panel is not available and the MPC behaves as a single-input–single-output converter with two control freedoms available, the optimized control scheme achieving the lowest rms current is also proposed to maximize power conversion efficiencies. Various kinds of experimental verification tests using a 200-W prototype were performed to verify the theoretical analysis and to demonstrate the performance of the proposed MPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In several electrical dc–ac power conversions, the ac output voltage is higher than the input voltage. If a voltage-source inverter (VSI) is used, then an additional dc–dc boosting stage is required to overcome the step-down VSI limitations. Recently, several impedance source converters are gaining higher attentions [1], [2], as they are able to provide buck-boost capability in a single conversion stage. This paper proposes the merging of the boost stage and the VSI stage in a single stage dc–ac power conversion, denoted as split-source inverter (SSI). The proposed topology requires the same number of active switches of the VSI, three additional diodes, and the same eight states of a conventional space-vector modulation. It also shows some merits compared to Z-source inverters, especially in terms of reduced switch voltage stress for voltage gains higher than 1.15. This paper presents the analysis of the SSI and compares different modulation schemes. Moreover, it presents a modified modulation scheme to eliminate the low frequency ripple in the input current and the voltage across the inverter bridge. The proposed analysis has been verified by simulation and experimental results on a 2.0-kW prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a new bidirectional three-phase push–pull converter that has a simple structure and achieves zero-voltage switching turn-on of switches. Also, due to use of a single inductor, an imbalance among phase currents on the low-voltage high-current side is trivial in the proposed converter although no current sharing control is employed. In this paper, a new dual asymmetrical pulse width modulation (PWM) switching method is proposed for bidirectional power flow control with seamless mode change. The proposed switching method offers reduced circulating current and makes the converter easier to implement compared to the PWM plus phase shift-based control method since it is a general PWM method having two independent duty cycle controls on each side. Experimental results from a 3-kW prototype are provided to validate the proposed concept. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Power systems for exploration rovers tend to be complex as three separate converters are necessary; in addition to a main dc–dc converter and cell equalizer for rechargeable energy storage cells, an equalizer for photovoltaic (PV) modules is desirably equipped in order to preclude negative impacts of partial shading. This paper proposes the pulse width modulation (PWM) converter integrating voltage equalizers for PV modules and energy storage cells. The proposed integrated converter comprises a switched capacitor converter, PWM buck converter, and series-resonant voltage multiplier that perform PV equalization, power conversion from the PV modules to the load, and cell equalization, respectively. Three converters can be integrated into a single unit with reducing the total switch counts, achieving not only system-level but also circuit-level simplifications. The derivation procedure of the integrated converter is explained, followed by the operation analysis. Experimental tests were performed using series-connected supercapacitor (SC) modules and solar array simulators to emulate a partial shading condition. With the integrated converter, the extractable maximum power from the PV modules significantly increased while voltage imbalance of SC modules was adequately eliminated, demonstrating the integrated performance of the proposed converter. [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]

A new soft-switching pulse-width-modulated (PWM) full-bridge converter is proposed in this paper. The proposed converter has zero voltage switching (ZVS) in all its switches with fewer conduction losses than other ZVS-PWM full-bridge converters, due to a novel auxiliary circuit scheme. In this paper, the operation of the new converter is explained and analyzed, a design procedure is presented and demonstrated with an example, and experimental results that confirm the feasibility of the converter are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple output converters (MOCs) are widely applied to applications requiring various levels of output voltages due to their advantages in terms of cost, volume, and efficiency. However, most of the conventional MOCs cannot regulate multiple outputs tightly and they can barely avoid the cross-regulation problem. In this paper, the recently developed time-division multiple control (TDMC) method, which can regulate all of the outputs with a high accuracy, is used for a multiple output battery charger based on the phase-shift full-bridge topology to simultaneously charge three batteries. The proposed charger is able to charge three different kinds of batteries or three of the same kind of battery in different state of charges (SOCs) independently and accurately with the constant current/constant voltage (CC/CV) charge method. As a result, the strict ripple specification of a battery can be satisfied for multiple battery charges without difficulty. In addition, the proposed charger exhibits a high efficiency since the soft switching of all of the switches during the entire charge process can be guaranteed. The operating principle of the converter and the design of the controller, including the state-space average modeling, will be detailed, and the validity of the proposed method is verified through experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents the design, modeling, and control of an isolated dc-dc three-port converter (TPC) based on an interleaved-boost full-bridge converter with pulsewidth modulation (PWM) and phase-shift control for hybrid renewable energy systems. In the proposed topology, the switches are driven by phase-shifted PWM signals, where both phase angle and duty cycle are the controlled variables. The power flow between the two inputs is controlled through the duty cycle, whereas the output voltage can be regulated effectively through the phase shift. The primary-side MOSFETs can achieve zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) operation without additional circuitry. Additionally, due to the ac output inductor, the secondary-side diodes can operate under zero-current-switching (ZCS) conditions. In this study, the operation principles of the converter are analyzed and the critical design considerations are discussed. The dynamic behavior of the proposed ac-inductor-based TPC is investigated by performing state-space modeling. Moreover, the derived mathematical models are validated by simulation and measurements. In order to verify the validity of the theoretical analysis, design, and power decoupling control scheme, a prototype is constructed and tested under the various modes, depending on the availability of the renewable energy source and the load consumption. The experimental results show that the two decoupled control variables achieve effective regulation of the power flow among the three ports. [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]

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]

Interleaving of voltage-source converter (VSC) legs enables higher output currents per phase, effectively increasing the power rating without increasing semiconductor ratings. However, the interleaved operation results in circulating currents between each phase converter legs as well as a zero-sequence circulating current (ZSCC), which become quite prominent when the converters operate with low switching frequencies. This paper demonstrates the interleaved operation of three-level converters under selective harmonic elimination pulsewidth modulation (SHE-PWM). A controller for the circulating current within the legs of each phase is also proposed. The controller is used in combination with optimally selected SHE-PWM patterns to generate the maximum number of voltage levels and minimize the peak value of the circulating current. Simulation and experimental results show the interleaved operation and the effect of SHE-PWM pattern selection in the overall system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recently, novel direct pulse width modulated (PWM) ac–ac converters using coupled inductors with switching cell structure have been introduced as an alternative to the conventional ac–ac converter topology. The converters can effectively solve the commutation problem associated with the conventional direct PWM ac–ac converters. However, the two coupled inductors used in the topology make the converters less attractive for use in practical applications. This paper proposes magnetic integration of the discrete-coupled inductors in single-phase ac–ac converters. The dc offset fluxes generated by the common-mode currents are cancelled out perfectly when the windings on the common core are appropriately arranged, resulting in ac flux only. The proposed inductor shows significant improvements over discrete-coupled inductors, in that the proposed inductor does not have an air gap, it exhibits symmetrical winding currents, and it has smaller volume with large current handling capability. The proposed inductor can handle an unlimited amount of current due to the absence of core saturation caused by the current and is well suitable for high power ac–ac conversion applications. The performance evaluation and comparison of the experimental results show that the net volume of the coupled magnetic components can be reduced by more than 50% with the proposed integration scheme. [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]

The three-level boost power factor correction (PFC) converter has advantages of lower inductor current ripple and lower switch withstanding voltage compared with the boost PFC converter. Interleaved pulsewidth modulation had been used in the multiphase boost PFC converter. In the literature, interleaved current sensorless control (ICSC) for the multiphase boost PFC converters had been proposed. In this paper, the behavior of the three-level boost PFC converter is first analyzed. The results show that three-level converter has the same average equation as the interleaved boost PFC converter. Then, ICSC is modified for the three-level boost PFC converter with considering the voltage imbalance and the zero-crossing current distortion. The proposed modified ICSC (MICSC) is implemented in a field-programmable gate array board. Simulation results and experimental results are also provided to validate the proposed MICSC. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a new modulated carrier control method for an interleaved continuous conduction mode (CCM) power factor correction (PFC) boost converter. The proposed method allows precise sinusoidal line current shaping for a PFC boost converter operating in CCM. This is accomplished by simply comparing modulated carrier signal with switch current, such that inner current loop compensation design and rectified line voltage sensing are not required. The proposed control method greatly simplifies current sensing and control circuitry of multiphase converters since average current control is available by just sensing the switch current for each module. This also enables simple current balancing between parallel converters by employing modulated carrier signals with same amplitude. The principle of the control method is presented. The performance of the proposed control method is experimentally verified on a 600-W PFC converter. The measured power factor remains above 94.9% down to 20% of a full load for 110-Vrms and 220-Vrms line voltages. The line current harmonics also meet the IEC61000-3-2 Class D standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, analysis of circulating currents of paralleled single-phase boost converter systems is presented. The dc loop and ac loop circulating currents are clearly explained. In order to eliminate the dc loop circulating currents and reduce switching losses, a simplified pulsewidth modulation strategy is adopted in a paralleled single-phase boost converter. Based on the analysis of circulating currents, common-mode circulating current (CMCC) and differential-mode circulating current (DMCC) are defined. Then, CMCC and DMCC compensators are proposed in a centralized control scheme to reduce the common-mode and differential-mode circulating currents in a parallel system operated in both rectifier and inverter modes with different power sharing for microgrid applications. Converter-paralleled system stability analysis is also presented. Finally, a prototype system is constructed to facilitate the theoretical results as verification. From the experimental results, the proposed control scheme can indeed reduce the circulating currents under equal and/or different power rating conditions in the parallel system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a novel nonisolated flyback switching capacitor voltage regulator. The converter is a combination of a switching capacitor converter and a pulsewidth modulation voltage regulator, and it has the following advantages: 1) the switches achieve zero voltage switching (ZVS); 2) the self-driven method of the synchronous rectifier (SR) is applied to save the drive loss and the body diode conduction loss; 3) the transformer leakage inductor is utilized to realize the soft switching of the switches; and 4) single-phase option makes it more flexible. Its derivation, operation principle, and self-driven method are presented. A single-phase 700 kHz 1.2 V/35 A output point-of-load prototype was built to verify the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a unique modulation method for extending the input range of pulse-width modulation (PWM)-integrated resonant converters, such as the isolated boost resonant converter, while maintaining high conversion efficiency. The technique includes primarily the hybridizing of constant-on, constant-off, and fixed-frequency control depending only on the required duty cycle. The modulation scheme reduces core loss and conduction loss dramatically by decreasing the applied volt-seconds at the transformer and improving the switching period utilization. With hybrid-frequency control, the circuit also maintains zero current switching for the output diodes, minimizes switching loss, and eliminates circulating energy at the transformer across the entire operating range. It also allows for a predictable voltage gain, dependent only on duty cycle and transformer turns ratio. A detailed loss analysis is provided and verified against a 180 W experimental prototype, with an input range of 12–48 V and a switching frequency range of 30–70 kHz. Implementation issues are also handled with a variety of solutions for realizing the modulation scheme. Experimental results show greater than 4% weighted efficiency improvement in the prototype using the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The maximum closed-loop bandwidth of a dc-dc converter is restricted to a fraction of its switching frequency when governed by a conventional average-based pulsewidth modulation (PWM) controller. Even an advanced geometric control is limited by internal slew rates. The bandwidth can reach or exceed the switching frequency through converter augmentation; however, this requires a nonlinear control algorithm and circuit arrangements. This paper considers methods of augmentation and control for a fast buck converter. Conditions for time-optimal transient recovery are obtained for both instantaneous and delayed transient disturbance detection. Design tradeoffs and control issues related to augmentation are considered here. The main switch is controlled using a fixed frequency PWM current-mode control with load current feedforward, and augmented switches are controlled using frequency-limited bang-bang control based on a geometric approach. A small-signal model is obtained and extended control bandwidth is demonstrated. Fast transient recovery is achieved for both single- and two-resistance augmentation. A prototype augmented buck converter is tested. Output voltage and inductor current overshoot and undershoot can be lowered more than with previous methods. It is possible to achieve near-null response in the sense of ripple band to a large-signal transient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel high power factor converter is presented in this paper. The proposed converter is a high-frequency forward converter controlled by a magnetic amplifier. This converter has no need of special control to correct the power factor. Power factor is corrected by the automatic variation of the saturation time of the magnetic amplifier according to the input voltage variation. The current stress of the transistor switch is low because this converter operates in the continuous conduction mode of the inductor current. The circuit operation is verified experimentally at a frequency of 500 kHz. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]