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This paper proposes a new bidirectional direct pulse width modulation (PWM) three-phase buck-boost ac–ac converter. It requires six switches and three inductors and can provide wide range buck-boost voltage operation. It has high reliability due to no short-circuit and open-circuit risks in the converter. Therefore, it solves the commutation problem without using lossy snubber circuits, soft commutation strategies, and coupled inductors. It can be designed with metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) without their body diodes conducting, which eliminate reverse recovery issues and losses of body diodes. In addition, to reduce the ripples in input and output voltages and currents, the proposed converter can be operated with a PWM strategy-II. The PWM strategy-II is a type of interleaved PWM strategy with dead- and overlap-times operating modes. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed converter extensive analysis followed by detailed experimental results are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, a class of single-phase Z-source (ZS) ac–ac converters is proposed with high-frequency transformer (HFT) isolation. The proposed HFT isolated (HFTI) ZS ac–ac converters possess all the features of their nonisolated counterparts, such as providing wide range of buck-boost output voltage with reversing or maintaining the phase angle, suppressing the in-rush and harmonic currents, and improved reliability. In addition, the proposed converters incorporate HFT for electrical isolation and safety, and therefore can save an external bulky line frequency transformer, for applications such as dynamic voltage restorers, etc. The proposed HFTI ZS converters are obtained from conventional (nonisolated) ZS ac–ac converters by adding only one extra bidirectional switch, and replacing two inductors with an HFT, thus saving one magnetic core. The switching signals for buck and boost modes are presented with safe-commutation strategy to remove the switch voltage spikes. A quasi-ZS-based HFTI ac–ac is used to discuss the operation principle and circuit analysis of the proposed class of HFTI ZS ac–ac converters. Various ZS-based HFTI proposed ac–ac converters are also presented thereafter. Moreover, a laboratory prototype of the proposed converter is constructed and experiments are conducted to produce output voltage of 110 Vrms / 60 Hz, which verify the operation of the proposed converters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To regulate an output ac voltage in inverter systems having wide input dc voltage variation, a buck–boost power conditioning system is preferred. This paper proposes a novel high-efficiency quasi single-stage single-phase buck–boost inverter. The proposed inverter can solve current shoot-through problem and eliminate PWM dead time, which leads to greatly enhanced system reliability. It allows bidirectional power flow and can use MOSFET as switching device without body diode conducting. The reverse recovery issues and related loss of the MOSFET body diode can be eliminated. The use of MOSFET contributes to the reduction of switching and conduction losses. Also, the proposed inverter can be operated with simple pulse width modulation (PWM) control and can be designed at higher switching frequency to reduce the volume of passive components. The detailed experimental results are provided to show the advantages of the proposed inverter. Efficiency measurement shows that using simple PWM control the proposed inverter can obtain peak efficiency of 97.8% for 1.1-kW output power at 30-kHz switching frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a single-phase buck–boost matrix converter is proposed which can both buck and boost the input voltage with step-changed frequency. It consists of only six unidirectional current flowing bidirectional voltage blocking switches, two input and output filter capacitors, and one inductor. It has following advantages over the existing single-phase matrix converters: 1) it can both buck and boost input voltage solving the limited voltage transfer ratio (only boost or buck) problem; 2) it also has enhanced reliability as it is immune from shoot-through problem of voltage source when all switches are turned-on simultaneously, and, therefore, it has no need of PWM dead times and RC snubbers or dedicated soft-commutation strategies to solve the commutation problem; 3) it can also use high-speed power MOSFETs as their body diodes never conduct, which eliminate their poor reverse recovery problem. The operation principle of the proposed converter is given, and switching strategies are developed to obtain various multiples and submultiples of input frequency. To verify its performance, a laboratory prototype is fabricated and experiments are performed to produce step-down and step-up voltage with three different frequencies of 120, 60, and 30 Hz. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, the switching cell concept is extended to isolated ac–ac converters, and a highly reliable double step-down ac–ac converter is proposed with high-frequency transformer (HFT) isolation. By using the switching cell structure and coupled inductors, the proposed converter has no commutation problem as it is immune from both short-circuit and open-circuit problems, even when all the switches are turned on or turned off, simultaneously. Therefore, it does not require pulse width modulation dead times along with bulky and lossy RC snubbers or voltage-sensing circuitry to implement soft-commutation strategies, resulting in high reliability and high quality output waveforms. The HFT in the proposed converter provides electrical isolation and safety which is required in applications such as dynamic voltage restorer (DVR), solid-state transformer (SST), etc., without the need for external bulky line frequency transformer. Moreover, all the passive components experience twice the switching frequency; therefore, their size can be reduced. The proposed converter is very suitable for application as DVR, to compensate both voltage sags and swells, owing to its ability to provide both inverting and noninverting outputs. A detailed theoretical analysis and operation of the proposed ac–ac converter are provided, and its applications as DVR and SST are also discussed. Experimental results with scaled-down prototype are also provided to verify its performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper extends the high-frequency transformer isolation concept to the Z-source (ZS) ac–ac converters and introduces a new family of high-frequency transformer isolated (HFTI) ZS ac–ac converters. The proposed HFTI-ZS converters retain all the benefits of their existing nonisolated counterparts, such as providing a larger range of output voltage with buck–boost functionality, reversing or maintaining the phase angle, reducing the in-rush and harmonic currents, and improving reliability. In addition to these benefits, the high-frequency (20 kHz) transformer (HFT) in the proposed ZS ac–ac converters provides the electrical isolation and safety with high power density as it eliminates the need for bulky and heavy line frequency (50 or 60 Hz) transformer for galvanic isolation, in applications such as dynamic voltage restorers, etc. The dc-blocking capacitor added in series with the HFT results in only ac voltage applied across its windings, which avoids its saturation. Various ZS-based HFTI ac–ac converters are proposed in this paper, and to verify their operation and advantages, example of quasi-ZS (qZS)-based isolated ac–ac converter is considered in detail. The commutation strategy is also developed to achieve the safe commutation, which avoids the current and voltage spikes without using any RC snubber. A 200-W laboratory prototype of HFTI-qZS ac–ac converter is fabricated and experiments are performed to validate the advantages of the proposed ac–ac converters. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A single-phase inverting buck–boost ac–ac converter is proposed in this paper. The proposed converter has no shoot-through and dead-time problems and, like conventional dc–dc converters, it can be operated with simple pulse width modulation (PWM) control. It offers high frequency and high efficiency operation because high speed mosfet can be used as switching device without the reverse recovery issues and losses of its body diode. The proposed converter features quasi-continuous input and output currents, high input power factor, low total harmonic distortion of input and output currents, and high efficiency. A 460 W laboratory prototype was constructed and tested with interleaved and complementary PWM controls using a resistive and inductive load. Detailed experimental results are provided to show the novelty of the proposed converter. Experimental results confirmed that the proposed converter can obtain 93.8% efficiency at 60 kHz switching frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The switching cell (SC) direct pulse width modulation ac–ac converters have several advantages; in particular, they do not experience commutation issues, are not susceptible to reverse-recovery losses of body diode of switching devices, produce output waveforms of good quality, are more immune to EMI noise, and have smaller input/output current ripples. The magnetic components of the SC ac–ac converters consist of coupled inductors and a filter inductor. This paper proposes an integrated inductor which integrates all magnetic components of the SC ac–ac converters into one magnetic assembly. The leakage inductance of the proposed integrated inductor is utilized to eliminate the filter inductor in buck, boost, and buck—boost-type SC ac–ac converters. The proposed integrated inductor improves the power density and reduces cost and losses because it requires fewer magnetic cores, coils, and soldering connections. The proposed integrated inductor is especially suitable for high-current applications because it can avoid the magnetic core saturation caused by current, and can eliminate the air gap in the core. The proposed integrated inductor can realize high leakage inductance; therefore, the input and output current ripples can be reduced significantly. To verify the proposed integrated inductor, a 2.3-kW prototype inductor was built and tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes single-phase direct pulsewidth modulation (PWM) buck-, boost-, and buck–boost-type ac–ac converters. The proposed converters are implemented with a series-connected freewheeling diode and MOSFET pair, which allows to minimize the switching and conduction losses of the semiconductor devices and resolves the reverse-recovery problem of body diode of MOSFET. The proposed converters are highly reliable because they can solve the shoot-through and dead-time problems of traditional ac–ac converters without voltage/current sensing module, lossy resistor–capacitor (RC) snubbers, or bulky coupled inductors. In addition, they can achieve high obtainable voltage gain and also produce output voltage waveforms of good quality because they do not use lossy snubbers. Unlike the recently developed switching cell (SC) ac–ac converters, the proposed ac–ac converters have no circulating current and do not require bulky coupled inductors; therefore, the total losses, current stresses, and magnetic volume are reduced and efficiency is improved. Detailed analysis and experimental results are provided to validate the novelty and merit of the proposed converters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

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]

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]

In this article, a single-phase bipolar buck–boost direct pulsewidth-modulated ac–ac converter is proposed, comprised of six insulated-gate bipolar transistors, a small film capacitor, and input/output LC filters. The converter can provide discrete noninverting buck (NIBu) and boost (NIBo) operations with voltage gains of D and 1/(1 – D), respectively. Moreover, it provides symmetric noninverting buck–boost (NIBB) and inverting buck–boost (IBB) operations with voltage gains of D/(1 – D) and –D/(1 – D), respectively. It supplies both continuous input/output currents, and it is well suited for reactive loads. It is immune from the commutation problem, and thus, has enhanced the reliability. The various modes of operation of the proposed converter make it suitable for diverse applications, including the following: 1) application as a direct ac voltage regulator when operating in NIBu and NIBo modes; 2) IBB operation can be utilized along with NIBu/ NIBo or NIBB operation to compensate both voltage sag and swell, when used as dynamic voltage restorer; and 3) symmetric NIBB/IBB operations can provide step-changed frequency output, similar to the single-phase matrix converters, for applications as induction motor drive or high-gain ac–dc rectifier. Extensive circuit analysis, component design guidelines, and appropriate comparisons are provided, followed by experimental results obtained using a laboratory prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel buck–boost ac–ac converter is proposed. The basic switching unit of the proposed converter is a unidirectional buck circuit; therefore, it has no shoot-through worries. It can achieve safe commutation without using RC snubbers or soft commutation strategies. It can be implemented with power MOSFETs without their body diodes conducting and, for current freewheeling external diodes, can be used to minimize the reverse recovery issues and related loss. It has a bipolar voltage gain with both inverting and non-inverting operations. The non-inverting operation can be used to compensate voltage sag, and inverting operation can be used to compensate voltage swell. Therefore, the proposed converter as a dynamic voltage restorer is capable of compensating for both voltage sag and swell in a wide range. The detailed theoretical analysis followed by detailed experimental results of a 300-W prototype converter is provided. [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]