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This paper proposes a systematic approach to design the output filter of a 10 kW, low-voltage 400 Vll,rms, fouroutput phase, hard-switched AC source based on the Three-Level Neutral Point Clamped Voltage Source Converter topology. Given specifications of the AC source, such as the voltage quality, the control performance or the conducted EMI at the output of the source, are translated into corresponding families of curves in the parameter space of the output filter. The area/volume enclosed by these curves represents the design space of the output filter in which all tuples (Lf, Cf), e.g. for a single-stage LC-filter, fulfill every single AC source specification. From all possible filter parameters in the design space, the set of parameters resulting in the smallest filter volume, the lowest filter weight, the highest filter efficiency and/or the lowest filter costs can be selected. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Photovoltaic systems (PV) of higher power are connected to the grid through three-phase inverters via output filters which are designed to limit Electromagnetic Interference (EMI), in order to comply with international standards. With the purpose of reducing the volume of this converter, this paper evaluates 3 configurations of bridge legs and output magnetic components and identifies the most compact options for a system of 10kVA. A single bridge leg and two interleaved bridge legs with coupled or uncoupled inductors are considered in the comparison. Switching frequency and total silicon area are fixed and the volume of the passive components and the heatsink are evaluated as well as the system efficiency. The analysis developed in this paper show that the configuration with interleaved bridge legs and coupled inductors has a total volume close to 70% when compared to the configuration with interleaved bridge legs and uncoupled inductors, but it has a similar total volume when compared to the configuration with a single bridge leg. Although it is reported in the literature that systems with coupled inductors usually have a lower volume, the case at hand has the output filters designed to comply with EMI standards and it will be shown that, like this, the volume reduction of magnetic components provided by coupled inductors is compensated by the increase on the volume of capacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper summarizes a new modeling procedure for 3D virtual design of EMI filter circuits. The proposed method, based on the coupling of the Partial Element Equivalent Circuit (PEEC) and Boundary Integral Method (BIM) methods, extends the standard PEEC approach for modeling in the presence of magnetic materials, hence allowing the PEEC-based modeling of toroidal EMI filter inductors. The PEEC-BIM coupled method is implemented into a 3D CAD PEEC-based virtual prototyping platform (GeckoEMC). The developed EM simulation tool can give a comprehensive understanding of EM behaviour of EMI filter inductors and capacitors, taking their geometrical and material properties into account. Furthermore, it enables the modeling of optimal EMI filter structures including both parasitics and the effects originating from the mutual coupling and the interconnection of filter elements. The approach is verified by impedance and transfer function measurements of different single phase single-/two-stage EMI filter structures. Good agreement between the measurement and the PEEC-based simulation results was achieved for the frequency range from DC up to 30 MHz. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Strings of photovoltaic panels have a significantly reduced power output when mismatch between the panels, such as partial shading, occurs since integrated diodes are then partly bypassing the shaded panels. With the implementation of DC-DC converters on panel level, the maximum available power can be extracted from each panel regardless of any shading. In this paper, different concepts of PV panel integrated DC-DC converters are presented, comparative evaluation is given and the converter design process is shown for the buck-boost converter which is identified as the best suited concept. Furthermore, the results of high precision efficiency measurements of an experimental prototype are presented and compared to a commercial MIC. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]