A Three-Level Resonant Single-Stage Power Factor Correction Converter: Analysis, Design, and Implementation

This paper presents a new single-stage power factor correction ac/dc converter based on a three-level half-bridge resonant converter topology. The proposed circuit integrates the operation of the boost power factor preregulator and the three-level resonant dc/dc converter. A variable-frequency asymmetrical pulsewidth modulation controller is proposed for this converter. This control technique is based on two integrated control loops: the output voltage is regulated by controlling the switching frequency of the resonant converter, whereas the dc-bus voltage and input current are regulated by means of duty cycle control of the boost part of the converter. This provides a regulated output voltage and a nearly constant dc-bus voltage regardless of the loading condition; this, in turn, allows using smaller switches and consequently having a lower on resistance helping to reduce conduction losses. Zero-voltage switching is also achieved for a wide range of loading and input voltage. The resulting circuit, therefore, has high conversion efficiency making it suitable for high-power wide-input-voltage-range applications. The effectiveness of this method is verified on a 2.3-kW 48-V converter with input voltage (90–265 Vrms).      

DC-DC converter: four switches V/sub pk/=V/sub in//2, capacitive turn-off snubbing, ZV turn-on

A new four-switch full-bridge dc-dc converter topology is especially well-suited for power converters operating from high input voltage: it imposes only half of the input voltage across each of the four switches. The two legs of a full-bridge converter are connected in series with each other, across the dc input source, instead of the usual topology in which each leg is connected across the dc source. The topology reduces turn-off switching losses by providing capacitive snubbing of the turn-off voltage transient, and eliminates capacitor-discharge turn-on losses by providing zero-voltage turn-on. (Switching losses are especially important in converters operating at high input voltage because turn-on losses are proportional to the square of the input voltage, and turn-off losses are proportional to the input voltage). The topology is suitable for resonant and nonresonant converters. It adds one bypass capacitor and one commutating inductor to the minimum-topology full-bridge converter (that inductor is already present in many present-day converters, to provide zero-voltage turn-on, or is associated with one or two capacitors to provide resonant operation), and contains a dc-blocking capacitor in series with the output transformer, primary winding, and some nonresonant converters (that capacitor is already present in resonant power converters). The paper gives a theoretical analysis, and experimental data on a 1.5-kW example that was built and tested: 600-Vdc input, 60-Vdc output at up to 25A, and 50-kHz switching frequency. The measured performance agreed well with the theoretical predictions. The measured efficiency was 93.6% at full load, and was a maximum of 95.15% at 44.8% load.     

An improved ZCT-PWM DC-DC converter for high-power and frequency applications

In this paper, an improved active resonant snubber cell that overcomes most of the drawbacks of the normal zero-current transition (ZCT) pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) dc-dc converter is proposed. This snubber cell is especially suitable for an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) PWM converter at high power and frequency levels. The converter with the proposed snubber cell can operate successfully with soft switching under light-load conditions and at considerably high frequencies. The operation principles, a detailed steady-state analysis, and a snubber design procedure of a ZCT-PWM buck converter implemented with the proposed snubber cell are presented. Theoretical analysis is verified with a prototype of a 5-kW and 50-kHz IGBT-PWM buck converter. Additionally, at 90% output power, the overall efficiency of the proposed soft switching converter increases to about 98% from the value of 91% in the hard-switching case.     

A Three-Phase ZVS PWM DC–DC Converter Associated With a Double-Wye Connected Rectifier, Delta Primary

This paper presents the theoretical analysis of the three-phase zero voltage switching pulsewidth modulation dc-dc converter associated with a double Wye connected rectifier, delta primary, using a special switching scheme in order to maintain equilibrium among the currents through the output filters. The operating stages are described and the simulation and experimental results of a 6-kW prototype are presented     

A Bidirectional Isolated DC–DC Converter as a Core Circuit of the Next-Generation Medium-Voltage Power Conversion System

This paper describes a bidirectional isolated dc-dc converter considered as a core circuit of 3.3-kV/6.6-kV high-power-density power conversion systems in the next generation. The dc-dc converter is intended to use power switching devices based on silicon carbide (SiC) and/or gallium nitride, which will be available on the market in the near future. A 350-V, 10-kW and 20 kHz dc-dc converter is designed, constructed and tested. It consists of two single-phase full-bridge converters with the latest trench-gate insulated gate bipolar transistors and a 20-kHz transformer with a nano-crystalline soft-magnetic material core and litz wires. The transformer plays an essential role in achieving galvanic isolation between the two full-bridge converters. The overall efficiency from the dc-input to dc-output terminals is accurately measured to be as high as 97%, excluding gate drive and control circuit losses from the whole loss. Moreover, loss analysis is carried out to estimate effectiveness in using SiC-based power switching devices. Loss analysis clarifies that the use of SiC-based power devices may bring a significant reduction in conducting and switching losses to the dc-dc converter. As a result, the overall efficiency may reach 99% or higher     

A Novel ZVS Resonant Reset Dual Switch Forward DC–DC Converter

This paper presents a new topology named zero-voltage switching (ZVS) resonant reset dual switch forward dc-dc converter, which, compared with resonant reset single switch forward dc-dc converter, maintains the advantage that duty cycle can be more than 50%, at the same time disadvantages of high voltage stress for main switches and low efficiency are overcome. In addition, ZVS is achieved for all switches of the presented topology. Therefore, this proposed topology is very attractive for high voltage input, wide range, and high efficiency applications. In this paper, the operation principle and characteristic of this topology are analyzed in detail. Next, the design consideration is presented. Finally, the advantages mentioned above are verified by experimental results     

Evaluation of three-level rectifiers for low-voltage utility applications

This paper evaluates the benefits of three-level topologies as alternatives to two-level topologies in low-voltage converters primarily operated in rectifier mode. The main evaluation aspects are input filter size, semiconductor losses, maximum switching frequency, part count, initial cost, and life cycle cost. Semiconductor loss characteristics of various three-level topologies are discussed. A detailed converter comparison is based on a 100-kW 400-V/sub rms/ rectifier using commercially available Si insulated gate bipolar transistor modules.     

The Delta-Rectifier: Analysis, Control and Operation

The three-phase Delta-Rectifier is formed by a delta-connection of single-phase pulsewidth modulation (PWM) rectifier modules and has the advantage that it can provide full rated output power in the case of a mains phase loss. In this paper the Delta-Rectifier, implemented with a standard (two-level and/or three-level) boost converter, is analyzed based on an equivalent star connection. Analysis of the Delta-Rectifier shows a redundancy in the switching states concerning the input voltage formation. Furthermore, the Delta-Rectifier has reduced current ripple in the mains phase currents if the modulation is implemented with synchronized PWM. A disadvantage of two-level Delta-Rectifier is the higher voltage stress on the switching devices; however this is mitigated when the boost converter is implemented with a three-level topology as realized for a 10.5-kW laboratory prototype. The Delta-Rectifier concept is proposed based on theoretical considerations and is verified experimentally. The influence of non-idealities on the current ripple formation in the practical realization is analyzed and a high quality mains phase current is demonstrated     

A High-Voltage DC–DC Converter With Vin/3—Voltage Stress on the Primary Switches

A high-voltage dc-dc converter with low voltage stress on the power switches and high output current capacity is presented. This converter exhibits three distinct features. First, the voltage stress on the primary switches is only one-third of the input voltage, so that switches of low voltage rating and thus of low on-resistance can be used. This leads to reduced conduction loss. Second, all the switches are soft-switched, so that the switching loss can be reduced. Third, the rectifier is a current tripler, so that the output current capacity, and thus the power handling capacity of the converter are increased. A 5.1-kW, 1000-V/48-V dc-dc converter prototype has been built and tested. Experimental results are favorably compared with theoretical predictions.     

Low cost fuel cell converter system for residential power generation

The high installation cost is the major obstacle of the commercialization of the solid oxide fuel cell for distributed power generation. This paper presents a new low cost 10-kW converter system to overcome this obstacle. The proposed system consists of an isolated dc-dc converter to boost the fuel cell voltage to 400 V dc and a pulse-width modulated inverter with filter to convert the dc voltage to two split-phase 120-V ac. The dc-dc converter uses phase shifting to control power flow through a transformer with a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor full bridge on the low voltage side and a voltage doubler on the high voltage side. One IPM is used to realize the voltage doubler and the dc-ac inverter. Compared to the existing fuel cell converter systems, the proposed circuit has low cost, less component count, smaller size, and reduced dc-dc converter peak current. Simulation and experimental results are demonstrated.     

Analysis,design and implementation of an interleaved three-level PWM DC/DC ZVS converter

This paper presents a new parallel three-level soft switching pulse-width modulation (PWM) converter. The proposed converter has two circuit cells operated by the interleaved PWM modulation. Thus, the ripple currents at input and output sides are reduced. Each circuit cell has two three-level zero voltage switching circuits sharing the same power switches. Therefore, the current and power rating of the secondary side components are reduced. Current double rectifier topology is selected on the secondary side to decrease output ripple current. The main advantages of the proposed converter are soft switching of power switches, low ripple current on the output side and low-voltage rating of power switches for medium-power applications. Finally, the performance of the proposed converter is verified by experiments with 1 kW prototype circuit.     

A ZVZCS PWM FB DC/DC converter using a modified energy-recovery snubber

The conventional high-frequency phase-shifted zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) full-bridge DC/DC converter has a disadvantage, in that a circulating current flows through transformer and switching devices during the freewheeling interval. Due to this circulating current, RMS current stress, conduction losses of the transformer and switching devices are increased. To alleviate this problem, this paper proposes an improved zero-voltage zero-current switching (ZVZCS) phase-shifted full-bridge (FB) DC/DC converter with a modified energy-recovery snubber (ERS) attached at the secondary side of transformer. Also, the small signal model of the proposed ZVZCS FB DC/DC converter is derived by incorporating the effects introduced by a transformer leakage inductance and an ERS to achieve ZVZCS. Both analysis and experiment are performed to verify the proposed topology by implementing a 7-kW (120 VDC, 58 A) 30-kHz insulated-gate-bipolar-transistor-based experimental circuit.     

A bidirectional and isolated three-phase rectifier with soft-switching operation

A bidirectional-power-flow three-phase rectifier with high-frequency isolation and all-digital control, based on the matrix converter topology, is analyzed in this paper. The selected topology consists of a bidirectional three-phase-to-single-phase reduced matrix converter with power-factor correction and a bidirectional active rectifier. The inclusion of the isolation transformer at the switching frequency permits the reduction of volume and weight. By synchronizing the commutation of both converters and adding a saturable inductor and a blocking capacitor it is possible to achieve soft commutation for most of the semiconductor elements. An all-digital control based on a digital-signal-processor and a field-programmable gate array was used to implement space-vector modulation and output current regulation. This power converter is intended to feed the low-energy correction magnet of a particle accelerator. Experimental results of a 1.5-kW 20-kHz prototype are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed topology.     

A Variable Frequency Phase-Shift Modulated Three-Level Resonant Single-Stage Power Factor Correction Converter

This paper presents a new single-stage three-level resonant power factor correction ac-dc converter suitable for high power applications (in the order of multiple kilowatts) with a universal input voltage range (90–265 Vrms). The proposed topology integrates the boost input power factor preregulator with a half-bridge three-level resonant dc-dc converter. The converter operation is controlled by means of a combination of phase-shift and variable frequency control. The phase-shift between the switch gate pulses is used to provide the required input current shaping and to regulate the dc-bus voltage to a set reference value for all loading conditions, whereas, variable frequency control is used to tightly regulate the output voltage. An auxiliary circuit is used in order to balance the voltage across the two dc-bus capacitors. Zero voltage switching (ZVS) is also achieved for a wide range of loading and input voltage by having a lagging resonant current in addition to the flowing of the boost inductor current through the body diodes of the upper pair of switches in the free wheeling mode. The resulting circuit, therefore, has high conversion efficiency and lower component stresses making it suitable for high power, wide input voltage range applications. The effectiveness of the proposed converter is verified by analysis, simulation, and experimental results.      

A Novel High-Power-Density Three-Level LCC Resonant Converter With Constant-Power-Factor-Control for Charging Applications

This paper proposes a variable-frequency zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) three-level LCC resonant converter that is able to utilize the parasitic components of the high turns-ratio transformer. By applying a three-level structure to the primary side, the voltage stress of the primary switches is half of the input voltage. Low-voltage MOSFETs with better performance can be used in this converter, and zero-current-switching (ZCS) is achieved for rectifier diodes. By applying a magnetic integration technique, only one magnetic component is required in this converter. The power factor concept of resonant converters is proposed and analyzed, and a novel constant power-factor control scheme is proposed. Based on this control strategy, the circulating energy of resonant converters is considerably reduced. High efficiency can be obtained for high-voltage high-power charging applications. The operation principle of the converter is analyzed and verified on a 700-kHz, 3.7-kW prototype, with which a power density of 72 ${hbox {W/inch}}^{3}$ is achieved.      

Design considerations and topology selection for a 120-kW IGBTconverter for EV fast charging

Fast charging of electric vehicles (EVs) is a very desirable feature, especially for long-distance travel. For an EV with a battery capacity of 30 kWh, a 15-min charge requires 120-kW charging power. Inductive charging offers a safe and convenient means to accomplish this task. This paper investigates the design criteria of the high-power converter for a 120-kW inductive battery charger. Since insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) are the devices of choice at this power level, the impact of IGBT losses on the converter design and topology selection is investigated. A comparison between a zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) and zero-current-switching (ZCS) series-resonant converter (SRC) is presented. Based on the comparison results, a ZCS SRC topology is selected for this application, and an experimental 120-kW/75-kHz unit was built and tested in the laboratory to verify the results     

Current-Fed Dual-Bridge DC–DC Converter

A new isolated current-fed pulsewidth modulation dc-dc converter-current-fed dual-bridge dc-dc converter-with small inductance and no deadtime operation is presented and analyzed. The new topology has more than 3times smaller inductance than that of current-fed full-bridge converter, thus having faster transient response speed. Other characteristics include simple self-driven synchronous rectification, simple housekeeping power supply, and smaller output filter capacitance. Detailed analysis shows the proposed converter can have either lower voltage stress on all primary side power switches or soft switching properties when different driving schemes are applied. A 48-V/125-W prototype dc-dc converter with dual output has been tested for the verification of the principles. Both simulations and experiments verify the feasibility and advantages of the new topology     

A unified design criterion for ZVT DC-DC PWM converters with constant auxiliary Voltage source

This paper proposes a design criterion for calculating the resonant auxiliary elements of zero-voltage transition dc-dc pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) converters that use a dc auxiliary voltage source. The proposed criterion is based on stored energy in resonant auxiliary elements and takes into account the influence of the auxiliary voltage source value. Using this criterion, the reactive energy can be kept at a minimum level and a reduction of the auxiliary elements current ratings is achieved, which leads to lower conduction losses and improved converter efficiency. In addition, a reduction in size of auxiliary magnetic elements can be accomplished. To illustrate the usefulness of the proposed design criterion, the paper compares results obtained from the True-PWM Zero-Voltage Switching pole boost converter designed according to the proposed criterion, and from the original design guidelines. Experimental results show an efficiency gain of about 1% for a wide load range and 1.5% at full load. In addition, a reduction of about 52% in the auxiliary transformer volume for the implemented prototype was achieved, ensuring a reduction in overall converter size. Experimental results were obtained using a 1-kW 100-kHz laboratory prototype.     

The fast response double buck DC-DC converter (FRDB): operation and output filter influence

The fast response double buck (FRDB) dc-dc converter was presented like a low output voltage dc-dc converter with fast transient response, in order to feed devices such as microprocessors and digital signal processors (DSPs). The topology of the FRDB is composed of two buck converters connected in parallel, each one of them with different features and aims, and controlled by means of the novel linear-non-linear (LnL) control. In this paper, the topology, the control strategy and the operation principle are shown. Finally, experimental results in different prototypes are presented to show both, the transient response and the recovery time when these prototypes are subjected to load current steps, and the influence of the output filter on these parameters.     

Low-voltage-swing monolithic dc-dc conversion

A low-voltage-swing MOSFET gate drive technique is proposed in this paper for enhancing the efficiency characteristics of high-frequency-switching dc-dc converters. The parasitic power dissipation of a dc-dc converter is reduced by lowering the voltage swing of the power transistor gate drivers. A comprehensive circuit model of the parasitic impedances of a monolithic buck converter is presented. Closed-form expressions for the total power dissipation of a low-swing buck converter are proposed. The effect of reducing the MOSFET gate voltage swings is explored with the proposed circuit model. A range of design parameters is evaluated, permitting the development of a design space for full integration of active and passive devices of a low-swing buck converter on the same die, for a target CMOS technology. The optimum gate voltage swing of a power MOSFET that maximizes efficiency is lower than a standard full voltage swing. An efficiency of 88% at a switching frequency of 102 MHz is achieved for a voltage conversion from 1.8 to 0.9 V with a low-swing dc-dc converter based on a 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS technology. The power dissipation of a low-swing dc-dc converter is reduced by 27.9% as compared to a standard full-swing dc-dc converter.