A Novel Topology of Single-Phase AC-DC Integrated Boost-SEPIC (IBS) Converter Using Common Part Sharing Method (CPSM) for High Step-Up Applications

A novel topology of Integrated Boost-SEPIC (IBS) AC-DC converter using common part sharing method (CPSM) has been proposed in this paper. Conventional boost converters with bridge rectifier configuration are inefficient due to limited voltage step-up ratio which may not be applicable for high step-up applications as in the case of micro generators. The proposed IBS topology is based on the common part sharing method capable of operating both for positive and negative half cycle of the input signal. Result and simulation were conducted using PSIM environment. The proposed AC-DC IBS topology eliminates the requirement of bridge rectifier achieving high efficiency (about 99%), improved power factor (0.75, leading) and lower THD (about 38.8%) which is within IEEE standard.

Unified algorithm of single-phase active AC-DC converters and its applications

This paper discusses a novel boost single-phase active AC-DC converters, named low-end semi-controlled bridge AC-DC converter. By analysis, its topology and principle can be derived from the conventional single-phase power factor corrector （ PFC）. But it has also some differences, such as power device positions, inductor type, input voltage waveform detection and induction current detection, so its design is also different. The converter is implemented by employing two current detection approaches, i.e., current transformer detection and shunt resistor detection. Consequently, it can provide a steady DC output voltage with a low voltage ripple, approximately unitary input power factor and 2.5 kW output power. The experimental results show validity of the theoretical analysis.

FCS-MPC for four-switch three-phase AC-DC converters with DC-link capacitor voltage balancing

Due to the decrease in the number of switches for the four-switch three-phase alternating current-direct current(FSTP AC-DC)converter,it can easily lead to DC-link capacitor voltage imbalance and the system stability reduction.In order to solve these problems,a finite control set model predictive control(FCS-MPC)for FSTP AC-DC converters with DC-link capacitor voltage balancing is proposed.In this strategy,in order to facilitate calculation,theαβcoordinate system model is established and all voltage vectors are evaluated by establishing a cost function.During the whole process,phase locked loop(PLL)and complex modulation strategy are not required.In the new established cost function,the additional objective term of suppressing capacitor voltage fluctuation is to eliminate effectively the capacitor voltages oscillations and deviations and improve the system reliability.The simulation results show that the proposed strategy can keep the capacitor voltage balancing and has good dynamic and static performance.

Power Factor Improvement of AC-DC Converter Based on Separately Excited DC Motor Using Passive Filter

In industries DC motor drives are very essential due to their high performance applications such as its reliability, ease of control, low cost and simplicity. And speed control of these motors is very easy due to power electronic AC-DC converters. These power electronic converters are with prominent low power factor and higher Total Harmonic Distortion (THD). These converters operate only for short time resulting non-sinusoidal waveform. This problem of harmonic distortion can be mitigated by reshaping the non-sinusoidal waveform to pure sine wave. Different wave shaping techniques have been developed by using different filters among which one is tuned passive filter. This paper proposed power factor improvement and harmonic mitigation of AC-DC converters based on separately excited DC motor using tuned passive filter. In this context experimental model is designed and results are analyzed by power quality analyzer.

Analysis of Non-Sinusoidal Steady Electric Field of ±500 kV Converter Transformer

The line side winding is under the fundamental frequency AC voltage, while the valve side winding contains not only fundamental AC voltage component, but also the DC voltage component, fundamental AC voltage component, and higher harmonic voltage components when the converter transformer is at its normal operating condition, and the electric field of converter transformer is a non-sinusoidal steady one. To analyze the non-sinusoidal steady electric field containing the DC component, fundamental AC and higher harmonic components, the voltage spectrum of the valve winding in a ±500 kV converter transformer is firstly analyzed, and the non-sinusoidal periodic steady electric field is obtained by the fast discrete Fourier transform. Different resistivity of the oil and oil-immersed paper is adopted to simulate the aging of oil paper insulation at operation, and get the non-sinusoidal steady electric field.

High-temperature characteristics of SiC module and 100 kW SiC AC–DC converter at a junction temperature of 180 ℃

High-temperature,high-power converters have gained importance in industrial applications given their ability to operate in adverse environments,such as in petroleum exploration,multi-electric aircrafts,and electric vehicles.SiC metaloxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor(MOSFET),a new,wide bandgap,high-temperature device,is the key component of these converters.In this study,the static and dynamic characteristics of the SiC MOSFET,half-bridge module,are investigated at the junction temperature of 180℃.A simplified experimental method is then proposed pertaining to the power operation of the SiC module at 180℃.This method is based on the use of a thermal resistance test platform and is proven convenient for the study of heat dissipation characteristics.The high-temperature characteristics of the module are verified based on the conducted experiments.Accordingly,a 100 kW high-temperature converter is built,and the test results show that the SiC converter can operate at a junction temperature of 180℃in a stable manner in compliance with the requirements of high-temperature,high-power applications.

Investigation and Evaluation of Multilevel H-NPC Converter for Electrically Driven Trains

In this paper the operation of a three level H-bridge converter as well as its parallel operations is analyzed and simulated on the computer. Based on the simulation results the operating behavior between （a） a three level H-bridge neutral point clamped convener, （b） a three level back-to-back H-bridge neutral point clamped convener, （c） two three level H-bridge neutral point clamped converters parallel connected is being compared. From the simulation results it is obvious that in the first two cases the ripples, the distortion in primary and secondary winding currents, and the power factor are quite satisfactory and almost identical to each other. In the third case as compared with the first two, it is observed that current harmonics with higher amplitude appear in the primary winding of the transformer.

Convexification of Hybrid AC-DC Optimal Power Flow with Line-Commutated Converters

Line-commutated converter (LCC)-based high-voltage DC (HVDC) systems have been integrated with bulk AC power grids for interregional transmission of renewable power. The nonlinear LCC model brings additional nonconvexity to optimal power flow (OPF) of hybrid AC-DC power grids. A convexification method for the LCC station model could address such nonconvexity but has rarely been discussed. We devise an equivalent reformulation for classical LCC station models that facilitates second-order cone convex relaxation for the OPF of LCC-based AC-DC power grids. We also propose sufficient conditions for exactness of convex relaxation with its proof. Equivalence of the proposed LCC station models and properties, exactness, and effectiveness of convex relaxation are verified using four numerical simulations. Simulation results demonstrate a globally optimal solution of the original OPF can be efficiently obtained from relaxed model.

Effect of Surface Charge on Flashover for Oil-Pressboard Insulation under AC-DC Combined Electric Field

For converter transformer, AC-DC combined electric field can trigger space charge accumulation on oil-impregnated pressboard interface. The accumulation of space charge on oil-pressboard interface can result in electric field distortion, trend to trigger surface discharge of barriers. This paper studied the influence of surface charge on flashover voltage of oil-impregnated pressboard under AC-DC combined electric field. The study finds that the flashover voltage of oil-pressboard interface under negative polarity DC superimposed AC electric field is higher than that.of positive DC superimposed AC voltage to form composite electric field. It was found that homopolar surface charge has been accumulated on the interface of oil-pressboard with positive or negative DC voltage through measuring surface potential by the electrostatic capacitive probe. The surface charge produced electric field in the opposite direction, which weakening the synthetic electric field strength. What＇s more, under the same conditions, the negative surface charge density oil-pressboard is much larger than the positive.

Composite Converter Combined APFC with Switched-capacitor Converter

To reduce switch numbers and voltage stress in semiconductor devices,this paper proposes a novel single-phase converter combined Active Power Factor Correction(APFC)with switched-capacitor converter.In addition,dynamic voltage regulation and voltage gain are improved by integrating the boost converter and switching capacitor cells.The interstage bulk capacitor is no longer needed.An average current control with redistribution of voltage in cells is proposed to obtain voltage lift ability of the switching capacitor cells and maintain a high-power factor.To study and verify the proposed converter preliminarily,theoretical analysis and simulation are presented in the paper.Furthermore,a 50o W prototype with two different configurations is built for experimental verification.The proposed converter can reach 95.62%of maximum efficiency,0.99 of power factor,and 3.55%of THD with 600 V output voltage,simultaneously.

Three-phase AC-DC Converter for Direct-drive PMSG-based Wind Energy Conversion System

In this paper,a wind energy conversion system(WECS)is presented for the electrification of rural areas with wind energy availability.A three-phase AC-DC converter based on a bridgeless Cuk converter is used for power extraction from the permanent magnet synchronous generator(PMSG).The bridgeless topology enables the elimination of the front-end diode bridge rectifier(DBR).Moreover,the converter has fewer components,simple control,and high efficiency,making it suitable for a small-scale WECS.A squirrel cage induction motor(SCIM)is used to emulate a MOD-2 wind turbine to implement the PMSG-based WECS.A direct-drive eight-pole PMSG is used in this study;thus,a low-input-voltage system is designed.The converter is designed to operate in the discontinuous inductor current mode(DICM)for inherent power factor correction(PFC)and the maximum power point tracking(MPPT)is achieved through the tip-speed ratio(TSR)following.The performance of the developed system is analyzed through simulation,and a 500 W hardware prototype is developed and tested in different wind speed conditions.

Recent developments in HVDC transmission systems to support renewable energy integration

The demands for massive renewable energy integration, passive network power supply, and global energy interconnection have all gradually increased, posing new challenges for high voltage direct current(HVDC) power transmission systems, including more complex topology and increased diversity of bipolar HVDC transmission. This study proposes that these two factors have led to new requirements for HVDC control strategies. Moreover, due to the diverse applications of HVDC transmission technology, each station in the system has different requirements. Furthermore, the topology of the AC-DC converter is being continuously developed, revealing a trend towards hybrid converter stations.

An Active Inrush Current Limiter Based on SCR Phase Shift Control for EV Charging Systems

This article gives an overview of the main passive solutions and active techniques, based on AC switches to limit inrush currents in medium power AC-DC converters （up to 3.7 kW） for electric vehicle charging systems. In particular, a strategy, based on SCR （silicon controlled rectifier） phase, shift control in a mixed rectifier bridge with diodes and thyristors, is proposed. The challenge is to help designers optimize the triggering delay of SCRs to both limit the peak value of inrush current spikes and optimize the charge duration of the DC-link capacitor. A mathematical model （Mathcad engineering tool） has been defined to point out, the interest of a variable triggering delay to control SCRs to meet the expectations described previously. Experimental measurements using an industrial evaluation board of the AC-DC converter demonstrate the robustness of the method.

Single-Phase to Three-Phase Inverter with Small DC-Link Capacitor for Motor Drive System

The electrolytic-capacitor-less(EL-cap-less)technique has been attracting more and more interests in these years.The EL-cap-less single-phase to three-phase inverter(STI)with front-end diode rectifier is applied to home electrical appliances.In EL-cap-less systems,film-type capacitor is used to suppress the high-frequency ripple components instead of smoothing the DC-link voltage.By using the EL-cap-less solution,reliability can be improved,lifetime can be increased and high power factor(PF)also can be realized.The EL-cap-less STI brings the opportunity to simplify system structure and lower cost.Because a certain DC-link capacitance is still required,the real PF is limited.To further improve the PF,the ripple components of current references are made in synchronous with the DClink voltage.And the capacitance chosen guideline of the film-type capacitor also be presented.A prototype is built to verify its real performance.

Adaptive Nonlinear Sliding Mode Control for DC Power Distribution in Commercial Buildings

The developing populace and industrialization power demand prompted the requirement for power generation from elective sources.The desire for this pursuit is solid due to the ever-present common assets of petroleum deri-vatives and their predominant ecological issues.It is generally acknowledged that sustainable power sources are one of the best answers for the energy emergency.Among these,Photovoltaic(PV)sources have many benefits to bestow a very promising future.If integrated into the existing power distribution infrastructure,the solar source will be more successful,requiring efficient Direct Current(DC)-Alternating Current(AC)conversion.This paper mainly aims to improve control-lers’performance between AC/DC Energy sources and the DC loads using the Adaptive Nonlinear Sliding Mode(ANSM)control method.The proposed ANSM method efficiently controls power quality issues,such as transient response,powerflow reliability and Total Harmonics Distortion(THD).The proposed con-troller is applied for both AC/DC and DC/DC converters and the performance of the proposed controller is validated through simulation checking the above para-meters.The simulation results confirm ANSM configuration is more reliable and efficient than the existing fuzzy and sliding mode control methods.

Establishment of Automated Multi-Range Multipliers Combined with TVC

An automated multi-range multipliers（range resistors）system is established for the AC voltage measurements by using a thermal voltage converter.It is performed automatically by selecting the appropriate multiplier whose voltage range contains the voltage to be measured without changing it manually through a new designed system.It consists of control part through a micro-controller controlled by specified prepared Lab-VIEW program and switching part through electronic relays in one circuit as clearly described in this work.It is used for measuring the ac voltage in the range from 1 V to 200 V.Also,it can be used for the voltage ranges up to 1 000 V by putting some factors into consideration.The AC-DC transfer differences for these multipliers combined with thermal voltage converter are determined automatically against another standard thermal voltage converter by using another Lab-VIEW program.

AC current automatic calibration using two different TCC designs

AC currents are automatically calibrated by two different thermal current converter(TCC)designs.The two designs are different in the used number of the thermal-elements(TEs).Consequently they differ in their output electro motive force(EMF).Studying the effect of changing the output EMF is done in this paper through calibrating AC currents.5 mA and 5 A are accurately calibrated at different frequencies 55 Hz,1 kHz and10 kHz by the two TCCs.A comparison is made between the results to evaluate the effect of the output EMF value on the accuracy and the uncertainty of the low and higher AC current calibration.A LabVIEW program is designed for this accurate automatic calibration to overcome the problems of the manual calibration on the thermal converters.

An Improved Design of a Fully Automated Multiple Output Micropotentiometer

This paper describes in details a new design of a fully automated multiple output micropotentiometer (?pot). A prototype has been built at the National Institute for Standards (NIS), Egypt to establish this highly improved AC voltage source in the millivolt range. The new device offers three different outputs covering a wide frequency range from only one outlet. This valuably supports the precise sourcing ranges of low AC voltage at NIS. The design and the operation theory of this prototype have been discussed in details. An automatic calibration technique has been introduced through specially designed software using the LabVIEW program to enhance the calibration technique and to reduce the uncertainty contributions. Relative small AC-DC differences of our prototype in the three output ranges are fairly verified. The expanded uncertainties of the calibration results for the three output ranges have been faithfully estimated. However, further work is needed to achieve the optimum performance of this new device.

Comprehensive Survey and Critical Evaluation of the Performance of State-of-the-art LED Drivers for Lighting Systems

The adoption of light-emitting diodes(LEDs)for lighting applications is becoming increasingly relevant as this recent technology is advancing.Given the recent uptake of LED lighting technologies for distinctive end-uses,the research community has also committed to the development of an ever-increasing range of power electronic converters that are suitable for yielding maximum quality lighting,high efficiency,and long lifetimes.As one of the most recent and promising technologies of the moment,it is vital to fully understand the performance and merits of each state-of-the-art LED lighting technology.Accordingly,this paper compiles essential information about a broad range of state-of-the-art LED lighting systems,aiming to compare their performances in terms of efficiency.Based on the comparative analysis,the main merits and drawbacks of each LED lighting system architecture are obtained.Then,a detailed evaluation of the performance of a particular LED lighting system and the corresponding control strategy is developed,thereby enabling a clear view of the evolution of the performance of the system as a function of parameters like supply voltage and number of driver channels.