Analysis and Design of High Voltage Gain Three-Elements Resonant Soft-Switching Current-fed DC/DC Converters

Transportation electrification and distributed generation are proven effective strategies to counter climate change. Modern generation and transportation aim to bring down the carbon footprint by transforming the fossil fuel-driven society with alternate energy sources and electric propulsion, respectively. However, harnessing energy from renewable sources is not straight forward but demands a suitable power electronic interface. Similarly, electric transportation propulsion system demands for specific power conversion stages. These power electronic conversion systems include dc-dc converter and dc-ac inverter. Cost, efficiency, power density, and weight are the major requirements of these converters. To obtain these merits, high-frequency soft-switching converters are selected and designed. Resonant converters with a suitable resonance have been usually explored for voltage-fed switching converters to obtain soft-switching of the semiconductor devices at high-frequency. However, owing to the high voltage gain requirements of the solar/fuel cells/batteries, this thesis explores current-fed topologies with different resonant circuits with natural voltage gain. In traditional voltage-fed resonant converters, it is observed that the converter characteristics can be fine-tuned to design the requirements by proper selection of resonant tank. In addition, the resonant tank can integrate the transformer non-idealities and circuit/device parasitic in circuit operation thereby suppressing the consequent voltage spikes across the semiconductor devices. Since voltage-fed converters is fundamentally not suitable for high voltage gain and low voltage applications, this thesis attempts to improve current-fed dc/dc converter characteristics with resonant tanks. In this thesis, a current-fed load resonant DC/DC converter topology is proposed whose characteristics are tuneable with the adopted resonant tank. Further, this thesis proposes a simple technique to ease and improve accuracy of the Fundamental Harmonic Analysis (FHA), which would have been complex otherwise due to capacitive termination of proposed converter. Initially, the characteristics of the proposed converter topology with a parallel resonance derived LCC-T resonant tank is studied to implement zero voltage switching (ZVS) and zero current switching (ZCS) of the semiconductor devices. Three-phase topology of the same has been investigated and analysed. Following the study and a need to further improve the characteristics of resonant dc/dc converter, a series resonance based LCL resonant converter, a dual of the parallel resonance tank is studied and analysed. The load resonant converters are redeemed for integration of PV/fuel cells. Further, for high power applications, suitability of load resonant converters is verified by adopting resonant tank in three-phase topology. Proof-of-concept hardware prototypes are designed and developed in the laboratory to demonstrate the performance and the merits of the proposed soft-switching resonant converter topologies as well as to prove the proposed theory and the claims

Analysis and Design of Series LC Resonant-Pulse Assisted Soft-Switching Current-Fed DC/DC Converters

The accelerating pace of electrification via renewable energy sources is shifting focus towards de-carbonization and distributed generation with the potential to combat increasing environmental crisis and to promote sustainable development. Renewable technologies have the potential to fulfil the electricity demand locally which eliminates the unwanted conversion stages, promoting DC microgrid concept, ultimately lowering the energy costs and easy energy access. Alternative energy sources such as solar photovoltaic (PV) and fuel cell along with energy storage systems are promising for DC microgrid applications. However, the effective integration of these alternative energy sources still remains a challenge due to their low voltage output, unregulated and intermittent characteristics issuing a requirement of a dedicated power conditioning unit. To revolutionize the way these alternative sources are interfaced with a high voltage DC microgrid or to the conventional ac grid, dc/dc converters are expected to be power-dense, compact and extremely efficient. Current-fed dc/dc converters have strong application potential owing to their inherent merits. Accomplishing the abovementioned objectives together with distinct merits offered by current-fed circuits, this thesis aims to exploit the quasi-resonance concept for achieving soft-switching and smooth commutation of the semiconductor switching devices. The proposed quasi resonant approach that utilizes the leakage inductance of transformer and a high frequency series resonant capacitor for a short period also termed as ‘resonant-pulse’, has been investigated in various current-fed converter topologies. Proposed converter class emphasize on simple and efficient design, without the use of additional snubber circuits and eliminates device turn-off voltage spike, which is a historical problem with traditional current-fed converters. In this thesis, at first the proposed series resonant-pulse concept is implemented in single-phase current-fed push-pull and half-bridge configuration. The converter operation, control and performance are investigated for low voltage high current specifications. These converter configurations demonstrate good efficiency and compact structure with only two switching devices and simpler gate control requirement because devices having common ground with power supply. The idea has then been extended to modular current-fed full-bridge topology. The proposed series resonant-pulse assisted converter enables wide range ZCS and turn-off spike elimination across the semiconductor switches. Modularity of this converter allows easy scalability for high power and voltage levels with significantly lower current and voltage stress, making it suitable for relatively higher power industrial applications. Lastly, to achieve high power capability with high density, three-phase current sharing current-fed topology utilizing series resonant-pulse feature has been studied and investigated in detail. The proposed three-phase topology combines the benefits of current-sharing primary and load adaptive series resonant-pulse. As a result, these converters demonstrate promising attributes such as wide ZCS operation, reduced filtering requirement, lower component count, lower conduction losses etc

Analysis and design of matrix converters for adjustable speed drives and distributed power sources

Recently, matrix converter has received considerable interest as a viable alternative to the conventional back-to-back PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) converter in the ac/ac conversion. This direct ac/ac converter provides some attractive characteristics such as: inherent four-quadrant operation; absence of bulky dc-link electrolytic capacitors; clean input power characteristics and increased power density. However, industrial application of the converter is still limited because of some practical issues such as common mode voltage effects, high susceptibility to input power disturbances and low voltage transfer ratio. This dissertation proposes several new matrix converter topologies together with control strategies to provide a solution about the above issues. In this dissertation, a new modulation method which reduces the common mode voltage at the matrix converter is first proposed. The new method utilizes the proper zero vector selection and placement within a sampling period and results in the reduction of the common mode voltage, square rms of ripple components of input current and switching losses. Due to the absence of a dc-link, matrix converter powered ac drivers suffer from input voltage disturbances. This dissertation proposes a new ride-through approach to improve robustness for input voltage disturbances. The conventional matrix converter is modified with the addition of ride-through module and the add-on module provides ride-through capability for matrix converter fed adjustable speed drivers. In order to increase the inherent low voltage transfer ratio of the matrix converter, a new three-phase high-frequency link matrix converter is proposed, where a dual bridge matrix converter is modified by adding a high-frequency transformer into dc-link. The new converter provides flexible voltage transfer ratio and galvanic isolation between input and output ac sources. Finally, the matrix converter concept is extended to dc/ac conversion from ac/ac conversion. The new dc/ac direct converter consists of soft switching full bridge dc/dc converter and three phase voltage source inverter without dc link capacitors. Both converters are synchronized for zero current/voltage switching and result in higher efficiency and lower EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference) throughout the whole load range. Analysis, design example and experimental results are detailed for each proposed topology

High power density dc-to-dc converters for aerospace applications

Three dc-to-dc converter topologies aimed at high-power high-frequency applications are introduced. Major system parasitics, namely, the leakage inductance of the transformer and the device output capacitance are efficiently utilized. Of the three circuits, the single-phase and three-phase versions of the dual active bridge topology demonstrate minimal stresses, better utilization of the transformer, bidirectional, and buck-boost modes of operation. All circuits operate at a constant switching frequency, thus simplifying design of the reactive elements. The power transfer characteristics and soft-switching regions on the Vout-Iout plane are identified. Two coaxial transformers with different cross-sections were built for a rating of 50 kVA. Based on the single-phase dual active bridge topology, a 50 kW, 50 kHz converter operating at an input voltage of 200 Vdc and an output voltage of 1600 Vdc was fabricated. Characteristics of current-fed output make the dual active bridge topologies amenable to paralleling and hence extension to megawatt power levels. Projections to a 1 MW system operating from a 500 Vdc input, at an output voltage of 10 kVdc and a switching frequency of 50 kHz, using MOS-controlled thyristors, coaxially wound transformers operating at three times the present current density with cooling, and multilayer ceramic capacitors, suggests an overall power density of 0.075 to 0.08 kg/kW and an overall efficiency of 96 percent

Conversores Push-Pull PWM CC-CC trifásicos alimentados em corrente

Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Elétrica, Florianópolis, 2010In this thesis, a three-phase current-fed Push-Pull DC-DC converter and its version with active clamping and soft-switching are proposed. First, the topology with passive clamping is studied. When compared to single-phase topologies, this three-phase dc-dc converter increases the power density, uses the magnetic core of the transformer more efficiently, reduces the stresses on the switches and requires smaller filters since the input and output frequencies are three times higher than the switching frequency. To sum up, this topology uses three active switches connected to the same reference, which simplifies the gate drive circuitry. After this, the three-phase current-fed Push-Pull ZVS-PWM DC-DC converter with active clamping is proposed as an improvement to the first topology. In this converter, the active clamping technique is employed by connecting the primary side of the transformer to a three-phase full bridge of switches and a clamping capacitor. This circuit allows the energy from the leakage inductances to be reused, increasing the efficiency of the converter. If appropriate parameters are chosen, soft-switching of the switches (ZVS) can also be achieved. The soft-switching improves the efficiency even further, allows higher switching frequencies to be used and reduces the electromagnetic interference (EMI) significantly. Applications such as fuel cell systems, transportation and uninterruptable power supplies are some examples that can benefit from the advantages presented by this converter. The theoretical analysis, a design example and experimental results from a prototype implementing this topology are presented. The prototype was designed to process 4 kW at full load with an input voltage of 120 V, an output voltage of 400 V and a switching frequency of 40 kHz.Nesta tese, um conversor Push-Pull CC-CC trifásico alimentado em corrente e sua versão com grampeamento ativo e comutação suave são propostos. Primeiramente, a topologia com grampeamento passivo é estudada. Quando comparado com topologias monofásicas, este conversor CC-CC trifásico aumenta a densidade de potência, utiliza o núcleo magnético do transformador mais eficientemente, reduz os esforços nos interruptores e requer filtros menores já que estes são submetidos a uma freqüência igual a três vezes a freqüência de comutação. Além disso, esta topologia usa três interruptores ativos conectados à mesma referência, o que simplifica os circuitos de comando de gatilho. Depois disso, o conversor Push-Pull ZVS-PWM CC-CC trifásico alimentado em corrente com grampeamento ativo é proposto como um aprimoramento à primeira topologia. Neste conversor, a técnica de grampeamento ativo é empregada conectando o lado primário do transformador a uma ponte completa trifásica de interruptores e um capacitor de grampeamento. Este circuito permite que a energia armazenada nas indutâncias de dispersão seja reutilizada, aumentando o rendimento do conversor. Utilizando-se parâmetros adequados, a comutação suave dos interruptores (ZVS) pode também ser obtida. A comutação suave melhora o rendimento do conversor, permite o uso de freqüências de comutação maiores e reduz a interferência eletromagnética (EMI). Aplicações como sistemas de células a combustível, meios de transporte e fontes ininterruptas de energia são exemplos que podem se beneficiar das vantagens apresentadas por este conversor. São apresentados a análise teórica, um exemplo de projeto e resultados experimentais para um protótipo implementando essa topologia. O protótipo foi projetado para processar 4 kW em potência nominal com uma tensão de entrada de 120 V, uma tensão de saída de 400 V e uma freqüência de comutação de 40 kHz

Analysis and design of a modular multilevel converter with trapezoidal modulation for medium and high voltage DC-DC transformers

Conventional dual active bridge topologies provide galvanic isolation and soft-switching over a reasonable operating range without dedicated resonant circuits. However, scaling the two-level dual active bridge to higher dc voltage levels is impeded by several challenges among which the high dv/dt stress on the coupling transformer insulation. Gating and thermal characteristics of series switch arrays add to the limitations. To avoid the use of standard bulky modular multilevel bridges, this paper analyzes an alternative modulation technique where staircase approximated trapezoidal voltage waveforms are produced; thus alleviating developed dv/dt stresses. Modular design is realized by the utilization of half-bridge chopper cells. Therefore, the analyzed converter is a modular multi-level converter operated in a new mode with no common-mode dc arm currents as well as reduced capacitor size, hence reduced cell footprint. Suitable switching patterns are developed and various design and operation aspects are studied. Soft switching characteristics will be shown to be comparable to those of the two-level dual active bridge. Experimental results from a scaled test rig validate the presented concept

Single phase matrix converter for radio frequency induction heating

Conventional converters for radio frequency induction heating usually follow an AC-DC-AC structure, which can exhibit non-unity power factor and introduce large harmonic currents into the utility supply. The need for a direct converter for radio frequency induction heating, featuring unity power factor, and sinusoidal input current, has motivated the development of a single phase matrix converter as an induction heater. A novel commutation strategy is therefore required to ensure smooth operation of the converter whilst creating a high frequency output under soft switching conditions. The operating principle and features of the proposed converter are described here, and experimentally verifie

Comparison of single-phase matrix converter and H-bridge converter for radio frequency induction heating

This paper compares the newly developed single-phase matrix converter and the more conventional H- bridge converter for radio frequency induction heating. Both the converters exhibit unity power factor, very low total harmonic distortion at the utility supply interface, good controllability under soft switching condition for a wide range of power, and high efficiencies, whilst still having simple structures. A novel switching control pattern has been proposed for the matrix converter in order to maintain the comparable performance to the H-bridge converter. Simulation and experimental results for both converters are presented. Comparisons between two converters have confirmed the excellent performance of the proposed matrix converter

Hybrid and modular multilevel converter designs for isolated HVDC–DC converters

Efficient medium and high-voltage dc-dc conversion is critical for future dc grids. This paper proposes a hybrid multilevel dc-ac converter structure that is used as the kernel of dc-dc conversion systems. Operation of the proposed dc-ac converter is suited to trapezoidal ac-voltage waveforms. Quantitative and qualitative analyses show that said trapezoidal operation reduces converter footprint, active and passive components' size, and on-state losses relative to conventional modular multilevel converters. The proposed converter is scalable to high voltages with controllable ac-voltage slope; implying tolerable dv/dt stresses on the converter transformer. Structural variations of the proposed converter with enhanced modularity and improved efficiency will be presented and discussed with regards to application in front-to-front isolated dc-dc conversion stages, and in light of said trapezoidal operation. Numerical results provide deeper insight of the presented converter designs with emphasis on system design aspects. Results obtained from a proof-of-concept 1-kW experimental test rig confirm the validity of simulation results, theoretical analyses, and simplified design equations presented in this paper. - 2013 IEEE.Scopu

Vanadium redox flow batteries: Potentials and challenges of an emerging storage technology

open4noIn this paper an overview of Vanadium Redox Flow Battery technologies, architectures, applications and power electronic interfaces is given. These systems show promising features for energy storage in smart grid applications, where the intermittent power produced by renewable sources must meet strict load requests and economical opportunities. This paper reviews the vanadium-based technology for redox flow batteries and highlights its strengths and weaknesses, outlining the research lines that aim at taking it to full commercial success.openSpagnuolo, Giovanni, Guarnieri, Massimo; Mattavelli, Paolo; Petrone, Giovanni;Guarnieri, Massimo; Mattavelli, Paolo; Petrone, Giovanni; Spagnuolo, Giovann