Analysis of High-Efficiency Three-Phase Two- and Three-Level Unidirectional Hybrid Rectifiers

Abstract

This paper presents highly efficient three-phase high-power-factor hybrid rectifiers assembled by the parallel connection of a three-phase diode-bridge rectifier and series dc–dc boost converter with a two- or three-level unidirectional pulse width modulation (PWM) rectifier. The idea is to obtain a rectifier that is robust, highly efficient, and simple as a diode-based rectifier and also able to benefit from the PWM rectifier capability to reduce the line current harmonic content. Exemplary three-phase unidirectional hybrid systems built with a two-level delta-switch rectifier and three-level T-type or VIENNA six-switch rectifiers are suggested. Additionally, control schemes, which are appropriate for safeguarding the high-power-factor operation while improving the power sharing rating of the hybrid paralleled rectifier units and able to handle a phase loss without changing the controller structure, are proposed. In order to evaluate the studied hybrid rectifiers, first, an efficiency comparison between two- and three-level hybrid systems with conventional PWM rectifiers is performed. After that, the loss calculations are extended to a variable chip area to allow a fair comparison between these rectifiers. Interestingly, it is shown that the presented hybrid systems not only can achieve a higher efficiency but also require less silicon area than the single PWM rectifiers they are based on. Finally, experimental results obtained with an assembled unidirectional hybrid delta-switch rectifier prototype are presented in order to demonstrate the performance and advantages of this solution.