AC-DC Converter Research Articles

Battery charger load-following controller for over-voltage and under-voltage conditions

Battery charging systems are integral to the efficient operation and economic benefit of various applications, from electric vehicles to renewable energy storage. However, maintaining battery charging according to specifications during voltage variations, including short or prolonged under-voltage and over-voltage conditions, presents a significant challenge. These voltage variations can impact the thermal safety and charging time of batteries, potentially affecting their overall performance and life span. In order to address these challenges, this paper proposes a smart charging control method designed to control both the battery charging voltage and load voltages. This method is equipped to handle utility interruptions by using regulated AC–DC converters, while an automatic interconnected DC regulator controls the battery state of charge (SOC) and load supply. This dual control mechanism ensures efficient performance under various conditions. Extensive simulations validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, demonstrating its ability to maintain a constant voltage supplied to the load and ensures the thermal safety of the system during under- and over-voltage conditions. Additionally, an analysis of the thermal effect of the charger under these voltage conditions provides valuable insights into the thermal performance of the system, which is a critical aspect of battery charging systems. The proposed charging control method offers a comprehensive solution for efficient battery charging under various voltage conditions, thus contributing to the better performance, thermal safety, and longevity of batteries.

Modeling of battery energy storage systems for AGC performance analysis in wind power systems

Battery energy storage system (BESS) is being widely integrated with wind power systems to provide various ancillary services including automatic generation control (AGC) performance improvement. For AGC performance studies, it is crucial to accurately describe BESS’s power regulation behavior and provide a correct state of charge (SOC). In addition, BESS model is required to maintain a sufficiently high simulation speed, since it usually is involved in hour- or day-scale simulations. Different from existing models, this paper develops a new BESS model which considers DC-AC converter control, DC link circuit and switching loss, thus providing an accurate power regulation behavior. In addition, it also considers the nonlinear relationship between open-circuit voltage and SOC of battery so that it provides a correct SOC. As a whole, the BESS is simplified as a controlled current source with fundamental frequency (50/60 Hz) and described by algebraic phasor equations to reduce computational burden. This makes the proposed model capable of finishing hour- or day-scale simulations within a few minutes. Time-domain simulations are used to validate and compare the simulation accuracy with the classical first-order transfer function model and electromagnetic model. Based on the proposed model, this paper also introduces and verifies a new BESS-based strategy to improve the AGC performance of wind farms.

Multi-input Single Stage Three Port DC-AC Converters in Renewable Energy Applications – An Overview

Multi-input Single Stage Three Port DC-AC Converters in Renewable Energy Applications – An Overview

Three-phase bidirectional active split source inverter for automotive traction application

The Split Source Inverter (SSI) is an attractive single-stage boost DC–AC converter topology. It requires fewer components than the Z-source inverter to achieve the boost function and also maintains a continuous input current. However, a significant drawback of this topology is its limited DC-bus voltage utilization. This paper introduces a new inverter topology derived from the SSI, aimed at addressing the DC voltage utilization issue and assessing its viability for traction applications. The new three-phase single-stage boost DC–AC inverter topology is named B-ASSI, and a potential modulation scheme is proposed to accompany it. To verify their functionality, the proposed converter and modulation scheme are simulated using Matlab/Simulink. Furthermore, a Proof of Concept (POC) is executed to experimentally validate the performance of the proposed inverter topology.

Concept of Condition Monitoring for AC-DC Converter Output Capacitors via Discriminative Features

This paper discusses recent research on the condition mon- itoring (CM) approach for aluminium electrolytic capacitors (AEC) used in power electronics equipment such as switched- mode power supplies (SMPS). Capacitors are identified as the most critical component with the highest percentage of failure in AEC. CM offers a better paradigm for AEC due to its long- lasting ability (endurance). This study proposes accelerated life testing through electrical stress and long-term frequency testing for the AEC component. An experiment test bench was set up to monitor the critical electrical parameters such as dissipation factor (D), equivalent series resistance (ESR), capacitance (Cp), and impedance (Z), which serve as health indicators (HI) for the evaluation of the AECs. Time-domain features were extracted from the measured data, and the best features were selected using the correlation-based technique. This research contributes to developing a cost-effective CM approach for AECs used in power electronics equipment, which can reduce downtime and maintenance costs.

Performance evaluation of 30kW class OWC wave power plant integrated with breakwater

In 2016, Korea started to develop a 30kW class wave power plant connected to a breakwater. After designing, manufacturing and performance testing of each energy conversion device, a demonstration plant was installed in Mukri Port, Jeju Island, Korea in 2021. After passing the completion inspection of the power generation facility, a full-scale grid-connected trial operation began in October 2021. The power plant consists of a sloped Oscillating Water Column, impulse air turbine, permanent magnet synchronous generator, AC-DC converter, energy storage system and integrated control system.
 This study introduces the performance evaluation results based on real sea operation data. The performance evaluation of the wave power plant under various wave height and period conditions was performed to evaluate the output power and efficiency of each bin. In addition, performance evaluations were conducted according to wave direction and tidal conditions to examine the effects. The correlation coefficient was derived by analyzing the correlation between wave height, period, wave directions, tide level and output power.

Design and Control of Two Stage Battery Charger for Low Voltage Electric Vehicles Using High Gain Buck-Boost PFC AC-DC Converter

The design and control of a two-stage onboard battery charger (OBC) for the low-voltage electric vehicle (LVEVs) are presented in this study. The presented charger operates over a wide range of AC input voltage at high power factor. The presented charger utilizes a bridgeless high gain high power factor AC-DC converter with continuous input current characteristics at its front end. At the back end of the charger, an isolated Cuk DC-DC converter is employed to control and implement different battery charging modes, viz. constant current (CC) and constant voltage (CV) charging profiles. The presented AC-DC converter operates under discontinuous current mode (DCM) operation and achieves minimum control complexity at the AC-DC stage. The DCM design and high voltage conversion ratio allow it to function reliably over a comprehensive range of input and intermediate DC link voltage. This study covers the charger's design for a power rating of 650 W and output battery voltage of 24 to 72 V. The overall operational analysis and effectiveness of the design are verified through both simulations and experimental implementation and the performance is compared with other contemporary power factor correction (PFC) topologies on various parameters.

Performance Enhancement of Single-Phase Two-Stage AC-DC Converter With Reduced DC-Link Capacitance

Single-phase two-stage AC-DC converters employed in electric vehicle (EV) chargers have the tendency to produce low frequency ripple due to input/ output power mismatch, making it necessary to use bulky DC-link capacitors. High voltage ripple at DC-link due to reduced capacitance, prompts poor input power quality and high low-line frequency ripple at the output of secondary-stage. In state-of-art, input power quality in converters with low DC-link capacitance is enhanced by using a digital low-pass filter (LPF). However, employing LPF to sensed DC-link voltage results in a non-optimum dynamic response and deteriorated stability margins. With the objective to improve input power quality, enhance dynamic performance and reduce secondary-side ripple for low valued DC-link capacitance AC-DC converters, a modified unit-template based model predictive (MUT-MPC) and a DC-link feedforward (DFF) controls are presented in this paper. The current feed-forward for the unit-template is controlled by predictive voltage error through an optimization process of cost function to improve input power quality and dynamic performance for primary AC-DC converter. Furthermore, a DC-link feedforward (DFF) control is implemented for secondary DC-DC stage, which reduces the low-frequency current ripple at the load. Finally, to verify the effectiveness of presented multi-objective control method in comparison with traditional controls, MATLAB simulations and experimental results are provided.

Operation Characteristics of Discontinuous Current Mode for a Dual-Active-Bridge AC-DC Converter with an Active Energy Buffer

Operation Characteristics of Discontinuous Current Mode for a Dual-Active-Bridge AC-DC Converter with an Active Energy Buffer

Switched Inductor Z Source Inverters for High Boost Applications

Abstract—This paper analyses a different configuration for the classical Z-Source Inverters (ZSI) which is named as Switched Inductor Z-Source Inverters (SL-ZSI) through simulation results. This configuration uses a unique impedance network that helps in the voltage adjustability. Comparing with the ordinary Z-source inverter, the new configuration provides more voltage inversion ability and enhances the output power quality of the main circuit considerably. The various applications of this configuration include DC-AC, AC-AC, DC-DC and AC-DC power conversions. Index Terms—Inverter, voltage source inverter (VSI), Z-source inverter (ZSI), switched inductor Z-source inverter (SI-ZSI)

Three-Phase Single-Stage Three-Port High-Frequency Isolated DC–AC Converter

Three-Phase Single-Stage Three-Port High-Frequency Isolated DC–AC Converter

Fast DC Charging Infrastructures for Electric Vehicles: Overview of Technologies, Standards, and Challenges

This paper is an overview of fast charging for electrical vehicles. Specifically, it analyzes the impact of Ultra-Fast Charging Stations (UFCSs) on the distribution grid and their role in the smart grids. Moreover, the paper defines the framework of UFC, its diffusion and the associated new trends. The most frequently used converters in the conversion stages of DC charging stations with integrated generation are analyzed. To achieve this goal four active front end AC-DC converters (unidirectional and bidirectional), three isolated DC-DC converters as well as two control architectures are explored. In comparing the targeted configurations, the main target is set on categorizing them based on supply voltage level, type of smart grid, and power flow of the converters. Further, the paper outlines a broad overview of main standards for UFCSs and evaluation of the reliability, data collection, and operation of UFCSs. The paper aims to to link the needs of the designers of charging stations to preferences of the commercial market.

A self-powered synchronous magnetic flux extraction interface for electromagnetic energy harvesting

In this work, a self-powered synchronous magnetic flux extraction (SP-SMFE) circuit is proposed for electromagnetic energy harvesting. It's a bridgeless direct ac-dc converter, that uses a large-value external inductor L to store and transfer energy. By comparing the voltage across L, SP-SMFE achieves the peak detection of the inductor current Iem without an external power supply and transfers the energy to the load when Iem reaches the peak value, which can maximize the energy extraction from the electromagnetic transducer. Simulation results show that the output power of SP-SMFE is much higher than that of the voltage doubler circuit under the load range of 1–100 kΩ and the frequency range of 20–140 Hz. The input ac voltage with 4 V amplitude is rectified and stepped up to 59 V dc by SP-SMFE at the load of 100 kΩ and the frequency of 40 Hz. Experiment results verify the effectiveness of the SP-SMFE circuit in power harvesting at low frequencies and large loads.

A New Level Shifted Carrier Based PWM Technique for a Cascaded Multilevel Inverter Based Induction Motor Drive

The pulse width modulation (PWM) techniques are becoming the game changer for multi-pulse power converter fed multilevel inverter-based induction motor drive (IMD) due to their significant impacts on power quality. In this paper, a new level shifted carrier-based PWM technique is proposed for a 5-level cascaded H-bridge (CHB) multilevel inverter driven by a 36-pulse ac-dc converter based IMD. To meet the power quality demand of IEEE-519 at grid side, a modular transformer is used, and the transformer is coupled to form a 36-pulse ac-dc converter. A 5-level CHB multilevel inverter is utilized on the motor side, which uses the proposed carrier based PWM technique for switching action to ensure superior performance of the IMD. The proposed PWM technique is named as third-harmonic injected inverted sinusoidal carrier PWM (THI2SCPWM), which utilizes 3 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">rd</sup> harmonic injection principle with inverted sinusoidal signal to form the proposed carrier signal. The 5-level CHB inverter used in the IMD shows less power loss and total harmonic distortion (THD) with the proposed THI2SCPWM technique. Moreover, the IMD with the THI2SCPWM shows low stator voltage THD, stator current THD, and smooth dynamic response. Apart from these, the THI2SCPWM mitigates the torque ripple of the IMD. The motor drive system with the THI2SCPWM technique is modeled and its performance is simulated on MATLAB/Simulink environment. A scaled down experimental setup is utilized to validate the superiority of the proposed PWM technique.

Sliding-mode control for boost converters under voltage and load variations

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US"&gt;Boost converters are employed in DC motors, switch-mode power supplies, and other applications. Practical implementation difficulties, reliance on variable-frequency units, and delayed dynamic responses to changes in load and voltage are the main drawbacks of different control methods for the boost converter. In this paper, two techniques were proposed with the target of controlling the boost converter to improve the efficiency of the converter's performance. The two techniques used in this paper depended on fixed-frequency mode instead of variable-frequency mode because of the demerits of the latter factor. The first technique is the sliding-mode control for the AC-DC converter to achieve power factor correction and reduce the harmonic ratio significantly while regulating the output voltage. This technique was used for the DC-DC converter to obtain a rapid dynamic response to control sudden or considerable changes in loads or input voltages with a regulated output voltage. Moreover, the two-loop cascade control is the second proposed technique for the DC-DC converter to achieve an excellent dynamic response under step loads or input voltage variations with an excellently regulated output voltage. Re-simulation results validated the proposed design approach and illustrated the proposed controller's robustness and faster response time.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Multilevel Converter Based on Series and Parallel Connections Using Floating Capacitor

The series connections of converter cells are interesting for high voltage applications, while parallel connections are for high current applications. The series/parallel is interesting for medium voltage and current applications because they present semiconductor devices with a lower rating in both voltage and current, thus, reducing the cost and size of the converters. This article investigates the configuration of a single-phase multilevel DC-AC converter based on series and parallel connections of H-bridges using floating capacitors to reduce the number of independent DC sources. The use of the floating capacitor has the limitation of working in certain operating regions. This article investigates which regions can work with floating capacitors and presents the mathematical model, general control strategy, pulse width modulation (PWM) strategies, and loss comparison with conventional series or parallel systems. Simulations and experimental results are presented to validate the control and PWM strategies used.

Efficient Wireless Power Transfer Topology for Phone Charging Application

Abstract: Wireless power transfer scheme used on phone chargers are expected to have high efficiency, and reliability. However, existing AC-DC converter schemes were shown to be susceptible to leakage inductance and have lower regulation or excessive power losses. Output voltage regulation is a concern for wireless power converter topologies due to the need for additional shunt devices at DC output. In this paper, literature survey on various wireless power transfer scheme is performed with specific focus on phone charging applications. A modified topology using impedance matching transformer is presented with circuit analysis and LT spice simulation results. It is shown that the proposed topology can deliver better output voltage regulation at various coupling coefficients indicating a superior circuit performance for various separation distances between transmitting and receiving coil.

A Single-Stage, Multi-Port Hybrid Power Converter Integrating PV and Wind Sources for a Standalone DC System

In this paper, a hybrid PV–wind-source- based multi-port converter focused on a standalone DC system is proposed. The proposed configuration is able to perform simultaneous three-phase AC–DC conversion and DC–DC conversion, ensuring simultaneous power extraction from these combined sources. The proposed converter is a single-stage converter that enhances dependability and eliminates redundant conversion stages with regard to the earlier configurations for the hybrid PV–wind sources. The operational aspects of the proposed converter are depicted, illustrating the regulation of load voltage and load power because of the dynamic output capability of PV–wind sources. Furthermore, the comprehensive control architecture to govern the concurrent conversion operations with the generation of three-phase modulating signals and duty ratio signal in accordance with the load voltage control is elaborated. Additionally, the modified sinusoidal PWM scheme for the proposed converter is elaborated, showing the unification of three-phase modulating signals and duty ratio signal for the generation of PWM pulses which facilitates the simultaneous power conversion processes. Finally, to validate the suitability of the proposed converter, the performance of the converter under various scenarios is investigated through simulation and experimental case studies.

Voltage-Oriented Control-Based Three-Phase, Three-Leg Bidirectional AC–DC Converter with Improved Power Quality for Microgrids

Renewable energy sources (RESs) and energy storage schemes (ESSs) integrated into a microgrid (MG) system have been widely used in power generation and distribution to provide a constant supply of electricity. The power electronics converters, particularly the bidirectional power converters (BPCs), are promising interfaces for MG infrastructure because they control the power management of the whole MG system. The controller of BPCs can be designed using several different control strategies. However, all the existing controllers have system stability, dynamics, and power quality issues. Therefore, this study demonstrates the development of an LCL-filtered grid-connected bidirectional AC–DC converter’s (BADC) control strategy based on voltage-oriented control (VOC) to overcome these issues. The proposed VOC-based inner current control loop (ICCL) is implemented in synchronous dq-coordinate with the help of proportional-integral (PI) controllers. An observer-based active damping (AD) is also developed in order to estimate the filter capacitor current from the capacitor voltage instead of directly measuring it. This developed AD system helps to damp the resonance effect of the LCL filter, improves system stability, and also eliminates the practical challenges of measuring capacitor current. The proposed controller with AD is able to realize bidirectional power transfer (BPT) with reduced power losses due to the elimination of passive damping and improved power quality, system dynamics, and stability. The mathematical modeling of the suggested system was developed, and the structure of the system model was established in the MATLAB/Simulink environment. The performance of the proposed system was validated with real-time software-in-the-loop (RT-SIL) simulation using the OPAL-RT simulator for a 16 kVA converter system. The real-time (RT) simulation results show that the BADC with the proposed control scheme can provide better dynamic performance and operate with tolerable total harmonic distortion (THD) of 2.62% and 2.71% for inverter and rectifier modes of operation, respectively.

Optimal Sizing and Management of Hybrid Renewable Energy System for DC-Powered Commercial Building

DC power may be more efficient than AC power in certain applications, especially when it comes to local generation and storage. This is because AC power requires extra equipment to convert it to DC power, which can lead to energy losses. Using DC power, on the other hand, makes it easier for devices to use it directly, resulting in higher energy efficiency. Additionally, using DC power can reduce equipment capital costs as it eliminates the need for additional AC–DC conversion equipment. Finally, DC power systems can offer new communication capabilities, including plug-and-play for generation and storage devices, making it simpler to integrate these systems into existing infrastructure. This paper analyzes the optimal size of a photovoltaic/PEM fuel cell system to supply a certain DC commercial load in NEOM city. To identify the best size of the PV/PEMFC, minimizing the cost of energy (COE) and minimizing the net present cost (NPC) are considered. The paper studies three sizes of PEMFCs: 15 kW, 20 kW, and 25 kW. In addition, five different PV modules are selected: Axitec 450 Watt, Jinko 415 Watt, REC Solar 410 Watt, Seraphim 310 Watt, and Tongwei 415 Watt. The results of the study confirmed that the best size of the hybrid system comprises a 15 kW PEMFC, a 267 kW Tongwei PV array, a 60 kg electrolyzer, and a 20 kg hydrogen tank. Under these conditions, the COE and NPC are 0.293 USD/kWh and 498,984 USD, respectively.