Boost Power Factor Correction Research Articles

A dSPACE-based implementation of ANFIS and predictive current control for a single phase boost power factor corrector

This paper presents an innovative control scheme designed to significantly enhance the power factor of AC/DC boost rectifiers by integrating an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) with predictive current control. The innovative control strategy addresses key challenges in power quality and energy efficiency, demonstrating exceptional performance under diverse operating conditions. Through rigorous simulation, the proposed system achieves precise input current shaping, resulting in a remarkably low total harmonic distortion (THD) of 3.5%, which is well below the IEEE-519 standard threshold of 5%. Moreover, the power factor reaches an outstanding 0.990, indicating highly efficient energy utilization and near-unity power factor operation. To validate the theoretical findings, a 500 W laboratory prototype was implemented using the dSPACE ds1104 digital controller. Steady-state analysis reveals sinusoidal input currents with minimal THD and a power factor approaching unity, thereby enhancing grid stability and energy efficiency. Transient response tests further demonstrate the system’s robustness against load and voltage fluctuations, maintaining output voltage stability within an 18 V overshoot and a 20 V undershoot during load changes, and achieving rapid response times as low as 0.2 s. Comparative evaluations against conventional methods underscore the superiority of the proposed control strategy in terms of both performance and implementation simplicity. By harnessing the strengths of ANFIS-based voltage regulation and predictive current control, this scheme offers a robust solution to power quality issues in AC/DC boost rectifiers, promising substantial energy savings and improved grid stability. The results affirm the potential of the proposed system to set new benchmarks in power factor correction technology.

Empirical Investigation of a Single-phase Input Switched AC-DC Boost Converter with Improved Power Quality

The Boost converter topology is most widely used for power factor correction (PFC) converters. The conventional passive Boost PFC converter inherently suffers from the lack of controllability and non-ideal characteristics of the diode-bridge rectifier. Replacing diodes with active switch(es) offers viable solutions but increases the circuit complexity. Addressing this trade-off, a novel design of a single–phase input switched AC to DC Boost converter has been presented in this article. The active switch of the Boost DC converter is shifted to the input side of the full-bridge diode rectifier which provides more control on the input current without increasing much of the circuit complexity. Two Boost inductors and two output split capacitors are used for providing higher step-up operation compared to the conventional. The converter has been simulated both in open-loop and closed-loop conditions using the PSIM software. The simulation results show that the proposed converter provides good dynamic response and can maintain a constant stable output voltage during sudden load change. Furthermore, to evaluate the experimental performance of the suggested converter, a prototype converter has been developed. A scaled-down experiment has been performed which shows that the converter can achieve up to 85.2 % efficiency and an input power factor of 0.9.

Control strategy for power factor correction circuits based on model predictive control

Power factor correction circuits are being used more extensively, and with that, the requirements and standards have become increasingly stringent. To improve the power factor of the circuit, thereby improving its operational efficiency and mitigating the load effects in boost power factor correction circuits, reducing Total Harmonics Distortion is crucial for improving the quality of the current. An improvement upon the conventional dual-loop PID control algorithm has been proposed. It involves integrating Model Predictive Control into the current loop design and incorporates a Luenberger observer. Model Predictive Control methods can be applied for the control of multivariable systems, especially in complex multivariable systems, as they exhibit strong robustness. Finally, by performing both simulation and experimental validations and analyzing the data results, it is shown that under full load conditions, the power factor λ is 0.968, the efficiency η is 91.11%, the voltage total harmonic distortion Uthd is 1.88%, and the current total harmonic distortion Ithd is 7.04%. These data results strongly confirm the performance of the control mechanism proposed in this paper.

A Novel Single-Stage AC/DC Converter Integrated Interleaved DCM Boost PFC and LLC DC–DC With Reduced Bus Voltage

Due to the applied pulse frequency modulation (PFM) control and switch integration, single-stage Boost-LLC AC/DC converters suffer from high bus voltage which makes them difficult to operate for high voltage input. To solve this issue, a novel single-stage AC/DC Converter by incorporating the interleaved DCM boost cell and an LLC cell is proposed. Different from the existing topology, in the proposed converter, two capacitors employed for splitting the ac input voltage into two parts are placed before the rectifier bridge. Thus, the voltage across each PFC cell is halved and the bus voltage can be significantly reduced. Furthermore, two high-frequency diodes and one filter capacitor are omitted, which helps improve the zero-crossing distortion of the input current. More importantly, the circuit efficiency is thus increased. Hence, low bus voltage, low component count, and high efficiency are the main advantages of the proposed converter. Simulations and experimental results are presented to prove the above features of the proposed converter.

Adaptive Harmonic Conductance Control for Boost PFC Converters at Light Loads

Adaptive Harmonic Conductance Control for Boost PFC Converters at Light Loads

Efficiency and PF Improving Techniques with a Digital Control for Totem-Pole Bridgeless CRM Boost PFC Converters

A totem-pole bridgeless boost converter is one of the most promising topologies for the power factor correction (PFC) stage in high-power applications due to its high efficiency and small number of components. However, due to the totem-pole structure of the field-effect transistor (FET), very high switching loss occurs via the reverse recovery current of the body diode. To solve these problems, critical mode (CRM) control is a good solution to achieve the valley switching technique. With valley switching of CRM control, the switching loss decreases drastically with decreasing turn-on voltage. But, although the CRM control enables valley switching, it is hard to make an exact valley switching control with general zero-voltage detection circuits. In addition, when a frequency limitation scheme is applied to prevent a very high frequency, the switch can operate with hard switching at the boundary of the frequency limitation. Furthermore, the CRM boost PFC has a low PF and high total harmonic distortion (THD) under light-load conditions due to the large negative current resulting from resonance between the inductor and parasitic capacitance. It becomes worse at near-zero input voltage since the resonance current becomes larger near zero-input voltage. Therefore, in this paper, a totem-pole bridgeless boost PFC converter with high efficiency, high PF, and low THD is developed using TMS320F28377 by Texas Instruments. Based on the basic digital structure of the totem-pole bridgeless converter, the proposed controls help with exact valley switching, PF and THD improvement, and frequency limitation. The prototype converter is verified using 90–264 VAC input voltages and 450 V/3.3 kW output specifications.

Frequency Modulation Scheme for CCM Boost PFC Converter to Improve THD in Light-Load Condition

This study proposes a novel frequency modulation scheme for a continuous conduction mode (CCM) boost power factor correction (PFC) converter. The aim is to improve the total harmonic distortion (THD) under light-load conditions. Boost converters are widely utilized with CCM control for the PFC stage owing to their ability to achieve high efficiency with minimal components. In addition, they have a high power factor (PF) and low THD. However, despite being designed for CCM operation, the boost PFC converter transitions into discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) as the output load decreases. This mode, known as mixed conduction mode, degrades the PF and THD of the PFC converter. To address these issues, we propose a novel frequency modulation scheme. The CCM boost PFC converter adopts frequency variation to reduce the DCM region. To validate the feasibility of the proposed concept, a prototype with a 60 Hz/230 Vac input and 850 W/380 V output was utilized. Consequently, the boost PFC converter attains a high PF and low THD with simplified circuits.

A 5-kW unidirectional wireless power transfer EV charger with a novel multi-level PFC boost converter on front-end side

The greatest advantages of wireless power transfer (WPT) are its absence of severe environmental hazards, its portability, and its independence from other factors. The wireless charging system for electric vehicles has a serious problem with the amount of misalignment it can tolerate. This study explores the usage of a novel multi-level boost power factor correction (PFC) rectifier with less switch count to improve the efficiency of power conversion of a 5-kW wireless electric vehicle (EV) charger. Especially in the context of wireless charging, which provides convenience and flexibility, there is a pressing need for efficient and dependable charging infrastructure to keep up with the rising demand for electric vehicles. In contrast to wired EV chargers, wireless chargers often have poorer power conversion efficiency because of losses in power semiconductor devices. An innovative multi-level boost PFC rectifier design is offered as a solution to this problem since it uses fewer switches while retaining high-performance levels. The suggested rectifier achieves much higher power conversion efficiency. In addition, power factor correction capabilities are improved, making it comply with global rules. Simpler, cheaper, and more dependable rectifiers improve the whole system.

Grouped Valley Switching Control to Optimize Efficiency and THD for DCM Boost PFC Converters

Grouped Valley Switching Control to Optimize Efficiency and THD for DCM Boost PFC Converters

Impedance Analysis and Resonance Mitigation for Boost PFC Converters Using Sample Correction

Impedance Analysis and Resonance Mitigation for Boost PFC Converters Using Sample Correction

Digitalized Control Algorithm of Bridgeless Totem-Pole PFC with a Simple Control Structure Based on the Phase Angle

Compared to the conventional boost power factor correction (PFC) converter, a totem-pole bridgeless PFC has high efficiency because it does not have an input diode rectifier stage, but a current spike may occur when the polarity of the grid voltage changes. This paper proposes a digital control algorithm for bridgeless totem-pole PFC with a simple control structure based on the phase angle of grid voltage. The proposed algorithm has a PI-based double-loop control structure and performs DC-link voltage and input inductor current control. Rectifying switches operate based on the proposed rectification algorithm using phase angle information calculated through a single-phase phase-locked loop (PLL) to prevent current spikes. The feed-forward duty ratio value is calculated according to the polarity of the grid voltage and added to the double-loop controller to perform appropriate power factor control. The performance and feasibility of the proposed control algorithm are verified through a 3 kW hardware prototype.

PLL-based Enhanced Control of Boost PFC Converter for Smart Farming Lighting Application

Controlled environment farming has become an attractive solution to increase the food production with limited use of resources. LED lights are often used in this type of farming to increase plant yield. LED lights are dc load, whereas the grid provides ac power. This necessitates the use of power factor correction (PFC) converter as an interface between the grid and the lights. This paper proposes an innovative control method for the boost PFC converter, where an advanced phase-locked loop scheme is developed that can eliminate measurement dc offset and provide harmonic robust estimation of the grid voltage fundamental component. The applied nonlinear control uses the existing two-loop control architecture. Based on a baseline PI controller, a nonlinear function is added to make the controller react faster when it is far from the reference and vice-versa. Comprehensive simulation studies are conducted to assess the performance of the proposed method under various challenging test scenarios. Compared to the baseline method, the proposed technique achieved 42%∼65% reduction in total harmonic distortion depending on the test cases, which makes the technique a suitable candidate for improving the operational efficiency and, consequently, the running cost of a smart farming lighting system on an industrial scale. Results show the effectiveness of the proposed method over the conventional counterpart.

A Discrete Average Current Mode Control CCM Boost PFC Converter With Hybrid Pulse Train Modulation and Dual Edge Modulation

In this paper, a discrete average current mode (ACM) control method with hybrid modulation, which is composed of pulse train modulation (PTM) and dual edge modulation (DEM), is proposed for boost power factor correction (PFC) converters operating in continuous conduction mode (CCM) to achieve both fast dynamic response and high power factor (PF). The proposed discrete ACM control is special in that fast and accurate control are achieved by directly generating discrete duty cycles to fit a unity PF duty cycle. The target duty cycle consists of two components <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">d</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1</sub> ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">t</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">n</sub> ) and <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">d</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">t</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">n</sub> ) related to output voltage and inductor current respectively. Based on <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">d</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1</sub> ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">t</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">n</sub> ), the voltage control loop adjusts the output voltage by applying PTM in every half-line cycle. And based on <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">d</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">t</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">n</sub> ), the current control loop, which is independence from the voltage control loop, regulates the inductor current to track reference current in every switching cycle to achieve high PF. Therefore, the voltage and current control loops of the proposed control are decoupled. The control principle, parameters design and control performances of the proposed discrete ACM control method are developed. Experimental results of 320-W prototype are presented to validate the proposed control method.

Maximum Voltage Gain Tracking Algorithm for High-Efficiency of Two-Stage Induction Heating Systems Using Resonant Impedance Estimation

A boost power factor correction (PFC) circuit has replaced the diode rectifier to improve its poor power factor performance, low efficiency, and output power limitation for conventional induction heating (IH) applications. Accordingly, many studies have been conducted, but they considered only the efficiency of the boost PFC rather than the entire IH system, or their control and design were complicated. In this paper, an algorithm tracking the maximum voltage gain of the resonant network is proposed to improve the entire efficiency of the two-stage IH system based on an exact online resonant frequency estimation. It can make the resonant network operate at the maximum voltage gain point which can improve the efficiency of the series-resonant inverter (SRI) included in the IH system with low circulating current, the minimum switching frequency, and zero voltage switching (ZVS) capability. The proposed algorithm also induces the minimum output voltage of the boost PFC, which can reduce its switching losses and total harmonic distortion (THD). The validity of the proposed algorithm is experimentally verified using a 2.4-kW prototype IH system, including the boost PFC and the IH-SRI controlled by a digital signal processor (DSP).

Current Zero-Crossing Prediction-Based Critical Conduction Mode Control of Totem-Pole PFC Rectifiers

Critical conduction mode (CRM) is widely used in totem-pole Boost power factor correction converters due to its compatibility with soft-switching and high switching frequency. Conventionally, a current sensor or zero-current detector is required to realize CRM operation. The system performances highly rely on the behaviors of peripheral circuits. Additional power loss and delay are also introduced. Moreover, the inductor current contains obvious differential mode noise, which brings interferences to the sensing signals. To address this issue, a novel CRM realization method is proposed. It utilizes an inductor current estimator model to estimate the averaged current and to predict the current zero-crossings. The noisy sensing signal is replaced by estimated values. Therefore, the zero-current detection circuit is removed, which simplifies the peripheral circuit design. Valley-switching and zero-voltage switching can also be achieved. Operation principles, digital implementation, and error suppression of the proposed control are analyzed. The proposed concepts are validated on a <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\rm{550}~W$</tex-math></inline-formula> , <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$150\mathrm{k}Hz-1.6\mathrm{M}Hz$</tex-math></inline-formula> , GaN-based prototype. Experimental results record 98.96% peak efficiency with a 0.9972 power factor.

An Error Amplifier Scheme to Reduce Compensation Capacitor for Boost PFC Converter

An error amplifier (EA) scheme to reduce type-I compensation capacitor for Boost PFC converter is proposed in this paper. Compared to traditional EA scheme, the compensation capacitance is significantly reduced by applying a switch network to sample the output feedback signal. In this way, the compensation capacitance can be reduced to 10pF and easily fabricated on chip. Therefore, the control circuit combined with the proposed EA scheme can reduce the cost and improve the reliability of the Boost converter. Detailed theoretical analysis has been presented and a boundary conduction mode (BCM) Boost converter with constant on-time (COT) control and proposed EA scheme has been designed. Finally, an 80W experimental Boost PFC prototype has been built up and experimental results show that the converter can maintain good performance with the proposed EA scheme.

Stabilizing the Boost PFC Converter with a Time Delay Feedback Controller

The One-Cycle Controlled Boost Power Factor Correction converter has one voltage control loop, which may exhibit instability when the load is light. The instability results in a low Power Factor. To ensure that the Power Factor is high, a time delay circuit was adopted in this paper to control the instability of the converter. The architecture of the time delay circuit is described, and its transfer function is derived. The double averaging method was applied to the converter to determine the parameters in the control method. Experimental results verified the time delay control method in the converter. The power factor increased from 0.82 to 0.99 after activating the delay control circuit.

A Method for CM EMI Suppression on PFC Converter Using Lossless Snubber with Chaotic Spread Spectrum

This paper proposes an improved common mode (CM) electromagnetic interference (EMI) suppression method in switching power supplies. The lossless snubber circuit can reduce du/dt and EMI in the high-frequency band. Nevertheless, it has a weak EMI suppression effect on the low-frequency band. A method combining the chaotic spread spectrum and the lossless snubber (CSS–LS) is proposed to improve the EMI suppression effect of the lossless snubber. It is an effective means to suppress CM EMI further. The paper used a Boost PFC converter as the object of analysis to study the CM EMI suppression effect of CSS–LS. Firstly, a CM EMI-equivalent model of the lossless snubber PFC converter was established. Then, the power spectral density function under chaotic spread-spectrum modulation was derived. The simulation analysis was performed. Finally, an experimental prototype was built, and relevant EMI tests were carried out. The experimental results show that CSS–LS can reduce CM EMI by 4~20 dBµV with little impact on converter stability. Fewer extra costs are needed for this optimization method, which is suitable for high-power-density power electronic devices.

Ripple Steering Interleaved Boost PFC Converter Analysis, Simulation, and Experimentation

A zero-voltage-transition (ZVT)-based ripple steering interleaved boost converter is proposed in this paper for power factor correction. The ZVT auxiliary circuit enables soft-switching, reducing the current input ripple and the stress on the main circuit device. The proposed converter achieves better performance in terms of THD and power factor with fewer elements, reducing size and cost. A non-linear current control strategy is employed to suppress harmonics in the supply current. The theoretical study and design are validated through simulations and laboratory tests. Automatic current sharing characteristic is an added advantage when interleaved boost converters are employed. In this work, the devices in the semiconductor power are soft switched and consequently, the losing switches are eliminated, thereby making the across the switchers there is stress voltage which is very less. The results show that the converter achieves ZVT operation, reducing switching losses and improving efficiency. The measured supply current THD is 3.029%, and the switching frequency hardly affects the soft switching performance. The converter proposed reduces the stress on the devices and significantly lowers the switching loss when compared to hard switching. The proposed ZVT-based IBC accomplishes soft switching operation and lessens the number of power devices, improving power factor and efficiency.

Unequal Duty-Ratio Feedforward Control to Extend Balanced-Currents Input Voltage Range for Series-Capacitor-Based Boost PFC Converter

In this letter, the series-capacitor-based boost power factor correction (PFC) converter (or called the voltage doubler PFC converter) is studied. It possesses the voltage doubler and intrinsic current balancing characteristics only when their equal duty ratios are larger than 0.5. Thus, for PFC application, the balanced-currents input voltage should be smaller than the quarter (1/4) output dc voltage. To extend the balanced-currents input voltage range, the unequal duty-ratio feedforward control is proposed in this letter. For the case of dc output voltage 400 V, the maximum input voltage with balanced inductor currents increased from 100 V (the quarter output dc voltage) to 200 V. The proposed control method is implemented in the field programmable gate array chip to evaluate its performance.