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The transition from the conventional electrical power distribution system to ones that incorporate more stochastic electrical sources is resulting in a need for more robust and dynamic forms of power delivery. One solution to the various issues of power balancing and control is the utilization of additional frequencies within the distribution network. By having a greater variety of operational frequencies, the resulting decoupled power flow enables the system to have a higher degree of flexibility and functionality. This paper presents a controller for load-interfacing power electronic converters that operate within a system consisting of several ac frequencies as well as a superposed dc offset. The power exchange capabilities of this multifrequency converter, such as the decoupled power transfer between different operating frequencies are analyzed and demonstrated. Likewise, the underlying control structure is easily modifiable for a wide range of frequency combinations. The resulting increased level of active and reactive power control can then be utilized by the distribution network to ensure a more enhanced and stable transition to an electrically diverse and smarter microgrid. Simulation results for several different operating points are presented.

Scalable and robust low-voltage direct current (LVdc) distribution networks require solutions, allowing flexible power flow control and reliable short-circuit protection. In this paper, the continuous full-order large-and small-signal models of a partially rated power flow control converter (PFCC) are derived utilizing the generalized averaging method. The large-signal model of the PFCC is coupled with a model of the LVdc grid. Due to the state-space representation, the combined model of the PFCC and the LVdc grid is suitable for easy algorithmization, and efficient simulation. These advantages make them essential tools for studying and optimizing of scalable LVdc systems with decentralized power flow control based on the PFCC. The PFCC models provide insights into controller design and stability analysis. The models are experimentally validated, and the functionality of the PFCC is demonstrated in a laboratory-scale microgrid.

Flexible power flow control is one of the main challenges in the development of the meshed low voltage direct current distribution system. The most widely adopted approach to achieve flexible power control in the network is to use various solid-state based solutions which are rated for the peak power of the grid. In this paper, we propose a solution based on a converter which has several times smaller power rating than the grid power rating. Due to the multi-port nature of the proposed solution, it is well suited for the bipolar networks.

A Dual Active Bridge (DAB) converter can achieve a wide high-efficiency range when its input and output voltages are equal, assuming a 1:1 turns ratio for its isolation transformer. If its input or output voltage is doubled, efficiency of the DAB will drop significantly, because of the introduction of hard switching and high circulating power. Thus, a new modulation scheme has been proposed, whose main idea is to introduce a voltage offset across the dc blocking capacitor connected in series with the transformer. Operational principle of the proposed modulation has been introduced, before analyzing its soft-switching area and circulating power mathematically. The final modulation scheme is not difficult to implement, but can help the DAB achieve soft switching, low circulating power, and thereby high efficiency, even with its input or output voltage doubled.These features have been verified by experimental results obtained with a 1.2 kW prototype.

This paper proposes a new bidirectional LLC resonant dc-dc converter suitable for wide voltage gain range applications (e.g., energy storage systems). The proposed converter overcomes the narrow voltage gain range of conventional resonant dc-dc converters, and meanwhile achieves high efficiency throughout the wide range of operation voltage. It is achieved by configuring a full-bridge mode and a half-bridge mode operation during each switching cycle. A fixed-frequency phase-shift control scheme is proposed and the normalized voltage gain can be always from 0.5 to 1, regardless of the load. The transformer root-mean-square (rms) currents in both the forward and reverse power flow directions have a small variation with respect to the voltage gain, which is beneficial to the conduction losses reduction throughout a wide voltage range. Moreover, the power devices are soft-switched for minimum switching losses. The operation principles and characteristics of the proposed converter are firstly analyzed in this paper. Then the analytical solutions for the voltage gain, soft-switching, and rms currents are derived, which facilitates the parameters design and optimization. Finally, the proposed topology and analysis are verified with experimental results obtained from a 1-kW converter prototype.

This paper proposes an improved analytical turn-on power loss model for 650-V GaN eHEMTs. The static characteristics, i.e., the parasitic capacitances and transconductance, are firstly modeled. Then the turn-on process is divided into multiple stages and analyzed in detail; as results, the time-domain solutions to the drain-source voltage and drain current are obtained. Finally, double-pulse tests are conducted to verify the proposed power loss model. This analytical model enables an accurate and fast switching behavior characterization and power loss prediction.

Due to the parasitic capacitances of the transformer and inductor in Dual Active Bridge (DAB) converters, resonance happens in the transformer currents. This high frequency resonant current flowing into the full bridges will worsen their soft-switching performance and thereby reduce its efficiency. In order to study the generation mechanism of this current resonance, the impedance of the transformer and inductor with parasitic components is modelled in this digest. Then, based on the impedance model, an approach is proposed to mitigate the current resonance. Finally, both the impedance model and the current resonance mitigation approach are verified by simulated results.

This paper proposes a dual-bridge based LC series resonant dc-dc converter. The input inverter unit incorporates two bridge structures, i.e., a full-bridge inverter and a half-bridge inverter. For the output rectifier, it can be a full-bridge rectifier or an asymmetric half-bridge rectifier. Different from the conventional resonant converter, a fixed-frequency PWM control is employed which makes the optimization of magnetic components easier. The primary-side switches can achieve ZVS and the secondary-side diodes turn off with ZCS. In addition, the root-mean-square (RMS) values of the transformer currents do not significantly vary with respect to the voltage variation. Therefore, this converter can maintain high efficiency over a wide voltage range. The topology and operating principle are firstly described. Then the dc voltage gain and the RMS current characteristics are detailed. Finally, experimental results from a 500-W converter prototype verify the effectiveness of analysis, and the advantages of the proposed converter.

A voltage doubler circuit is realized to extend the soft-switching range of Dual Active Bridge (DAB) converters. No extra hardware is added to the DAB to form this circuit, since it is composed of the dc blocking capacitor and the low side full bridge converter, which already exist in DAB. With the voltage doubler, the DAB converter can achieve soft switching and high efficiency when the low side dc voltage is close to 2 pu (1 pu is the high side dc voltage divided by the transformer turn ratio), which can be realized only when the low side dc voltage is close to 1 pu by using the conventional phase shift modulation in DAB. Thus the soft switching range is extended. The soft switching boundary conditions are derived. A map to show the soft switching or hard switching in the full load and voltage range is obtained. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method is finally verified by experiments.

Due to a series of unique merits, modular multilevel converters (MMCs) have been developing dramatically in the last decade. However, in some applications, such as offshore power transmission, the MMC modules are subjected to a variety of tough temperature profiles with adverse working conditions, and all of these could lead to thermomechanical fatigues in the components and the joints of the power modules, thereby causing reliability challenge. This paper focuses on the lifetime evaluation of the MMC based on power cycling and thermal cycling, considering the mission profiles in the high-voltage direct current application for offshore wind power. The mission profiles as well as the topology of the MMC are first analyzed in order to better understand the loading characteristics of MMC. Then, the power loss calculation along with the electrothermal simulation is conducted to uncover the thermal loading of MMC. At last, the lifetime of MMC is studied based on rainflow counting and lifetime models for power semiconductors.

This paper presents the benchmark study of ac and dc active power decoupling circuits for second order harmonic mitigation in kW scale single-phase inverters. First of all, a brief comparison of recently reported active power decoupling circuits is given, and the best solution that can achieve high efficiency and high power density is identified and comprehensively studied, and the commercially available film capacitors, the circuit topologies, and the control strategies adopted for active power decoupling are all taken into account. Then, an adaptive decoupling voltage control method is proposed to further improve the performance of dc decoupling in terms of efficiency and reliability. The feasibility and superiority of the identified solution for active power decoupling together with the proposed adaptive decoupling voltage control method are finally verified by both the simulation and experimental results obtained on a 2 kW single-phaseinverter.

In this paper, a three phase cycloconverter type high frequency AC link inverter is discussed. The configuration consists of a high frequency full-bridge inverter and a high frequency transformer followed by a three phase cycloconverter whose switch is composed of anti-series connected MOSFETs with a common source. A simple digital control strategy based on space vector modulation (SVM) and repetitive control for the cycloconverter is proposed although its input voltage is a high frequency AC pulse. The operation principle of the proposed control strategy is analyzed and the equivalent working modes during one interval are also presented. The effectiveness of the proposed control strategy is verified through Matlab/Simulink simulations and experiments on a 1.45kW prototype.

Modulation schemes can significantly change the performance of a converter in the steady state. They have, thus, been extensively studied, but directed more at three-phase topologies, where triplen offsets are added. Single-phase systems, including ac–dc–ac, are less widely pursued, even though various topologies have since been proposed. The intention of this paper is, thus, to study two promising single-phase ac–dc–ac converters using reduced number of switches, and subsequently proposes modulation schemes for them. The proposed schemes help the converters to achieve better thermal spread among their switches, while keeping their dc-link voltages low. Single points of failure are thus minimized, allowing the converters to have longer lifetimes. Simulation and experimental results have demonstrated the intended performances, hence verifying the analyses presented in this paper.

The B6 converter uses six switches divided equally among three phase legs. It has been commonly used as a three-phase rectifier or inverter, mostly under balanced conditions. Three-phase conversion, however, is not the only area where the B6 converter has been used. The same topology has been tried for single-phase power decoupling and single-phase ac–dc–ac conversion, where comparably lesser switches are needed. Although the basic modulation principle is still reliant on three modulating references for the three phase legs, requirements imposed on the modulating references are different and usually asymmetrical. How these asymmetrical references should be formulated to meet various performance specifications of a single-phase B6 converter is the theme of this paper. Simulation and experimental results have been obtained to verify the modulation schemes proposed.

This paper presents the benchmark study of ac and dc active power decoupling circuits for second-order harmonic mitigation in kW-scale single-phase inverters. First of all, the best solutions of active power decoupling to achieve high efficiency and power density are identified and comprehensively studied, where the commercially available film capacitors, circuit topologies, and control strategies for active power decoupling are all taken into account. Then, an adaptive decoupling voltage control method is proposed to further improve the performance of dc decoupling in terms of efficiency and reliability. The feasibility and superiority of the identified solution for active power decoupling together with the proposed adaptive decoupling voltage control method are finally verified by both the experimental results obtained on a 2 kW single-phase inverter.

Modulation schemes can significantly change the performance of a power converter in steady state, and they have been extensively studied, but mostly directed to three-phase topologies, where triplen offsets are added. Single-phase systems, including ac-dc-ac systems, are less widely pursued, even though various topologies have been proposed. The motivation of this paper is to study two promising single-phase ac-dc-ac converters using reduced number of switches, and subsequently proposes new modulation schemes for them. The proposed schemes help the converters to achieve a better thermal spread among their switches, while keeping their dc-link voltages low. Single points of failure are thus minimized, allowing the converters to have longer lifetimes. Simulation and experimental results have demonstrated the intended performances and hence verifying the idea.

Thermal loading of wind power converters is critical to their reliability performance. Especially for IGBT modules applied in a converter, both of the mean value and variation of the junction temperature have significant impact on the lifetime. Besides other strategies to reduce the thermal loading of the IGBT modules, the power losses and thereby the thermal stresses can be controlled by varying the PWM switching frequency according to power loading conditions. This paper investigates the feasibility to apply this flexible modulation strategy in a 3 MW wind power converter application to reduce the temperature fluctuations due to wind speed variations. The trade-off between the reduced amplitude of temperature fluctuations and the additional power losses that may be introduced is quantitatively studied.

Modulation methods can significantly influence the performance of the converter in steady state, which is therefore very important. With different objectives like the minimum current ripple, minimum power loss or maximum DC link voltage utilization, SVPWM or DPWM are normally applied. With the SVPWM or DPWM proposed in literatures, the generation of the references is phase voltage based. But the phase voltages actually cannot be controlled directly by the PWM converter, since they can be influenced by both of terminal voltages and the load network while the PWM converter can only control the former. It thus introduces complexity to the generation of the references, especially in unbalanced source or load condition. In this paper, a line-to-line voltage based PWM reference generation method is proposed. The proposed method is easy to be implemented to maximize the DC link voltage utilization, reduce current ripple, or improve the loss distribution. Analysis and experimental test are also given to verify the proposed method.

Power decoupling circuits can compensate the inherent double line frequency ripple power in single-phase systems and greatly facilitate their dc-link capacitor design. Example applications of power decoupling circuit include photovoltaic, light-emitting diode, fuel cell, and motor drive systems. This paper presents the dq synchronous reference frame modeling of single-phase power decoupling circuits and a complete model describing the dynamics of dc-link ripple voltage is presented. The proposed model is universal and valid for both inductive and capacitive decoupling circuits, and the input of decoupling circuits can be either dependent or independent of its front-end converters. Based on this model, a dq synchronous reference frame controller is designed which allows the decoupling circuit to operate in two different modes because of the circuit symmetry. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed modeling and control method.

The thermal stress, especially the thermal cycling in the power semiconductor devices, can be significantly reduced by proper controls, modulations strategies, and the activation of ESSs. The corresponding studies on this topic are still underway with promising opportunities.

Converters with reduced-switch counts usually face some performance tradeoffs, which make them suitable for some applications but not others. The same applies to the nine-switch converter, which is a reduced-switch version of the back-to-back twelve-switch converter. The nine-switch converter has since been shown to experience a higher voltage stress, which can be lowered in some cases. A corresponding evaluation of its current stress is however lacking, and is hence addressed now by computing its switch currents when used for ac–ac, ac–dc, dc–ac and dc–dc energy conversions. Relevant expressions, application requirements and simulation results are presented for identifying cases, where the nine-switch converter can have an improvement in performance despite its reduced-switch count. These cases are verified in experiments using a 1.5 kW prototype built in the laboratory.

Three-phase online-UPS is an appropriate application for the nine-switch converter, where its high voltage stress of the power device caused by the reduced switch feature can be relieved significantly. Its power loss and loss distribution still have the flexibility from the control point of view due to its asymmetrical structure, which are critical indicators for efficiency and reliability. They are therefore analyzed mathematically in this paper, in terms of conduction loss and switching loss. Moreover, various modulation strategies that fit for the nine-switch converter as well as parameters like modulation index and phase angle of the load are taken into account. The benchmark of power loss will become a guidance for the users to make best use of the advantages and bypass the disadvantages of nine-switch converters. The results are finally verified on a 1.5 kW prototype.

The inherent double line ripple power in single-phase systems is adverse to the performance of power electronics converters, e.g. limited lifetime due to the requirement of large electrolytic capacitors and low voltage control bandwidth due to harmonic disturbance. In this paper, an active converter topology based on a symmetrical half bridge circuit is proposed to decouple the ripple power so that balanced instantaneous power flow is assured between source and load, and the required dc-link capacitance can be dramatically reduced. For proper closed-loop regulation, the small signal modeling of the proposed system is presented, and a dual voltage control strategy is then proposed, which comprises one voltage loop implemented in the synchronous reference frame for active power balancing, and another one implemented in the stationary reference frame for ripple power compensation. Special attention is given to the bandwidth of voltage control loops because the variation of dc-link voltage should be kept within an acceptable range during load transients. This is particularly important for systems with reduced dc-link capacitance because they are of lower energy capacity and the dc-link voltage is therefore very sensitive to step load changes. Comprehensive simulation results and experimental results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed circuit and control algorithm.

Energy storage can be used to suppress the power fluctuations in wind power systems, and thereby reduce the thermal excursion and improve the reliability. Since the cost of the energy storage in large power application is high, it is crucial to have a better understanding of the relationship between the size of the energy storage and the reliability benefit it can generate. Therefore, a reliability-oriented energy storage sizing approach is proposed for the wind power systems, where the power, energy, cost and the control strategy of the energy storage are all taken into account. With the proposed approach, the computational effort is reduced and the impact of the energy storage system on the reliability of the wind power converter can be quantified.

Nine-switch converter is a recently proposed reduced-switch equivalence of the twelve-switch back-to-back converter. The usual expectation is thus for the nine-switch converter to face some switching constraints and hence performance tradeoffs. However, this might not always be the case with an answer only available after performing a thorough analysis. For that, it is the intention now to compare the nine-switch and twelve-switch converters when they are used in ac-ac, ac-dc, dc-ac or dc-dc energy conversion systems. Their losses will be compared to identify when the nine-switch converter will have an advantage or face only a slight constraint, which can hence better justify its usage to save switches. Simulation results are presented, while experimental loss measurements are presently ongoing.

Wind turbines are subjected to wind speed variations that cause a power profile that will stress the overall system. This stress is tranfered to the power converter, resulting in temperature variations of the power devices and, hence, causing the reduction of the lifetime. The lifetime expectation changes depending on the real wind speed once the wind turbine is operating. Usually, the real wind speed profiles are employed to evaluate this stress but they do not consider all possible operation conditions and require intensive computations. To solve these issues, this paper proposes the generation of random wind speed profiles, based on the measured ones, in order to evaluate the thermal stress of the power devices based on a simplified statistical approach. Wind turbines are subjected to wind speed variations that cause a power profile that will stress the overall system. This stress is tranfered to the power converter, resulting in temperature variations of the power devices and, hence, causing the reduction of the lifetime. The lifetime expectation changes depending on the real wind speed once the wind turbine is operating. Usually, the real wind speed profiles are employed to evaluate this stress but they do not consider all possible operation conditions and require intensive computations. To solve these issues, this paper proposes the generation of random wind speed profiles, based on the measured ones, in order to evaluate the thermal stress of the power devices based on a simplified statistical approach.

Converters with reduced switch counts usually face some performance tradeoffs, which make them suitable for some applications but not others. The same applies to the nine-switch converter, which is a reduced-switch version of the back-to-back twelve-switch converter. The nine-switch converter has since been shown to experience a higher voltage stress, which can be lowered in some cases. A corresponding evaluation of its current stress is however lacking, and is hence addressed now by computing its switch currents when used for ac-ac, ac-dc, dc-ac and dc-dc energy conversions. Relevant expressions, application requirements and simulation results are presented for identifying cases, where the nine-switch converter can have an improvement in performance despite its reduced switch count.

Inductive power transfer (IPT) is becoming increasingly popular in stationary electric vehicle charging systems. In this paper, the influence of the different IPT coupler geometries on the performance factors efficiency, power density, misalignment tolerance, and stray field is studied. Five different cou-pler topologies namely the circular, rectangular, double-D (DD-DD) and the double-D transmitter with double-D-Quadrature receiver (DD-DDQ) are considered in this study. The electromagnetic behavior of the couplers is modeled using three-dimensional finite element analysis. To ensure a fair quantitative comparison, a multi-objective optimization framework is developed to analyze the Pareto trade-offs between conflicting performance metrics like power densities, efficiencies, and misalignment tolerance for all the considered coupler topologies.