A ZVZCS PWM FB DC/DC converter using a modified energy-recovery snubber

The conventional high-frequency phase-shifted zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) full-bridge DC/DC converter has a disadvantage, in that a circulating current flows through transformer and switching devices during the freewheeling interval. Due to this circulating current, RMS current stress, conduction losses of the transformer and switching devices are increased. To alleviate this problem, this paper proposes an improved zero-voltage zero-current switching (ZVZCS) phase-shifted full-bridge (FB) DC/DC converter with a modified energy-recovery snubber (ERS) attached at the secondary side of transformer. Also, the small signal model of the proposed ZVZCS FB DC/DC converter is derived by incorporating the effects introduced by a transformer leakage inductance and an ERS to achieve ZVZCS. Both analysis and experiment are performed to verify the proposed topology by implementing a 7-kW (120 VDC, 58 A) 30-kHz insulated-gate-bipolar-transistor-based experimental circuit.     

Zero-voltage switching technique in DC/DC converters

A novel resonant switch operating under the principle of zero-voltage switching is presented. The basic configurations of the voltage-mode resonant switches are presented. The circuit's operating principles are described using a voltage-mode quasi-resonant boost converter. DC analysis of the converter is carried out. A new family of voltage-mode quasi-resonant converters are derived, and several members of this family are presented. The duality relationship between the zero-current switching technique and the zero-voltage switching technique is derived. These two techniques are compared using an example showing the duality between a current-mode quasi-resonant Buck converter and a voltage-mode quasi-resonant boost converter. The similarities and differences of the voltage-mode quasi-resonant converters and the Class-E converters are discussed. A 5 MHz 50 V to 5 V flyback converter employing the zero-voltage switching technique has been implemented. Design considerations and experimental results of this circuit are presented     

Zero-voltage-switching half-bridge DC-DC converter with modified PWM control method

Asymmetric control scheme is an approach to achieve zero-voltage switching (ZVS) for half-bridge isolated dc-dc converters. However, it is not suited for wide range of input voltage due to the uneven voltage and current components stresses. This paper presents a novel "duty-cycle-shifted pulse-width modulated" (DCS PWM) control scheme for half-bridge isolated dc-dc converters to achieve ZVS operation for one of the two switches without causing the asymmetric penalties in the asymmetric control and without adding additional components. Based on the DCS PWM control scheme, an active-clamp branch comprising an auxiliary switch and a diode is added across the isolation transformer primary winding in the half-bridge converter to achieve ZVS for the other main switch by utilizing energy stored in the transformer leakage inductance. Moreover, the auxiliary switch also operates at ZVS and zero-current switching (ZCS) conditions. Furthermore, during the off-time period, the ringing resulted from the oscillation between the transformer leakage inductance and the junction capacitance of two switches is eliminated owing to the active-clamp branch and DCS PWM control scheme. Hence, switching losses and leakage-inductance-related losses are significantly reduced, which provides the converter with the potential to operate at higher efficiencies and higher switching frequencies. The principle of operation and key features of the proposed DCS PWM control scheme and two ZVS half-bridge topologies are illustrated and experimentally verified.     

Hybrid Full-Bridge Three-Level LLC Resonant Converter—A Novel DC–DC Converter Suitable for Fuel-Cell Power System

This paper proposes a novel hybrid full-bridge (H-FB) three-level (TL) LLC resonant converter. It integrates the advantages of the H-FB TL converter and the LLC resonant converter. It can operate under both three-level mode and two-level mode, so it is very suitable for wide-input-voltage-range applications, such as fuel-cell power systems. Compared with the traditional full-bridge converter, the input current ripple and output filter can be reduced. In addition, all the switches can realize zero-voltage switching from nearly zero to full load, and the switches of the TL leg sustain only half of the input voltage. Moreover, the rectifier diodes can achieve zero-current switching, and the voltage stress across them can be minimized to the output voltage. A prototype of 200-400-V input and 360-V/4-A output is built in our laboratory to verify the operation principle of the proposed converter     

A simple active auxiliary commutation circuit for three-level PWMsingle-phase inverters

This paper presents the analysis and design of a new low-loss auxiliary circuit for three-level pulsewidth-modulation single-phase full-bridge inverters which achieve soft switching at all semiconductor devices. The active auxiliary commutation circuit (AACC) is composed of an LC circuit and two bidirectional switches, where one auxiliary switch commutates under zero-voltage switching condition and the other under zero-current switching condition. The AACC dispenses with the use of auxiliary voltage sources. Low reactive energy is added to the converter, resulting in low RMS current stresses at the main switches and, consequently, higher efficiency is achieved. Auxiliary circuit design procedures and experimental results are presented to prove the operation principle     

一种宽输入电压范围软开关电流型DC/DC转换器

针对太阳能光伏及燃料电池等领域电源需要较宽输入电压范围的需求,提出一种通用的具有较宽输入电压范围的软开关电流型DC/DC转换器。该转换器采用了固定频率混合调制设计,可以在所有工作条件下实现半导体器件的软开关工作,并采用电流馈电技术以便适用于低电压高电流的电源。相较于传统转换器,该转换器更为通用,能够实现零电压开关和零电流开关,并且能够在输入电压和负载变化出现较大变化时控制输出电压。实验结果显示,在20-60V输入电压范围内且负载出现变化时,该转换器均表现出良好的性能。     

Single-cycle resonant converters: a new group of quasi-resonantconverters suitable for high-performance DC/DC and AC/AC conversionapplications

A novel resonant switch and a family of zero-current and zero-voltage mixed-mode switching quasi-resonant converters (QRCs) called single-cycle resonant converters (SCRCs) are proposed to improve the performance of the conventional QRCs. The SCRCs, which include two active switches operated with zero-current switching (ZCS) and zero-voltage switching (ZVS), respectively, show very simple operation and ease of control and analysis, and they overcome the limited load range characteristics of the conventional ZCS QRCs. The SCRCs can be applied even for a high-frequency AC chopper by replacing unidirectional switches with bidirectional ones. Steady-state operation and characteristics of the buck-type SCRCs are analyzed and compared with those of the buck-type full-wave QRC (FW-QRC). Experimental results at a a 200 kHz, 1 kW level are shown to verify the operational principle and characteristics     

A Novel ZVS Resonant Reset Dual Switch Forward DC–DC Converter

This paper presents a new topology named zero-voltage switching (ZVS) resonant reset dual switch forward dc-dc converter, which, compared with resonant reset single switch forward dc-dc converter, maintains the advantage that duty cycle can be more than 50%, at the same time disadvantages of high voltage stress for main switches and low efficiency are overcome. In addition, ZVS is achieved for all switches of the presented topology. Therefore, this proposed topology is very attractive for high voltage input, wide range, and high efficiency applications. In this paper, the operation principle and characteristic of this topology are analyzed in detail. Next, the design consideration is presented. Finally, the advantages mentioned above are verified by experimental results     

An isolated ZVS/ZCS flyback converter using the leakage inductanceof the coupled inductor

This paper describes a simple and effective way to modify an existing hard-switched flyback power converter into a circuit with zero-voltage switching (ZVS) and zero-current switching (ZCS). The key improvement is to turn the unattractive features of the coupled inductor leakage inductance and snubber capacitor into attractive ones. The coupled inductor leakage inductance and snubber are used to form a quasi-resonant circuit to facilitate ZVS/ZCS of all power devices. The operating principles of the power converter and experimental results are presented     

A 1-MHz Zero-Voltage-Switching Asymmetrical Half-Bridge DC/DC Converter: Analysis and Design

The asymmetrical half-bridge (AHB) topology discussed in this paper is one of the complementary driven pulse-width modulated converter topologies, which presents an inherent zero-voltage switching (ZVS) capability. In the previous work, the ideal operation of the converter and the ZVS realization process have been analyzed. However, the influence of the circuit parasitics on the output voltage drop and the design constraints of the circuit parameters to ensure the ZVS operation have not been investigated. The minimum load needed to ensure the ZVS operation is also not readily available. This paper presents a detailed and practical design for a 1-MHz AHB converter. A revised voltage transfer ratio of the converter is derived considering the influence of circuit parasitics and the ZVS transition. Two circuit parameters responsible for maintaining the ZVS operation are the transformer leakage inductance and the interlock delay time between the gate signals of two switches. A design method of the two parameters is proposed, which can ensure the ZVS transition. The possible ZVS range of the load variation is also investigated. A 50-W AHB converter with 1-MHz switching frequency was constructed, and a maximum efficiency of 91% was achieved.     

一种新型正激零电压零电流转换PWM DC/DC变换器

提出一种新型的零电压零电流转换(ZCZVT)的正激拓扑。拓扑工作频率为300kHz,能实现主开关管的零电压开通(ZVS)和零电流关断(ZCS),同时辅助开关管也能实现零电流关断(ZCS),且变压器的磁通复位不需要辅助绕组。文章进行了拓扑的稳态分析,并且讨论了谐振电路的参数设计。最后,在研制一台48V输入、12V/100W输出样机的基础上,实验验证这种新型正激ZCZVT PWM DC-DC变换器的软开关特性。     

A new single-phase ZCS-PWM boost rectifier with high power factor and low conduction losses

This paper proposes a new single-phase high-power-factor rectifier, which features regulation by conventional pulsewidth modulation (PWM), soft commutation, and instantaneous average line current control. A new zero-current switching PWM (ZCS-PWM) auxiliary circuit is configured in the presented ZCS-PWM rectifier to perform ZCS in the active switches and zero-voltage switching (ZVS) in the passive switches. Furthermore, soft commutation of the main switch is achieved without additional current stress by the presented ZCS-PWM auxiliary circuit. A significant reduction in the conduction losses is achieved because of the following reasons: 1) the circulating current for the soft switching flows only through the auxiliary circuit; 2) a minimum number of switching devices are involved in the circulating current path; and 3) the proposed rectifier uses a single converter instead of the conventional configuration composed of a four-diode front-end rectifier followed by a boost converter. Seven transition states for describing the behavior of the ZCS-PWM rectifier in one switching period are described. The PWM-switch model is used to predict the system performance. A prototype rated at 1 kW, operating at 60 kHz, with an input alternating current voltage of 220 V/sub rms/ and an output voltage of 400 V/sub dc/, has been implemented in laboratory. An efficiency of 98.3% and a power factor over 0.99 have been measured. Analysis, design, and the control circuitry are also presented in this paper.     

Novel constant frequency PWM DC/DC converter with zero voltageswitching for both primary switches and secondary rectifying diodes

A zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) DC/DC converter operating at constant frequency and having wide linearity is proposed. ZVS operation is achieved not only for the primary switches but also for the secondary rectifier diodes to reduce the switching stresses and losses. The converter overcomes other shortcomings of the conventional resonant DC/DC converters, among which are the high VA ratings of devices and passive components and load-dependent DC characteristics     

单相全桥三电平节能逆变器

随着开关频率的提高,单相全桥逆变器处于硬开关切换时的开关损耗也会明显增大,将导致逆变器处于低效率运行.为解决这一问题,提出了一种单相全桥三电平节能逆变器.通过设置辅助换流电路,利用谐振使主开关并联的电容的电压下降到零,主开关可实现零电压切换,而且在换流过程中,两组双向辅助开关可分别实现零电压切换和零电流切换.分析了电路的工作状态,实验结果表明主开关和辅助开关都能实现软切换.因此该单相全桥三电平逆变器可实现高效率运行.     

A Zero-Voltage and Zero-Current Switching Three-Level DC–DC Converter With Reduced Rectifier Voltage Stress and Soft-Switching-Oriented Optimized Design

A novel zero-voltage zero-current switching (ZVZCS) three-level converter with pulsewidth modulation (PWM) phase-shift control is proposed. The ZCS of the lagging switch is obtained by using a regenerative passive snubber in the secondary. In order to reduce the voltage stress on the rectifier's diodes, a few passive elements are inserted into the primary: a small inductance, two diodes, and a small additional winding of the main transformer. In each half-cycle, one of these diodes will conduct for a short time in order to clamp the voltage of the snubber's capacitor, and thus, the rectifier stress, at$(n_2/n_1)(V_ in/2)$,$n_1$, and$n_2$being the transformer's primary and, respectively, secondary turns number. The three-level configuration allows for the reduction of the voltage stress across the power switches to half of the input voltage$V_ in$. The conditions for assuring ZVS of the leading switch and ZCS of the lagging switch are found. Design constraints on the parallel capacitances of the switches of the leading switch, on the snubber's holding capacitor, and on the additional inductance and winding are hence established, allowing for an optimized design of the converter parameters. A dc analysis allows for the calculation of the effective duty cycle, which enjoys a boost effect due to the proposed snubber. Thus, a further reduction of the primary current stress and rectifier voltage stress is obtained. All the improvements conclude in a high efficiency. The influence of the choice of the parameters' values on the regulation capability is pointed out. Experiments on a prototype of 4.5kW confirm the results.     

The novel resonant DC link three-level soft-switching inverter

ABSTRACT

In the paper, the novel topology of the resonant DC link three-level soft-switching inverter is proposed to reduce switching losses and improve the efficiency of three-level inverter at high switching frequency. Symmetrical auxiliary resonant circuits are set in the DC link of three-level hard-switching inverter. Moreover, the terminal voltage of the resonant capacitors between the DC buses periodically drops to zero via the resonance of auxiliary circuits. Furthermore, under such condition, the main switches of the three-level inverter would be operated, in order to achieve zero-voltage switching. Based on the equivalent circuits in different operating modes, the paper analyses the working process of the soft-switching inverter in detail. In addition, a 3 kW laboratory prototype of resonant DC link three-phase three-level soft-switching inverter is built. The experimental results show that the main switches and auxiliary switches of the inverter are operated under soft-switching conditions, and the efficiency is significantly improved compared with the three-level hard-switching inverter. Therefore, the proposed topology can effectively reduce switching losses and prove to be more practical in engineering.     

Soft switching active snubbers for DC/DC converters

A soft-switching active snubber is proposed to reduce the turn-off losses of the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) in a buck power converter. The soft-switching snubber provides zero-voltage switching for the IGBT, thereby reducing its high turn-off losses due to the current tailing. The proposed snubber uses an auxiliary switch to discharge the snubber capacitor. This auxiliary switch also operates at zero-voltage and zero-current switching. The size of the auxiliary switch compared to the main switch makes this snubber a good alternative to the conventional snubber or even to passive low-loss snubbers. The use of the soft-switching active snubber permits the IGBT to operate at high frequencies with an improved RBSOA. In the experimental results reported for a 1 kW, 40 kHz prototype, combined switching/snubbing losses are reduced by 36% through the use of the active snubber compared to a conventional RCD snubber. The use of an active snubber allows recovery of part of the energy stored in the snubber capacitor during turn-off. The generic snubber cell for the buck power converter is generalized to support the common nonisolated DC/DC power converters (buck, boost, buck-boost, Cuk, sepic, zeta) as well as isolated DC/DC power converters (forward, flyback, Cuk, and sepic)     

Zero-Voltage and Zero-Current Switching Full-Bridge DC–DC Converter With Auxiliary Transformer

A novel zero-voltage and zero-current switching (ZVZCS) full-bridge phase-shifted pulsewidth modulation (PWM) converter using insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) with auxiliary transformer is proposed to improve the properties of the previously presented converters. ZVZCS for all power switches is achieved for full load range from no-load to short circuit by adding active energy recovery snubber and auxiliary circuits. The principle of operation is explained and analyzed and experimental results are presented. The features and design considerations of the converter are verified on a 3-kW, 50-kHz IGBT based experimental circuit.     

Zero-voltage DC/DC converter with asymmetric pulse-width modulation for DC micro-grid system

This paper presents a zero-voltage switching DC/DC converter for DC micro-grid system applications. The proposed circuit includes three half-bridge circuit cells connected in primary-series and secondary-parallel in order to lessen the voltage rating of power switches and current rating of rectifier diodes. Thus, low voltage stress of power MOSFETs can be adopted for high-voltage input applications with high switching frequency operation. In order to achieve low switching losses and high circuit efficiency, asymmetric pulse-width modulation is used to turn on power switches at zero voltage. Flying capacitors are used between each circuit cell to automatically balance input split voltages. Therefore, the voltage stress of each power switch is limited at V_in/3. Finally, a prototype is constructed and experiments are provided to demonstrate the circuit performance.