• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.63 no.3
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• pp.358-366
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• 2014

This paper proposes a quasi Z-source AC-AC converter with the low DC voltage distribution capability operating as a power electronic transformer. The proposed system has configuration that the input terminals of two quasi Z-source AC-AC converters are connected in parallel, also their output terminal are connected in series. Simple control method of duty ratio was proposed for the in phase buck-boost AC voltage mode and the DC output voltage control. DSP based experiment and PSIM simulation were performed. As a result, the PSIM simulation results were same with the measured results. By controlling the duty ratio under the condition of 100 [${\Omega}$] load, quasi Z-source AC-AC converter could buck and boost the AC output voltage in phase with the AC input voltage, and the same time, the constant DC voltage could be output without affecting the AC output characteristics. And, the DC output voltage 48[V] was constantly controlled in dynamic state in case while the load is suddenly changed ($50[\Omega]{\rightarrow}100[\Omega]$). From the above result, we could know that the quasi Z-source AC-AC converter can act as a power electronic transformer with a low DC voltage distribution capability.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.549-558
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• 2017

DC distribution has several differences compared to AC distribution. DC distribution has a higher efficiency than AC distribution when distributing electricity at the same voltage level. Accordingly, power can be transferred further with low-voltage DC. In addition, power flow in a DC grid system is produced by only a voltage difference in magnitude. Owing to these differences, operation of a DC grid system significantly differs from that of an AC system. In this paper, the power flow problem in a bipolar-type DC grid with unbalanced load conditions is organized and solved. Control strategy of energy storage system on a slow time scale with power references obtained by solving an optimization problem regarding the DC grid is then proposed. The proposed strategy is verified with computer simulations.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers B
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• v.50 no.10
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• pp.501-507
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• 2001

In this paper, new high-efficiency zero voltage switching (ZVS) AC-DC boost converter is proposed to achieve power factor correction by simplifing energy recovery circuit. A lot of high power factor correction circuits have been proposed and applied to increase input power factor and efficiency. Most of these circuits may obtain unity power factor and achieve sinusoidal current waveform with zero voltage or/and zero current switching. However, it is difficult for them to obtain low cost, small size, low weight, and low noise. The topology proposed to improve these problems can compact the devices in circuit and can achieve high efficiency ZVS AC-DC boost converter. Simulation and experimental results show that this topology is capable of obtaining high power factor and increasing the efficiency of the system.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.186-196
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• 2013

This paper presents a low voltage-stress AC-linked charge equalizing system for balancing the energy in a serially connected, valve-regulated lead acid battery string using a modular converter that consists of multiple transformers coupled together. Each converter was coupled through an AC-linked bus to increase the overall energy transfer efficiency of the system and to eliminate the problem of the unbalanced charging of batteries. Previous solutions are based on centralized and modularized topologies. A centralized topology requires a redesign of the hardware and related components. It also faces a high voltage stress when the number of batteries is expanded. Modularized solutions use low-voltage-stress, double-stage, DC-linked topologies which leads to poor energy transfer efficiency. The proposed solution uses a low-voltage stress, AC-linked, modularized topology that makes adding more batteries easier. It also has a better energy transfer efficiency. To ensure that the charge equalization system operates smoothly and safely charges batteries, a small intelligent microcontroller was used in the control section. The efficiency of this charge equalization system is 85%, which is 21% better than other low-voltage-stress DC-linked charging techniques. The validity of this approach was confirmed by experimental results.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.94-99
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• 2003

A strong need to improve the quality of electric power is increased because of increasing use of the sensitive and small-sized electronic devices. The transient overvoltages on low-voltage AC power distribution systems are induced by direct or indirect lightning return strokes, and they can cause damage and/or malfunction of the utility systems for home automation, office automation and factory automation as well as medical equipment. The behaviors of lightning overvoltages transferred through the transformer to the low voltage AC power distribution systems were experimentally investigated using a Marx generator. The surge voltages in low-voltage ac power systems are rarely limited by the application of the surge arrester to the primary side of distribution transformer and a custom service ground.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.276-284
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• 2012

AC/AC power conversion is widely used to feed AC loads with a variable voltage and/or a variable frequency from a constant voltage constant frequency power grid or to connect critical loads to an unreliable power supply while delivering a very balanced and accurate sinusoidal voltage system of constant amplitude and frequency. The load specifications will clearly impose the requirements for the inverter stage of the power converter, while wider ranges of choices are available for the rectifier. This paper investigates the utilization of a buck-type current source rectifier as the active front-end stage of an AC/AC converter for applications that require an adjustable DC-link voltage as well as elimination of the low-frequency common mode voltage. The proposed solution is to utilize a combination of two or more zero current vectors in the Space Vector Modulation (SVM) technique for Current Sources Rectifiers (CSR).

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.94-100
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• 2018

Generally, in a single-phase energy storage system (ESS) for households, AC ripple component with twice the fundamental frequency exists inevitably in the DC link voltage of single-phase PCS. In the grid-connected mode of a single-phase inverter, the AC ripple component in the DC link voltage causes low-order harmonics on grid-side current that deteriorates power quality on an AC grid. In this work, a control system adopting a feedforward controller is established to eliminate the AC ripple interference on the DC link side. Optimal battery nominal voltage design method is also proposed by considering the voltage loss and AC ripple voltage on DC link side in a single-phase ESS. Finally, the control system and battery nominal voltage design method are verified through simulations and experiments.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.561-567
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• 2011

This paper presents a high-efficiency power conditioning system (PCS) for grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) modules. The proposed PCS consists of a step-up DC-DC converter and a single-phase DC-AC inverter for the grid-connected PV modules. A soft-switching step-up DC-DC converter is proposed to generate a high DC-link voltage from the low PV module voltage with a high-efficiency. A DC-link voltage controller is presented for constant DC-link voltage regulation. A half-bridge inverter is used for the single-phase DC-AC inverter for grid connection. A grid current controller is suggested to supply PV electrical power to the power grid with a unity power factor. Experimental results are obtained from a 180 W grid-connected PV module system using the proposed PCS. The proposed PCS achieves a high power efficiency of 93.0 % with an unity power factor for a 60 Hz / 120 Vrms AC power grid.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1459-1473
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• 2018

This paper focuses on voltage control schemes for multi-terminal low-voltage direct current (LVDC) distribution systems. In a multi-terminal LVDC distribution system, there can be multiple AC/DC converters that connect the LVDC distribution system to the AC grids. This configuration can provide enhanced reliability, grid-supporting functionality, and higher efficiency. The main applications of multi-terminal LVDC distribution systems include flexible power exchange between multiple power grids and integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) using DC voltages such as photovoltaics (PVs) and battery energy storage systems (BESSs). In multi-terminal LVDC distribution systems, voltage regulation is one of the most important issues for maintaining the electric power balance between demand and supply and providing high power quality to end customers. This paper focuses on a voltage control method for multi-terminal LVDC distribution system that can efficiently coordinate multiple control units, such as AC/DC converters, PVs and BESSs. In this paper, a control hierarchy is defined for undervoltage (UV) and overvoltage (OV) problems in LVDC distribution systems based on the control priority between the control units. This paper also proposes methods to determine accurate control commands for AC/DC converters and DERs. By using the proposed method, we can effectively maintain the line voltages in multi-terminal LVDC distribution systems in the normal range. The performance of the proposed voltage control method is evaluated by case studies.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.377-386
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• 2012

An interleaved bridgeless buck-boost AC/DC converter is presented in this paper to achieve the characteristics of low conduction loss, a high power factor and low harmonic and ripple currents. There are only two power semiconductors in the line current path instead of the three power semiconductors in a conventional boost AC/DC converter. A buck-boost converter operated in the boundary conduction mode (BCM) is adopted to control the active switches to achieve the following characteristics: no diode reverse recovery problem, zero current switching (ZCS) turn-off of the rectifier diodes, ZCS turn-on of the power switches, and a low DC bus voltage to reduce the voltage stress of the MOSFETs in the second DC/DC converter. Interleaved pulse-width modulation (PWM) is used to control the switches such that the input and output ripple currents are reduced such that the output capacitance can be reduced. The voltage doubler topology is adopted to double the output voltage in order to extend the useable energy of the capacitor when the line voltage is off. The circuit configuration, principle operation, system analysis, and a design example are discussed and presented in detail. Finally, experiments on a 500W prototype are provided to demonstrate the performance of the proposed converter.