Research on Five-Level PFC Circuit Topology Based on Switch-Diode-Capacitor Network
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Please open the attached file
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Thank you very much for your comments. We apologize for spelling and grammar mistakes. In order to improve the language clarity, we thoroughly checked the manuscript and purchased a professional language service online to polish the language and style of the manuscript. We hope the revised version will bring readers a better reading experience.
Reviewer 2 Report
This work is well within the scope of Electronics and it may be of interest to most of the readers of this journal. The paper is well written and easy to follow. I also think that the contributions presented in this paper are quite significant. This article compares and analyses the family of novel single-phase three-level PFC based on switch-capacitor cell. The author presents an introductory background material, sufficient for someone not an expert in this area to understand the context and significance of this work. It is clear that the main contribution of this manuscript is the proposal of novel PFC topologies. Much prominence was given to the background coverage and then the modulation technology based on capacitor voltage balancing was designed for the proposed topologies. The results obtained are satisfactorily presented. An experimental prototype with rated power was built, and the experimental analysis is carried out from both the steady-state and dynamic state.
There are several comments to be addressed:
1. My main concern regarding the further consideration of this work is that the presented equations lack sufficient explanation of the symbols used.
2. Figure 7. presents switching device losses of three PFC topologies under different load conditions, but the authors have not been demonstrated mathematical model that was calculated.
3. Please describe in more detail how the real solution of the control method was implemented.
4. In addition, minor omissions were found in two figures, and I think Fig.10 is not clear enough.
5. Also, some comments about results should be extended e.g. efficiency presented on Fig.12e.
6. The references lack a digital object identifier (DOI), even though there exists one for most of them.
7. There are some minor grammatical mistakes in the text. Please, proofread the text.
Author Response
We really appreciate your insights and constructive comments. In the revision, we have added in some supplementary materials and references. In the attached document, we gave a point-by-point response to your concerns. We will be happy to recieve your further comments.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
This paper presents a family of novel single-phase three-level PFC based on switch-capacitor cells. The authors claim that the proposed topologies have some characteristics like a high-power factor, low voltage stresses, and low power losses, when compared to the existing topologies with the same purpose. A literature review was made, to introduce the context in which the subject fits in. The main mathematical relations that rule the proposed topologies are presented and explained. Having the theory established, calculations were carried by using a method indicated in the literature, to assess the switching device losses, comparing them against other widely used topologies and to check their validity and feasibility. In addition, an experimental setup was created, to physically implement the proposed topologies and to have a proof of concept. The results both from calculations and laboratorial testing were satisfactory. The quality of the written English is very good.
However, there are some remarks regarding the content of the paper, to clarify some aspects, and to fix some small issues, as follows:
Mark 58 – “A.” should be removed before “Deduction”.
In Figure 4, the subfigures placed side by side are too close and superimposed in some places.
In Table 1, to have a more complete set of data, it would be helpful to have two other columns indicating what goes on in is3 and is4.
Is equations (7) to (11), a better explanation should be provided on how these equations were derived from Table 1, namely concerning the logic values of the switches and especially regarding is1 and is2. For instance, in equation (9), there seems to be a mistake. Instead of (E + F – D) it should be (E – F – D).
Is section 3.2, the nomenclature indicating D4 and D6, referring to devices rated to 400 V and 600 V, respectively, there may be some confusion with the identifiers of the devices making part of the proposed topologies, given that the name is the same. I suggest changing the name for the device ratings, to avoid this ambiguity.
Mark 261 – It would be useful to have a value for the ripple in udc, given that only its mean value is indicated.
The waveforms in Figure 10 are too dense. An amount of time with one or two cycles of the sine wave uAC would suffice to understand. Moreover, it seems that the waveforms are not exactly as predicted in Figure 8, namely the command signals for S3 and S4, when compared against the timing of S1 and S2.
Author Response
We would like to express our gratitude to you for your insights and constructive comments. In the attached document, we have provided a point-by-point response to your commments. We will be happy to receive your further comments.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
Authors have addressed my suggestions and comments.
The revised version is in good quality to be published.
Reviewer 3 Report
This paper presents a family of novel single-phase three-level PFC based on switch-capacitor cells. The authors claim that the proposed topologies have some characteristics like a high-power factor, low voltage stresses, and low power losses, when compared to the existing topologies with the same purpose. A literature review was made, to introduce the context in which the subject fits in. The main mathematical relations that rule the proposed topologies are presented and explained. Having the theory established, calculations were carried by using a method indicated in the literature, to assess the switching device losses, comparing them against other widely used topologies and to check their validity and feasibility. In addition, an experimental setup was created, to physically implement the proposed topologies and to have a proof of concept. The results both from calculations and laboratorial testing were satisfactory. The quality of the written English is very good.
After analyzing this re-submission, and as far as I am concerned, the comments to the previous submission have been fully addressed. The additional content that has been elaborated helped the paper to get more robust and enriched.
As such, I foresee that the actions to be taken by the authors should be to comply with any remarks subsisting from the remaining reviewers. From my point of view, the paper can be published as it is and, once again, provided that the conditions imposed by the remaining reviewers are fully met.
