Applications, Control and Design of Power Electronics Converters

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Power Electronics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2025 | Viewed by 9468

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Next Generation Power Electronics Research Center, Kyushu Institute of Technology (KyuTech), Fukuoka 804-0015, Japan
Interests: power electronic converters and control for renewable energy systems (grid-integration of the solar PV system); motor drives; gate drive control; design for intelligent control of power semiconductor devices (parallel-series operation); FPGA-based system control
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Guest Editor
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Jais, Amethi, Uttar Pradesh 229305, India
Interests: design and development of control techniques for power electronic converters; model predictive control applications in power electronics; renewable energy harvesting and grid interface; Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulation; FPFA-based system implementation

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Guest Editor
Department of Electrical and Instrumentation Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala 147001, India
Interests: grid integration of renewable energy Sources (power electronic converter and control); adaptive and intelligent control techniques for active power filters; microgrid; converter topologies for light electrical vehicles
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Marine Engineering, National Taiwan Ocean University (NTOU), Keelung City 202301, Taiwan
Interests: power conversion control; renewable energy generation system; energy storage and management; LED driver; power electronics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Power electronics is a major technology for energy conversion, energy conservation, and high functional energy use. Power semiconductor devices play a vital role in switching operations in power electronic technology. It is basically the application of electronics to the control and conversion of electric power. Nowadays, it is almost impossible to find an application without power electronics technology. We use power electronics for numerous everyday items, including fan controllers, air conditioners, induction cooktops, light dimmers, emergency lights, vacuum cleaners, personal computers, UPS systems, battery chargers, and many more.

Power converters are becoming increasingly necessary as more renewable energy harvesting methods are being developed, especially for processing large volumes of power. The following are some very general categories in which the current power electronics research is being conducted:

  • Solar and wind energy: Since these natural sources must transfer and carry large amounts of power over great distances, more effective power electronic equipment is needed.
  • Power quality: Modern loads like electric cars and batteries draw power that is extremely nonlinear, which has an impact on the quality of the electricity. As a result, the employment of active filters and FACTS devices is a well-established and expanding research topic.
  • HVDC transmission systems: Nowadays, HVDC and EHV transmission systems are widely used due to the ever-increasing need for power. Higher transmission efficiency is required now more than ever to cut losses and save millions of dollars with the advent of the votage source inverter (VSI) and fully controlled switches.
  • Electric vehicles: The basic components of electric vehicles are battery, battery charging systems, power converter, motor, and power distribution systems. Since driverless cars in the future will all be zero-emission vehicles, this market is quite promising. The domain occasionally combines with machinery, controls, and communication systems.
  • Electric machines and drives: These are significant areas of research that are always vital. The list includes everything from multiphase machines to magnetic bearings, linear induction machines, open-end winding, and further aircraft. Many more areas might be included in this list, making power electronics and machine drives a particularly promising topic for future technological improvements.

In summary, there are some evergreen research topics related to power electronics such as renewable integration, harmonic performance of electric drives, predictive control in power electronics, multi-level converters and high-power drives, reliability of power electronics, SiC/GaN devices, filter design, energy storage, etc., solid state transformers, power quality, and many more.

Dr. Tripathi Ravi Nath
Dr. Vijay Kumar Singh
Dr. Manoj Badoni
Dr. Shun-Chung Wang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • power semiconductor device
  • power electronic systems and control
  • power converters
  • design and control of power converters/power electronic system
  • renewable energy systems
  • power converter applications

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 6497 KiB  
Article
The Analysis and Research of the Integrated, 30 A MOSFET Gate Driver Dedicated to High-Frequency Applications
by Piotr Legutko
Electronics 2024, 13(16), 3225; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13163225 - 14 Aug 2024
Viewed by 888
Abstract
This paper presents basic properties and laboratory tests of a commercial integrated high-frequency MOSFET gate driver IXRFD631 operating in the frequency range up to 30 MHz. The MOSFET driver has been tested for two operating states: in the idle state (no load) and [...] Read more.
This paper presents basic properties and laboratory tests of a commercial integrated high-frequency MOSFET gate driver IXRFD631 operating in the frequency range up to 30 MHz. The MOSFET driver has been tested for two operating states: in the idle state (no load) and at the gate load of a DE275-501N16A series MOSFET transistors. The obtained laboratory results were compared with three other commercial integrated drivers: DEIC420, DEIC515 and IXRFD630 (which are the base structures), and two previous solutions from the author (4xUCC27516 and 8xUCC27526). Additionally, this paper presents the characteristics of power losses and efficiency, measurements of switching and propagation times of the tested gate drivers. Also, this paper presents the output voltage waveforms of the integrated driver IXRFD631 for two operating states. The integrated circuit IXRFD631 of the gate driver is characterized by an efficiency of up to 70% for the tested frequency range, the power losses for two operating states (at idle state—15 W, at gate MOSFET load—43 W) and switching times of 2 ns for an operating frequency of 30 MHz. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications, Control and Design of Power Electronics Converters)
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15 pages, 946 KiB  
Article
Design of a Switching Strategy for Output Voltage Tracking Control in a DC-DC Buck Power Converter
by Eduardo Hernández-Márquez, Panuncio Cruz-Francisco, Eric Hernández-Castillo, Dulce Martinez-Peón, Rafael Castro-Linares, José Rafael García-Sánchez, Alfredo Roldán-Caballero, Xóchitl Siordia-Vásquez and Juan Carlos Valdivia-Corona
Electronics 2024, 13(12), 2252; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13122252 - 8 Jun 2024
Viewed by 658
Abstract
This work proposes the design of a commutation function to solve the output voltage trajectory tracking problem in the DC-DC Buck power electronic converter. Through a Lyapunov-type analysis, sufficient conditions are established, taking into account the discontinuous model, to ensure asymptotic convergence to [...] Read more.
This work proposes the design of a commutation function to solve the output voltage trajectory tracking problem in the DC-DC Buck power electronic converter. Through a Lyapunov-type analysis, sufficient conditions are established, taking into account the discontinuous model, to ensure asymptotic convergence to the desired trajectories. Based on this analysis, a state-dependent switching function was designed to guarantee the closed-loop stability of the tracking error. To validate the control performance, circuit numerical simulations were carried out under abrupt disturbances in the source and load of the converter. The results demonstrate that the voltage tracking at the output of the converter is satisfactorily achieved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications, Control and Design of Power Electronics Converters)
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18 pages, 5327 KiB  
Article
Disturbance Rejection Control of Grid-Forming Inverter for Line Impedance Parameter Perturbation in Weak Power Grid
by Mayue Huang and Hui Li
Electronics 2024, 13(10), 1926; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13101926 - 14 May 2024
Viewed by 911
Abstract
When a grid-forming (GFM) inverter is connected to a low- or medium-voltage weak power grid, the line impedance with resistive and inductive characteristics will cause power coupling. Typical GFM decoupling control strategies are designed under nominal line impedance parameters. However, there are deviations [...] Read more.
When a grid-forming (GFM) inverter is connected to a low- or medium-voltage weak power grid, the line impedance with resistive and inductive characteristics will cause power coupling. Typical GFM decoupling control strategies are designed under nominal line impedance parameters. However, there are deviations between the nominal line impedance and actual parameters, resulting in poor decoupling effects. Aiming at this problem, this paper proposes a power decoupling strategy based on a reduced-order extended state observer (RESO). Firstly, the power dynamic model of the GFM is established based on the dynamic phasor method. Then, the model deviation and power coupling due to line impedance parameter perturbation are estimated as internal disturbances of the system, and the disturbances are compensated on the basis of typical power control strategy and virtual impedance decoupling. Good decoupling performance is obtained under different impedance parameters, improving the control strategy’s robustness. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by the results of RT Box hardware-in-the-loop experiments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications, Control and Design of Power Electronics Converters)
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15 pages, 5354 KiB  
Article
Improving the Efficiency of an Isolated Bidirectional Dual Active Bridge DC–DC Converter Using Variable Frequency
by Vicente Esteve, Juan L. Bellido, José Jordán and Enrique J. Dede
Electronics 2024, 13(2), 294; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13020294 - 9 Jan 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1773
Abstract
This article presents a control method for an isolated bidirectional dual active bridge DC–DC converter (IBDC) where single phase shift (SPS) and variable frequency (VF) modulations are combined simultaneously with the purpose of improving the efficiency of the converter applied to the bidirectional [...] Read more.
This article presents a control method for an isolated bidirectional dual active bridge DC–DC converter (IBDC) where single phase shift (SPS) and variable frequency (VF) modulations are combined simultaneously with the purpose of improving the efficiency of the converter applied to the bidirectional charging of electric vehicles batteries. A complete power characterization of the dual active bridge (DAB) converter is carried out. The combined control achieves lossless turn-on and turn-off on the primary bridge for a wide range of output powers. A comparative study of power losses between the traditional SPS control and the combined method proposed here was also carried out. A prototype with an output power of 10 kW was built based on Silicon Carbide (SiC) Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFET), with which a peak efficiency close to 99% was obtained, thus verifying the viability of the method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications, Control and Design of Power Electronics Converters)
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23 pages, 11230 KiB  
Article
Oscillation Suppression Strategy of Three-Phase Four-Wire Grid-Connected Inverter in Weak Power Grid
by Guoli Feng, Zhihao Ye, Yihui Xia, Heng Nian and Yunxiang Jiang
Electronics 2023, 12(14), 3105; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12143105 - 17 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1092
Abstract
As the penetration of renewable energy increases year by year, the risk of high-frequency oscillation instability increases when a three-phase, four-wire split capacitor inverter (TFSCI) is connected to the grid with complementary capacitors in weak grids. Compared to the three-phase, three-wire inverter, the [...] Read more.
As the penetration of renewable energy increases year by year, the risk of high-frequency oscillation instability increases when a three-phase, four-wire split capacitor inverter (TFSCI) is connected to the grid with complementary capacitors in weak grids. Compared to the three-phase, three-wire inverter, the TFSCI has an additional zero-sequence current loop. To improve the accuracy of the modeling and stability analysis, the effect of the zero-sequence loop needs to be considered in the impedance-based stability analysis. Therefore, a correlation model considering multi-perturbation variables is first established, based on which the inverter positive, negative, and zero sequence admittance models are derived, solving the difficult problem of impedance modeling under small perturbations. Secondly, an admittance remodeling strategy based on a negative third-order differential element and a second-order generalized integrator (SOGI) damping controller is proposed, which can improve the stability of positive, negative, and zero-sequence systems simultaneously. Finally, the effectiveness of the oscillation suppression strategy is verified by simulation and experiment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications, Control and Design of Power Electronics Converters)
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21 pages, 7955 KiB  
Article
Analysis and Suppression of Rectifier Diode Voltage Oscillation Mechanism in IPOS High-Power PSFB Converters
by Fei Sun, Jun Chen, Xinchun Lin and Dongchu Liao
Electronics 2023, 12(13), 2871; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12132871 - 29 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1621
Abstract
Parasitic oscillations in the rectifier diode voltage of phase-shifted-full-bridge (PSFB) converters limit their application in high-voltage and high-power situations. The conventional analysis method for parasitic oscillation in rectifier diode voltage in PSFB converters treats the filter inductor as a constant current source and [...] Read more.
Parasitic oscillations in the rectifier diode voltage of phase-shifted-full-bridge (PSFB) converters limit their application in high-voltage and high-power situations. The conventional analysis method for parasitic oscillation in rectifier diode voltage in PSFB converters treats the filter inductor as a constant current source and fails to consider the impact of changes in filter inductor current on the rectifier diode’s parasitic oscillation. Consequently, this approach does not apply when analyzing the rectifier diode voltage’s parasitic oscillations in high-power PSFB converters employing an input-parallel output-series (IPOS) configuration with interleaved drive. This research paper introduces an innovative equivalent circuit model for analyzing the parasitic oscillations of rectifier diode voltage in IPOS high-power PSFB converters. The model takes into account the mutual influence of rectifier diode voltage oscillations between submodules under interleaved control, considering the influence of changes in filter inductor current on rectifier diode parasitic oscillation. Based on the circuit model, we explain the mechanism of multiple oscillations of the rectifier diode voltage and the reason for the high peak of the first oscillation. Consequently, the interplay of rectifier diode voltage oscillations in IPOS high-power k-module PSFB converters under interleaved control is analyzed. To mitigate the adverse effects of rectifier diode voltage parasitic oscillation, a buffering strategy involving the connection of a resistor capacitor diode (RCD) circuit in parallel after the rectifier bridge is adopted, considering the structure of the IPOS high-power PSFB converter. The study provides a detailed analysis of the circuit’s operation mechanism upon incorporating the RCD buffer circuit and establishes the relationship between buffer capacitance, resistance, and spike voltage. Furthermore, a design method for buffer capacitors and discharge resistors in buffer circuits is presented. Finally, a 100 kW prototype is tested to verify the rectifier diode voltage oscillation mechanism of the IPOS high-power PSFB converter and the rationality of the buffer capacitor and discharge resistor design method under the interleaved drive approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications, Control and Design of Power Electronics Converters)
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14 pages, 3052 KiB  
Article
Model Predictive PI Circulating Current Control for Modular Multilevel Converter
by Yaoxi Jiang, Wentao Wang, Hongchun Shu and Junjie Zhang
Electronics 2023, 12(12), 2690; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12122690 - 15 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1409
Abstract
Significant circulating currents in the modular multilevel converter (MMC) increase system losses and complicate heat-sink design. Conventional PI and PR controllers can achieve steady-state error adjustment, but are sensitive to parameter changes and model uncertainty, heavily relying on coordinate transformations and careful design [...] Read more.
Significant circulating currents in the modular multilevel converter (MMC) increase system losses and complicate heat-sink design. Conventional PI and PR controllers can achieve steady-state error adjustment, but are sensitive to parameter changes and model uncertainty, heavily relying on coordinate transformations and careful design of model parameters. Model predictive control (MPC) has the characteristics of simple design, good robustness, and excellent dynamic response; however, it encountered the complexity of adjusting weighting factors. This paper proposed circulating the current model predictive proportional integral control (MPPIC) method in abc reference frame. This hybrid control solution utilized the predictive model and traditional PI algorithm to combine the advantages of nonlinear and linear control. Compared with existing suppression methods, this method avoided complex mathematical operations and a selection of weight coefficients, was easy to implement, and can effectively suppress circulating currents under different modulation ratios. Simulations were conducted on MATLAB/Simulink to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy. MPPIC can not only distinctly suppress the circulating currents, but also reduce the overall voltage fluctuation of sub-modules capacitors under different modulation ratios, and had almost no any adverse effect on the performance of MMC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications, Control and Design of Power Electronics Converters)
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