Robust and reliable rectifier based on electronic inductor with improved performance

Reliability of a power converter depends on voltage and current stresses seen by power semiconductor devices during transient and steady state operation of the power converter. Electronic smoothing inductor (ESI) is an attractive circuit topology to improve power factor and to reduce the total harmonic distortions (THDs) of the ac mains current in a three phase diode bridge rectifier. The ESI reduces the low frequency ripples and controls the intermediate dc-link voltage to a dc value and peak value of the mains current also reduces. In case of an inverter connected to the output of the rectifier, peak to peak voltage ripples to the front end of the inverter reduces significantly by the ESI, and it increases lifetime of the capacitor connected at the output and also reduces the voltage stress of the active power semiconductors of the inverter if any connected to the output. In this paper, an average model of the ESI and its control schemes are also presented.