Novel high-power-factor ZCS-PWM preregulators

This paper introduces novel zero-current-switching (ZCS) pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) preregulators based on a new soft-commutation cell, suitable for insulated gate bipolar transistor applications. The active switches in these proposed rectifiers turn on in zero current and turn off in zero current-zero voltage. In addition, the diodes turn on in zero voltage and their reverse-recovery effects over the active switches are negligible. Moreover, based on the proposed cell, an entire family of DC-to-DC ZCS-PWM converters can be generated, providing conditions to obtain naturally isolated converters, for example, derived buck-boost, Sepic and Zeta converters. The novel AC-to-DC ZCS-PWM boost and Zeta preregulators are presented in order to verify the operation of this soft-commutation cell. In order to minimize the harmonic contents of the input current, increasing the AC power factor the average-current-mode control is used, obtaining preregulators with AC power factor near unity and high efficiency at wide load range. The principle of operation, theoretical analysis, design example, and experimental results from test units for the novel preregulators are presented. The new boost preregulator was designed to nominal values of 1.6 kW output power, 220 V_rms input voltage, 400 V_dc output voltage, and operating at 20 kHz. The measured efficiency and power factor of the new ZCS-PWM boost preregulator were 96.7% and 0.99, respectively, with an input current total harmonic distortion (THD) equal to 3.42% for an input voltage with THD equal to 1.61%, at rated load