A power factor controller for three-phase PWM rectifiers and shunt active power filters

This paper describes a three-phase switching converter, acting as a PWM rectifier (PWMR) and/or as an active power filter (APF). A resonant current controller (RCC) for a sinusoidal input current is involved. This new pulse modulation allows an efficiently control of the converter maximum switching frequency which slightly depend on the electrical load, input passive filter or mains parameters. The converter provides controllable DC link voltage and a high power factor. A simple voltage controller is developed based on the power balance concept. Its structure and synthesis is generalised to perform both functions (APF-PWMR modes) by anticipating the active power needed on the DC side and without adding any modification to the control circuit. Simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness and performances of the proposed control methods, both in steady-state and transient conditions.