Evaluation of semiconductor losses and efficiency in single-phase multilevel multistate switching cells based PFC rectifiers

Multilevel multistate switching cell-based rectifiers have been presented as interesting alternatives for modern power electronics applications. Due to their modular nature, it is possible to build such converters with various semiconductor legs, which results in different performance levels, assembly complexity and cost. This paper presents a theoretical evaluation of how the number of legs influences the semiconductor losses in two particular situations, where switching frequency and apparent frequency are paramount parameters in the design. Experimental results of a 1.5-kW single-phase multilevel multistate switching cell-based rectifier with two semiconductor legs are presented.