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Advanced Power Electronics Converters: Design, Control and Applications

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2025 | Viewed by 6908

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Talca 3467769, Chile
Interests: multilevel converters; modulations techniques; model predictive control; semiconductors losses

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Guest Editor
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Concepción 4051381, Chile
Interests: current source converters; digital control; modulations techniques; multilevel converters

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Guest Editor
Energy Center, Universidad Catolica de la Santisima Concepcion, Concepcion, Chile
Interests: multilevel converters; HVDC transmission systems; hybrid energy storage systems
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Power converters are essential devices for converting and conditioning electrical power in a controlled and efficient way. There are a wide range of application areas from AC drives, non-conventional renewable energy sources integration, electrical power compensation, battery systems, and electric vehicles to more complex systems such as smart grids, microgrids, etc. Its operation and performance depend on, among other things, the power converter's modulation, synchronization, and control strategy. On the other hand, when there is a hierarchical and distributed control scheme, as in the case of microgrids and smart grids, the communication between the power converters to achieve the different control objectives is also relevant. In general, power converters use digital systems to coordinate their operation in complex systems.

This Special Issue presents relevant developments, tests, and evaluation methodologies of modulation techniques, control strategies, algorithms, and communication, jointly with their implementation in digital systems.

The objective is to report to the community the details of the implementation and validation in digital systems of modulation techniques for two-level converters, multilevel converters, and modular multilevel converters; grid-synchronization algorithms for three-phase or single-phase systems and their applications in weak grids; control strategies for power converters, including linear and non-linear controllers and predictive control, and their application as AC drives, energy integration, power quality, emerging applications, etc.; communication protocols and schemes for power converters, as well as which of these could be replicated in future developments and research of power electronic applications.

Dr. Eduardo Espinosa Neira
Dr. Pedro Eduardo Melín Coloma
Dr. Ricardo Lizana Fuentes
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • power electronics
  • modulation technique
  • multilevel converters
  • multi-modular converters
  • industrial applications
  • model predictive control
  • semiconductors losses
  • digital control

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 20641 KiB  
Article
A Low-Cost Evaluation Tool for Synchronization Methods in Three-Phase Power Systems
by Marcelo E. Reyes, Pedro E. Melin, Eduardo Espinosa, Carlos R. Baier, Cristian Pesce and Benjamín Cormack
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 1176; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15031176 - 24 Jan 2025
Viewed by 732
Abstract
The use of renewable energy sources (RESs) together with energy storage systems (ESSs) allows for smoothing power variations, thus improving power backup capabilities and power quality in the electric power grid. These applications require power converters to transfer energy between the renewable generator [...] Read more.
The use of renewable energy sources (RESs) together with energy storage systems (ESSs) allows for smoothing power variations, thus improving power backup capabilities and power quality in the electric power grid. These applications require power converters to transfer energy between the renewable generator or energy storage and the power grid. In any case, the control algorithm of the power converter requires the synchronization method to provide a correct estimation of the instantaneous voltage of the power grid. This work provides engineers and researchers with an accessible platform at a low cost (less than USD 100) and a methodology for the experimental validation of digital synchronization algorithms as a step before their implementation in grid-connected equipment. The methodology evaluates the performance of the digital algorithms when there are variations in amplitude, frequency, phase, and harmonic content in the emulated three-phase power grid, as well as the execution times (tex), while a digital platform emulates the electrical signals and generates reference signals for the evaluation. To illustrate this proposal, two synchronization algorithms—SRF-PLL and DSOGI-PLL with a low-pass filter—are implemented in a digital controller and tested. The evaluation tool confirms the algorithms’ performance and shows that the execution time of DSOGI-PLL is 91% longer than that of SRF-PLL, which is well known in the literature. Full article
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21 pages, 6129 KiB  
Article
Regulated Power Supply with High Power Factor for Hyperspectral Imaging Applications
by Jose M. Cabrera-Peña, Raquel Leon, Samuel Ortega, Himar Fabelo, Eduardo Quevedo and Gustavo M. Callico
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 1093; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15031093 - 22 Jan 2025
Viewed by 794
Abstract
Illumination is a crucial factor in hyperspectral imaging systems. In this respect, this work is focused on analyzing the influence of the light power source in acquiring hyperspectral images. To this end, a custom regulated power supply was designed and developed. This power [...] Read more.
Illumination is a crucial factor in hyperspectral imaging systems. In this respect, this work is focused on analyzing the influence of the light power source in acquiring hyperspectral images. To this end, a custom regulated power supply was designed and developed. This power supply was then integrated into a hyperspectral acquisition system, and several light stability measurements were conducted. Finally, several parameters related to the stability of the light produced by those systems were extracted using image analysis techniques, and a statistical comparison among the different power supplies was performed. Two commercial power supplies were also analyzed under the same experimental conditions and compared with the proposed power supply. The hyperspectral measurements were conducted using light transmission and reflectance. The results indicate that the proposed power supply performs better than or at least as well as commercial power supplies in terms of light stability. Additionally, this study shows the impact of power supply design on the stability and quality of hyperspectral illumination, especially concerning the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) across different spectral bands. It is shown that optimizing the design of the power supply could improve light stability in hyperspectral imaging applications. Full article
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19 pages, 5230 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Multi-Output Single-Switch Forward Converter in Terms of Cross-Regulation Using Weighted Control Method
by Salih Dindar, Fırat Hardalac, Ertugrul Aksoy and Kubilay Ayturan
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(1), 365; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15010365 - 2 Jan 2025
Viewed by 846
Abstract
In a single-switch forward converter, which is a type of single-input multiple-output (SIMO) DC–DC converter, voltage changes are observed at the outputs due to the current passing through the diodes, the difficulty of winding the transformer in full and half windings, differences in [...] Read more.
In a single-switch forward converter, which is a type of single-input multiple-output (SIMO) DC–DC converter, voltage changes are observed at the outputs due to the current passing through the diodes, the difficulty of winding the transformer in full and half windings, differences in resistance in the windings, the presence of leakage inductance and the existence of common inductance between the windings. These voltage changes are undesirable, and cross-regulation techniques have been developed to keep the outputs at the desired value. One of these techniques, the weighted control method, in which voltage information is received from many outputs, is addressed in this article. The reason we apply this technique is to avoid additional components and their control problems. In addition, this technique is simpler and cheaper than other cross-regulation techniques. In this way, we will contribute to the literature on cross-regulation, showing that cross-regulation remains below 3.33% and circuit efficiency reaches 86.83% by using the weighted control method. Full article
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17 pages, 12420 KiB  
Article
Design and Verification of Multiphase Multilevel Traction Inverter
by Patrik Resutík, Michal Praženica and Slavomír Kaščák
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(22), 10562; https://doi.org/10.3390/app142210562 - 15 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1125
Abstract
The paper presents the practical design and implementation of a three-level neutral point clamped (TNPC) six-phase inverter rated at 100 kVA. The study initiates with prior work review, whereby most research work done earlier was mainly simulation-based. Based on the simulation results, this [...] Read more.
The paper presents the practical design and implementation of a three-level neutral point clamped (TNPC) six-phase inverter rated at 100 kVA. The study initiates with prior work review, whereby most research work done earlier was mainly simulation-based. Based on the simulation results, this paper focuses on the practical aspects of inverter design, such as the development of a power board on an Insulated Metal Substrate, a gate driver board, an interconnect board, and the main control board. An inverter physical prototype has been built and tested at 500 V and 20 kW of output power. The SiC semiconductor technology is the base of the inverter, which represents the main merit of the work. Finally, high power density, compact design, and high efficiency are shown, which are major contributions of the paper. Tests performed proved that the designed converter was operating reliably and efficiently. While a simple Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation (SPWM) control algorithm has been implemented, the overall performance of the inverter showed great promise for higher-power applications. Compact and high-efficiency TNPC converters are developed for meeting increasing demands of advanced energy, automotive, and industrial applications. Full article
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20 pages, 12298 KiB  
Article
High-Definition Dynamic Voltage Restorer Systems Using Equivalent Time Sampling Techniques and Circular Structural Memory Filters
by Jae-ha Ko
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(16), 6896; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14166896 - 6 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1086
Abstract
Due to advances in power electronics technology and the evolution of automation devices, the number of electrical devices that are sensitive to power quality is rapidly increasing, and for this reason, users are increasing their demand for high quality. To meet power quality [...] Read more.
Due to advances in power electronics technology and the evolution of automation devices, the number of electrical devices that are sensitive to power quality is rapidly increasing, and for this reason, users are increasing their demand for high quality. To meet power quality demands, many power conversion devices are used, including dynamic voltage restorers (DVRs). DVRs are recognized as devices that can effectively manage problems such as voltage segments, swells, and harmonics. DVR control requires many samples for harmonic compensation, which has the disadvantage of being complicated to implement due to fast digital signal processing computation and the application of the cyclic discrete Fourier transform. In this paper, a high-precision DVR system configuration is proposed that compensates for harmonics using a periodically equivalent time-interval sampling technique and a novel circular-structured memory filter. The proposed circular-structured multi-pointer memory filter is an effective filter algorithm for high-precision input voltage measurement because it can remove noise and compensate for the delay of the phase angle of the filter in voltage measurement. A simulation and DVR prototype system were built, and the feasibility and effectiveness of the phase angle multi-filter voltage detection method and the compensation method were verified by experiments. Full article
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29 pages, 9137 KiB  
Article
Non-Ideal Push–Pull Converter Model: Trade-Off between Complexity and Practical Feasibility in Terms of Topology, Power and Operating Frequency
by Francisco José Vivas, José Manuel Andújar and Francisca Segura
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(14), 6224; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14146224 - 17 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1520
Abstract
Power converters are the basic elements of any power electronics system in many areas and applications. Among them, the push–pull converter topology is one of the most widespread due to its high efficiency, versatility, galvanic isolation, reduced number of switching devices and the [...] Read more.
Power converters are the basic elements of any power electronics system in many areas and applications. Among them, the push–pull converter topology is one of the most widespread due to its high efficiency, versatility, galvanic isolation, reduced number of switching devices and the possibility of implementing high conversion ratios with respect to non-isolated topologies. Optimal design and control requires very accurate models that consider all the non-idealities associated with the actual converter. However, this leads to the use of high-order models, which are impractical for the design of model-based controllers in real-time applications. To obtain a trade-off model that combines the criteria of simplicity and accuracy, it is appropriate to assess whether it is necessary to consider all non-idealities to accurately model the dynamic response of the converter. For this purpose, this paper proposes a methodology based on a sensitivity analysis that allows quantifying the impact of each non-ideality on the converter behaviour response as a function of the converter topology, power and frequency. As a result of the study, practical models that combine the trade-off between precision and simplicity are obtained. The behaviour of the simplified models for each topology was evaluated and validated by simulation against the most complete and accurate non-ideal model found in the literature. The results have been excellent, with an error rate of less than 5% in all cases. Full article
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