Teaching of Power Quality

Phenomenon Based on
Modeling and Simulation of
Boost Type PFC Converters
NACI GENÇ, İRES İSKENDER
Department of Electrical-Electronics Engineering, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey

Received 19 January 2009; accepted 16 July 2009

ABSTRACT: The aim of this work is to introduce the power quality phenomenon to
electrical engineering students by modeling and simulation of boost type power factor
correction (PFC) circuits. In the study, after introducing the importance of the power factor, the
methods of improving power factor and the topologies used for single-phase ac
dc boost PFC
are discussed. Then, single-phase boost type PFC converters are analyzed and simulated via
Simplorer 6.0 component-level simulation program. Finally, an experimental setup is designed
for a conventional boost PFC circuit and the results obtained from the experiments are
compared with the simulation ones. By this way, a deeper understanding of power quality is
supplied to electrical engineering students via simulation and experimental studies and
a computer application is integrated into undergraduate power electronics courses. It is
expected that, this work will be useful for students and researchers who are interested in
studying and researching power quality and single-phase boost PFC circuits. ß 2009 Wiley
Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com);
DOI 10.1002/cae.20382

Keywords: boost PFC converters; power quality; Simplorer

INTRODUCTION drives (ASDs), switch-mode power supplies (SMPSs),

uninterrupted power supplies (UPSs), power supplies
Most electronic equipments are supplied by 50 or for telecommunication systems, measurement and test
60 Hz utility power supplies, and almost in all of equipments, etc.
them power is processed through some kinds of The input stage of many power supplies consist of
power converters such as ac
dc. ac
dc conversion of a bridge rectifier followed by a large filter capacitor.
electric power is widely used in adjustable-speed These devices draw pulses of current from the ac
network as shown in Figure 1. The generated periodic
Correspondence to N. Genç ([email protected]). discontinuous current involves fundamental and
ß 2009 Wiley Periodicals Inc. odd harmonics components. These harmonics cause

1
2 GENÇ AND İSKENDER

Figure 1 Nonlinear load and the input ac line current.

problems for the power distribution systems. In series, and hybrid active filters) and PFC circuits
addition, the harmonic contents of the pulsating (boost, buck, flyback etc. dc
dc converters).
current cause additional losses and dielectric stresses An active filter eliminates current harmonics and
in capacitors and cables resulting in increasing peak improves the power quality for power electronic
currents in windings of rotating machinery, trans- equipments (nonlinear load). It senses the nonlinear
formers, and bringing about unwanted operations of load current or voltage waveforms and regulates the
relays and problems in firing of the semiconductor input supply current. Since the active filters are more
devices and electromagnetic interference (EMI) [1
5]. expensive and need a complicated control circuit, they
In absence of the power factor correction circuits, are generally used for high power three-phase systems
the input rectifier with a capacitive filter circuit draws [5,6].
pulsating currents from the utility grid and thus results A PFC converter inserted between line and
in poor power quality and high harmonic contents that nonlinear load (Fig. 2) provides both stable dc voltage
adversely affect other users fed from the same grid. at the output and high power factor at the input.
A large amount of harmonics in the current This capability makes PFC converters an extremely
pollutes the utility grid and affects the other users fed attractive choice for power supplies and other ac
dc
from the same line. This situation has drawn the power conversion applications because of increasing
attention of regulatory organizations around the concerns about power quality and meeting the guide-
world. The publition of specific national and interna- lines of various power quality regulations and stand-
tional standards (such as, IEC 1000-3-2, IEC 1000-3- ards. Therefore, PFC is an important area of study and
4, and IEEE 519-1992) becomes one aspect of most research in power electronics. Since PFC converters
important issue to arrange this problem and to trust supply the requirements of a large number of
the power electronic industry. It encourages the applications, several topologies and control strategies
researchers to develop more efficient power electronic have been evaluated and developed to meet the
system to comply with these standards. specifications of the target application [7
13].
Passive filters (inductor in the input circuit) can The boost type topology is the most popular
also be used to improve the power factor. If the configuration because it can provide dc grid voltage
inductor is sufficiently large, it stores sufficient (385
400 V) at the output for ASDs, SMPSs, UPSs,
energy to maintain the rectifiers in conduction mode measurement and test equipments, etc. The input
throughout the whole of their half cycle and reduces current of the boost type is the inductor current and is
the harmonic distortion caused by discontinuous therefore easily programmed by current mode control.
conduction of these rectifiers. The inductors used
in passive correctors are large and bulky due to their
operation at the ac mains frequency. A practical
passive filter reduces the harmonic contents of the
current and improves the power factor substantially,
but it does not eliminate the problem completely. For
this reason, active power factor correction methods
have been improved.
It is generally accepted that the most effective
way to correct the poor power factor of electronic
power supplies is to use an active approach method. Figure 2 The PFC circuit inserted between nonlinear load
This approach includes both active filters (shunt, and ac grid.
 BOOST TYPE PFC CONVERTERS 3

The input current also has smooth waveform espe- circuits and cannot be used to analyze all types of
cially at continuous conduction mode (CCM) result- power electronic circuits.
ing in much less EMI and reduced input filtering There are also some other commercially programs
requirements. that are able to simulate power electronics circuits.
Due to the above-mentioned advantages, the Using the schematic editors of some programs such as
conventional boost type and improved boost type PSPICE, Matlab/Simulink, Simplorer, it is possible to
PFC circuits have been proposed in the literature to carry out the simulation of the proposed electronic
improve power quality at input ac mains in terms of circuit. Though these programs are very user friend,
high power factor and low THD with well-regulated some of them have limited features in analyzing and
output dc voltage. In addition, the interleaved simulating the power electronic circuits. PSPICE
technique has been developed for medium and high program, developed by Cadence Company (Berkeley,
power applications [14
22]. Applying interleaved CA), serves as a general circuit simulation software
technique to the boost type topologies both improves tool for power system analysis. This program has a
the power rating of a converter and reduces the input library including components with the same specifica-
current ripple. tions of those of real components and it is easy to use it
Computer-based education method is frequently with a successful interface. Since this program does not
used for training most of the engineering disciplines include all types of electronic components and also
such as electronics, mechanics, and computer [23,24]. it is not possible to embed a software functional box
Computer-based education can be used in some in this program, it is difficult to use it in control of
courses in which laboratory education is important the electronic circuits. Matlab/Simulink, developed
such as power electronics. Since experimental educa- by Mathworks, Inc. (Natick, MA), Inc., is the other
tion of power electronics courses have some draw- software package which is used to simulate the power
backs such as, probable risks of electrical accidents in electronic circuits. Due to existence of control
laboratory for students and breaking down of circuit toolboxes in this program the simulation of control of
equipment due to misuse, using simulator for power power electronics circuits can be possible and
electronics courses will be more suitable. This also performed. Since this program includes all branches
decreases the spending time and cost for the power of electrical and electronics engineering, it has
electronics education. With a suitable simulator, complicated structure. Simplorer program has an
design, and development of power electronics circuits advanced structure with toolboxes of controllers
could be easier, shorter, and low-cost [25]. In a like Matlab/Simulink. Since this program has been
computer simulation, currents and voltages of all designed to simulate power circuits, it is simple and not
circuit elements can be examined and more effective complicated. The most important feature of this
results than a laboratory experiment can be obtained. program is that it includes the power analyzers and
In most power electronics experimental setups there equation blocks. By this way, it is easy for student to
are needed to use high cost power measurement write software codes in the equation blocks to control
devices which may not be provided for each student or the circuit and use the power analyzer blocks to observe
may not always be present at a laboratory. Due to the circuit waveforms. This program also has the
these reasons, using a suitable simulator program models of real power electronic components produced
during the power electronics education process will by manufacturers. Simplorer program is more suitable
help students to learn and develop power electronic to be used in simulating the power electronic circuits
circuits and improve the education quality of power and due to this feature of Simplorer, it is used in power
electronics courses. electronics courses (Power Electronics-I, II courses
In recent years there have been released many at third year and Industrial Electronics course at
software programs used in the simulation of power fourth year) at Electrical-Electronics Engineering
electronics circuits. Some studies have been done to Department of Gazi University. The students taking
produce educational tools including graphical inter- the above-mentioned courses in our university are able
face. The ‘‘Power Lab,’’ which describes the working to simulate the experimental setups of laboratory (such
principle of dc motors and ac/dc converters, is as PFC and active power filters, etc.) using Simplorer
introduced in Ref. [23]. The training/educational program and compare the simulation results with those
module given in Ref. [26] performs the analysis of obtained from the experiments. This (performing the
Power Electronics Converters to support traditional simulation of the experiments of the courses and
classroom education. Though these tools help students comparing the simulation and experimental results)
to learn the operational principals of power elec- increases the efficiency of the course and this is verified
tronics circuits; they are limited with a number of by the students who are taking these courses.
4 GENÇ AND İSKENDER

Figure 3 Unidirectional boost type PFC topologies used in medium and high power
applications: (a) Conventional single-switch, (b) Bridgeless, (c) Two-leg interleaved-boost
type.

In this study, the generally used boost type via simulation and experimental studies of boost
and interleaved boost type PFC topologies (Figs. 3 type PFC circuits. A computer application is also
and 4) are introduced and compared. Then, the integrated into undergraduate power electronics
mathematical modeling of the conventional single courses.
switch boost type and two-leg interleaved boost
type topologies are given. After that, the boost type
and interleaved boost type PFC topologies are BOOST TYPE PFC TOPOLOGIES
simulated via Simplorer that is a component-level
simulation package program. Finally, an experi- A large number of PFC configurations have been
mental setup is designed for a conventional boost evolved to suit requirements of different applications
PFC circuit and the results obtained from the experi- while maintaining a high level of quality at the input
ments are compared with the simulation ones. By this ac source and output dc loads. This section contains
way, it is aimed to give a deeper understanding the generally used boost type topologies (Figs. 3
of power quality to electrical engineering students and 4) for PFC applications.

Figure 4 Bidirectional boost type PFC topologies used in medium and high power
applications: (a) half-bridge, (b) full-bridge, (c) interleaved half-bridge, and (d) interleaved
full-bridge boost type.
 BOOST TYPE PFC CONVERTERS 5

Unidirectional Boost Type PFC Topologies conventional boost cell topology are the elimination
of the diode bridge cell and reducing number of
The topologies shown in Figure 3 are called unidirec-
switches at any time.
tional boost type configurations since the power
The main disadvantage of the half bridge and full
flow in these configurations is in one direction. The
bridge rectifier is the need for a large inductor to
boost type topology (Fig. 3a) is the most popular
reduce the input current ripple and the current stress
configuration used in medium power applications.
on the switches. In the half bridge topologies (half
Since this topology includes only one controllable
bridge and interleaved half bridge) the output voltage
switch, its control circuit is simple. However, the
Vo is at least twice the peak value of the input voltage.
switch has to be capable of carrying the load current
Thus, for a 230 V (rms) input voltage range, the
and this makes this topology unsuitable at higher
output voltage will be greater than 650 V. For this
power ratings.
reason, high-voltage rated semiconductor components
The converter shown in Figure 3b is a well-known
and passive elements are needed. Therefore, the half
bridgeless topology and is used in medium power
bridge topologies are suitable for low ac voltage
applications. The main advantage of this topology
range (50
110 V rms). Another disadvantage of the
compared to the conventional single-switch boost
half bridge topologies is that the voltage across the
topology is that the front end diode bridge of the
capacitors Co1 and Co2 are not always equal in steady-
conventional type is eliminated. Therefore, the
state [14]. This inequality causes imbalance and
number of the switches carrying current at any time
affects the performance of the topology. The full
is reduced. However, using two controllable switches
bridge topologies (full bridge and interleaved full
in this type topology increases the cost compared to
bridge) which use only one capacitor at the output are
the conventional type.
more suitable for high power applications than the
The interleaved boost type topology (Fig. 3c) is
half bridge one.
used to improve the power rating of the conventional
boost converter and to reduce the higher frequency
ripple of the input current which is an important
MATHEMATICAL MODELING AND
advantage of this type topology. However, using more
CONTROL METHOD
controllable switches increases the cost and causes the
control circuit to be more complicated compared to
In this section, the mathematical modeling of the
the conventional type.
conventional boost PFC and the two-leg interleaved
boost PFC topology (Fig. 3a and c) operating in
continuous conduction mode (CCM) are obtained.
Bidirectional Boost Type PFC Topologies
Also, the average current control method (Fig. 5)
Bidirectional boost rectifiers (Fig. 4) are widely applied to these topologies is investigated.
used in high power factor correction applications. The mathematical models of the circuits are
The advantages of these topologies compared to the obtained in form of first-order differential equation

Figure 5 Average current control method applied to boost PFC circuit using Simplorer 6.0.
6 GENÇ AND İSKENDER

using Kirchhoff’s and Ohm’s laws. The state variables
¼ B1 d 1 þ B2 d 2

B ð5Þ
of the system are taken as inductor current and the
capacitor voltage. Under normal operating conditions

X
X_ ¼ A
þB

U
ð6Þ
the supply can be modeled as a sinusoidal voltage
source with peak value of Vmax and line frequency of f. where d1 represents the duty-cycle corresponding
The instantaneous voltage is to on time and d2 represents the ‘‘1-duty cycle’’
Vin ðtÞ ¼ Vmax sin ot ð1Þ corresponding to the off time of the semiconductor
switch (d2 ¼ 1
d1). Vg is the rectified input voltage.
where o ¼ 2pf electrical radians/second and t is the Using Equations (4)
(6) the state matrices can be
instantaneous time in second. The following assump- given as
tions are made in deriving the mathematical models of " #

ð1
d1 Þ
the circuits in parts A and B.
¼ 0 L
A 1
d1
1 ð7Þ
Co Ro Co
1. The inductor and the capacitors used in the
circuit are ideal.
1
2. The semiconductor switches are ideal.
¼
B L ð8Þ
0
3. The load of the converter is Ro.

U ¼ ½Vg  ð9Þ
The Mathematical Mode of the Boost
PFC Topology At steady state operation, the state variables of the
system can be written as Equation (10)
The mathematical model of the converter is derived 2 3 " #
and given by Equations (2) and (3) [4] diL
ð1
d1 Þ

1
4 dt 5 ¼ 0 L iL
2 3 " #

 1
d1
1 þ L ½Vg  ð10Þ
diL 1
dVo Vo 0
0 0 iL dt Co Ro Co
4 dt 5 ¼ þ L ½Vg 

1
dVo 0 Ro C o V o 0 ð2Þ From Equation (10), the relationship between duty
dt
cycle and time, and also the relationship between the
state 1 ðSwitch is ONÞ
inductor value and duty-cycle for the same current
2 di 3 ripple (diL) can be obtained and shown in Figure 6.
L " #

1 (Fig. 6 is obtained for a boost PFC converter that has

1
6 dt 7 0 L iL
4 5¼ 1
1 þ L ½Vg  220 V-rms 50 Hz input voltage, 390 V output voltage,
dVo Co Ro Co Vo 0 ð3Þ 50 kHz switching frequency and 300 W output power
dt ratings.)
state 2 ðSwitch is OFFÞ As seen from Figure 6, when duty cycle is
changed in time the required inductor value to obtain
A1 and B1 can be used for state-1; A2 and B2 can be
the same inductor current ripple is also changed.
used for state-2; So,
Therefore, in designing of PFC converters the

¼ A1 d1 þ A2 d 2
A ð4Þ inductor value corresponding to the worst case of

Figure 6 The relationship between: (a) duty cycle and time and (b) inductor value and
duty cycle for a boost PFC circuit.
 BOOST TYPE PFC CONVERTERS 7

Figure 7 Inductor currents waveforms: (a) for Vo/2 < Vinmax and (b) for Vo/2 > Vinmax.

operation which occurs at minimum duty cycle should diL2 Vin vo

be considered. ¼

dt L2 L2

The Mathematical Mode of the Interleaved dVo iL1 þ iL2 vo io

¼


Boost PFC Topology dt Co Ro Co Co

The relation between the output voltage (Vo) and input X_ 2 ¼ A2 X

þ B2 U


voltage (Vin) determines the states of the switches
(Vo/2 < Vinmax and Vo/2 > Vinmax states are investigated Mode 3:
separately). Since the input voltage applied to the PFC diL1 Vin vo
converter varies from 0 to Vinmax, two different states ¼

dt L1 L1
occur. Figure 7 and Table 1 represent these conditions.
For different conditions of operation the state-
diL2 Vin
space equations of the topology can be obtained as ¼
dt L2
follows [4,18]:
For Vo/2 < Vinmax:
dVo iL1 vo io
Mode 1: ¼


dt Co Ro Co Co
diL1 Vin
¼
dt L1 X_ 3 ¼ A3 X

þ B3 U

diL2 Vin vo Mode 4:

¼

dt L2 L2 diL1 Vin vo
¼

dt L1 L1
dVo iL2 vo io
¼


dt Co Ro Co Co diL2 Vin vo
¼

dt L2 L2
X_ 1 ¼ A1 X

þ B1 U


dVo iL1 þ iL2 vo io
Mode 2: ¼


dt Co Ro Co Co
diL1 Vin vo
¼

dt L1 L1 X_ 4 ¼ A4 X

þ B4 U

Table 1 Operating Modes of Interleaved Boost PFC for CCM

Operating modes Conducting switches
Vo/2 < Vinmax (D < 0.5) Vo/2 > Vinmax (D > 0.5)

Mode 1: (0 < t < d1Ts) M1, Do2: ON M1, Do2: ON

Mode 2: [d1Ts < t < (d1 þ d2)Ts] Do1, Do2: ON M1, M2: ON
Mode 3: [(d1 þ d2)Ts < t < (d1 þ d2 þ d3)Ts] M2, Do1: ON M2, Do1: ON
Mode 4: [(d1 þ d2 þ d3)Ts < t < (d1 þ d2 þ d3 þ d4)Ts] Do1, Do2: ON M1, M2: ON
8 GENÇ AND İSKENDER

2 3
Using the equations given in the modes, the state 0 0
d4
variables can be given as 6 L1 7

¼60
d2 7
A 4 0 5 ð18Þ
2
ð1
d1 Þ
3 L2
0 0 d4 d2
1
6 L Co Co Ro Co

ð1
d3 Þ 7
1

¼6 0
A 0 7 ð11Þ
4 L2 5 2
1 3
1
d1 1
d3
1 0
Co Co Ro C o L

¼ 6
11 07
B 4 L2 5 ð19Þ
2
1 3 0
1
1 L 0 Co

¼6
B 4
1 075 ð12Þ
L2 Various control strategies can be implemented to PFC

1
0 Co circuits. The average current control method (shown
in Fig. 5) is introduced as the most popular strategy in
2 3
iL1 the literature. This control scheme ensures regulated

¼ 4 iL2 5
X ð13Þ dc output voltage with a high input power factor. The
Vo output dc voltage regulator generates a current signal,
which is the amount of current required to regulate the

 output voltage to its reference value. The output of
Vin
U¼ ð14Þ the dc voltage regulator is then multiplied with the
0
sample of input voltage to generate an input current
2 Vin
3 reference. This current reference has the magnitude to
2 3 2 maintain the output dc voltage close to its reference
i L1 6 2Ro ð1
D Þ 7
6 Vin 7 value and has the shape and phase of the input
Xss ¼
½A
1 ½B½U ¼ 4 iL2 5 ¼ 6 7
6 2Ro ð1
D2 Þ 7
4 2Ro Vin ð1
DÞ 5 voltage. The inductor current is sensed and filtered by
Vo
a current error amplifier whose output drives a PWM
2Ro ð1
D2 Þ
modulator. In this way the inner current loop tends
ð15Þ to minimize the error between the average input
current iL and its reference. In this study, the average
where X ss is the steady-state value of variable X
current control method is used in controlling the PFC
and
topologies.

¼ A1 d 1 þ A2 d 2 þ A3 d 3 þ A4 d 4
A In the control method, there is needed to take a
sample from the input voltage. This sample may be

¼ B1 d 1 þ B2 d 2 þ B3 d 3 þ B4 d 4
B directly taken from the input voltage, vin, and can be
presented by Equation (20) [13]
1 ¼ d1 þ d2 þ d3 þ d4
Vin ðtÞ
uðtÞ ¼ ð20Þ
d4 ¼ d2 ; d3 ¼ d1 ; d1 þ d2 ¼ 0:5; d1 Vinmax
¼ D; d2 ¼ 0:5
D A proportional integral (PI) voltage controller is
selected for zero steady-state error in dc voltage
Thus, steady-state expressions of input/output regulation. The output voltage, vo is sensed and
voltage and current values can be derived as compared with the set reference voltage, vo . The
follows: resulting voltage error at the nth sampling instant is
Vo 2Ro ð1
DÞ vev(n),
¼ ð16Þ
Vin 2Ro ð1
DÞ2 vevðnÞ ¼ vo
voðnÞ ð21Þ

The output of the PI regulator at the nth sampling

Io 2Ro ð1
DÞ2 instant of the PI controller is vpi(n),
¼ ð17Þ
Iin 2Ro Vin ð1
DÞ
vpiðnÞ ¼ vpiðn
1Þ þ Kp fvevðnÞ
vevðn
1Þ g þ Ki vevðnÞ
For Vo/2 > Vinmax:
ð22Þ
Applying the same procedure used above, the
state variables for this case of operation can be found where Kp and Ki are the proportional and integral gain
as constants, respectively.
 BOOST TYPE PFC CONVERTERS 9

SIMULATION RESULTS results are given in Figures 8
12 and Table 3. The
AND DISCUSSIONS component details used in simulations are given in
Table 2.
The mathematical model of a converter can be solved As seen from Figures 8a and 9a, the input ripple
using non-component-level software such as Cþþ. of the boost PFC topology is less than that of the
However, a more detailed simulation of a converter bridgeless PFC topology. Therefore, it can be said that
system can be analyzed using a component-level a larger inductor value is needed for bridgeless
simulation package program such as Simplorer. A PFC topologies. Figure 8c shows the power analyzer
component-level simulation package offers detailed results of the Simplorer program. This feature of the
models of semiconductor devices used in the program is used for all simulations and Table 3 is
construction of power circuits compared to the non- filled in according to this results.
component-level programs. Since a lot of various Figure 10a shows the input voltage and
components are modeled, a component-level simu- current waveforms of the two-leg interleaved boost
lation can provide deeper insight into the operation PFC topology. As seen from the result, the amplitude
of individual devices in a converter system. While of input current ripple is lower than that of the
component-level simulation can be useful in design- conventional boost PFC circuit. Figure 10b shows
ing and testing a sub circuit, it is generally difficult to the detailed inductors’ currents and the total
simulate a complex circuit such as a PFC converter. current (sum of inductors’ currents) of the two-leg
In this section, all boost type topologies discussed interleaved circuit. From this result, it is seen that
above are simulated via Simplorer 6.0 program and the ripple of the total input current is lowered
the simulation results are compared. The simulation compared to that of the each inductor current. This

Figure 8 Simulation results of boost PFC topology: (a) input voltage and (20*) input
current waveforms (Iin-rms ¼ 1.42); (b) inductor current waveform; and (c) power and FFT
analyzer of the Simplorer for boost PFC topology.
10 GENÇ AND İSKENDER

Figure 9 Simulation results of bridgeless PFC topology: (a) input voltage and (20*)
input current (Iin-rms ¼ 1.41) and (b) output voltage waveforms.

is obtained by phase shifting each cell of the To verify the simulation results of boost PFC
converter by 1808. This feature is the same as for converter shown in Fig. 5 (output power 300 W, input
the interleaved type of other topologies (shown in ac voltage of 220 V-rms) an experiment was carried
Fig. 12). out in the laboratory using a UCC28019 commercial
In the half bridge topologies (Figs. 11a and 12a) PFC controller IC. The results of this experiment are
the output voltage Vo is at least twice the peak value of shown in Figures 13 and 14. The components used in
the input voltage. Thus, for a 230 V (rms) input the experimental prototype are the same as those of
voltage range, the output voltage will be greater the corresponding simulation circuit.
than 650 V. For this reason, high-voltage rated semi- Figure 14 is corresponding to the same experi-
conductor components and passive elements are mental circuit. The difference between Figures 13
needed. Therefore, the half bridge topologies are and 14 is in the input ac voltage level. In Figure 13
suitable for lower ac voltage range (50
110 V rms). the input voltage level is 220 V, but it is 110 V for
However, the half bridge topologies have lower THD Figure 14. For the same output power (300 W) the
value. input current increases when the input voltage
The two-leg interleaved boost topology is also decreases from 220 Vrms to 110 Vrms. As seen from
simulated for 600 W output power using the same Figure 14, when the input voltage is decreased the
inductor value used for 300 W operations. The results THD of the input current is improved. This is due to
of this simulation show that the THD of this topology increasing the duty-cycle and increasing the input
is 4.9% which is lower than 6.2% for 300 W. This is current of the converter.
due to inductor current value of interleaved topology The following results may be obtained by
which is about half of that of the corresponding analyzing the results obtained from the simulation
conventional topology. and the experimental studies:

Figure 10 Simulation results of two-leg interleaved boost PFC: (a) input voltage and
(20*) input current (Iin-rms ¼ 1.40) and (b) L1, L2 inductor current waveforms (each
inductor is phase shifted by 1808).
 BOOST TYPE PFC CONVERTERS 11

Figure 11 Simulation results of: (a) half bridge PFC input voltage and (20*) input
current (Vin-rms ¼ 110 V, Iin-rms ¼ 2.83 A) and (b) full bridge PFC input voltage and (20*)
input current (Vin-rms ¼ 220 V, Iin-rms ¼ 1.49 A) waveforms.

1. There is no significant difference among power 5. Since the half bridge topologies are operated
factors corresponding to different topologies. with low ac line voltage, they have lower THD
2. The THDs of different converters are different. value.
3. The power conversion capacity of interleaved 6. The main disadvantage of the half bridge
topology of each converter is higher than that of topologies is that they are only suitable for
the corresponding converter. low input supply voltages (50
110 V-rms).
4. The THD of interleaved converters can be 7. The number of components (actually control-
improved by increasing the operating frequency lable switches) used in a circuit is another
or using large inductors. important issue for designers. Therefore, it can

Figure 12 Simulation results of: (a) interleaved half bridge PFC input voltage and (20*)
input current (Vin-rms ¼ 110 V, Iin-rms ¼ 2.8 A) and (b) interleaved full bridge PFC input
voltage and (20*) input current (Vin-rms ¼ 220 V, Iin-rms ¼ 1.44 A) waveforms.

Table 2 System Components Used in the Simulation Studies

Parameters simulation For non-interleaved circuits topologies For interleaved circuits topologies
Input voltage 110 and 220 V ac, 50 Hz 110 and 220 V ac, 50 Hz
Output voltage 390 V 390 V
Switching frequency 100 kHz 100 kHz
Output power 300 W 300 W
Inductance 1 mH 2 mH (for each)
Capacitance 470 mF 470 mF
12 GENÇ AND İSKENDER

Table 3 Comparison of System Components and Results

No. of No. of
Name No. of switches used inductors used capacitors used pf THD (%)
Unidirectional boost PFC circuits
Conventional boost PFC 1 switch þ 1 fast diode þ 1 1 1 0.994 6.69
diode-bridge
Bridgeless PFC 2 switches þ 2 fast diodes 1 1 0.995 7.1
Interleaved boost PFC (2-leg) 2 switches þ 2 fast diode þ 1 2 1 0.990 6.2
diode-bridge
Bidirectional boost PFC circuits
Half bridge PFC 2 switches 1 2 0.999 4.52
Full bridge PFC 4 switches 1 1 0.991 7.91
Interleaved half bridge PFC 4 switches 2 1 0.996 3.7
Interleaved full bridge PFC 6 switches 2 2 0.99 5.8

Figure 13 Experimental results of input voltage and current waveforms for 220 V-rms
input voltage. [Color figure can be viewed in the online issue, which is available at
www.interscience.wiley.com.]
 BOOST TYPE PFC CONVERTERS 13

Figure 14 Experimental results of input voltage and current waveforms for 110 V-rms
input voltage. [Color figure can be viewed in the online issue, which is available at
www.interscience.wiley.com.]

be said that the interleaved full bridge PFC frequency. The half bridge topologies have lower
circuit is more complicated and more expensive THD. The main disadvantage of the half bridge
circuit. topologies is that they are only suitable for low input
supply voltages (50
110 v-rms). The interleaved
full bridge PFC circuit can be used for high power
CONCLUSIONS applications but it has more complicated control
circuit and it is more expensive compared to the other
Different boost PFC topologies were simulated and topologies. Also, an experimental verification was
the results obtained from simulations are compared carried out by developing a conventional boost PFC
for deeper understanding the single phase boost converter prototype and the experimental results were
type PFC topologies. Simulation results show that compared with the simulation ones.
all topologies have nearly the same power factor. But, It has been observed that using component-
there are some differences between the THD of level simulation program helps in developing a detail
different topologies. The interleaved types have understanding of the converter system. Therefore, the
higher THD values compared to the conventional simulation approach of power electronics circuits via
types for the same inductor values and switching component-level simulation programs is suitable for
14 GENÇ AND İSKENDER

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 BOOST TYPE PFC CONVERTERS 15

BIOGRAPHIES

Naci Genç completed his BS in Electrical İres İskender received BSc in Electrical
Education Department from Gazi University, Engineering from Gazi University in 1989,
Ankara. He received his MS in 2002 from Ankara. He received MSc and PhD Degrees
Electrical & Electronics Engineering Depart- in Electrical Engineering from Middle East
ment of Yuzuncu Yil University, Van. He is Technical University in 1991 and 1996,
currently working toward the PhD degree and respectively. From 1989 to 1996 he worked
study as a research assistant at the Gazi as a research assistant in the Electrical and
University, Ankara. His research interests Electronics Engineering Department of Mid-
include power electronics, electric machines, dle East Technical University, Ankara,
renewable energy, solar photovoltaic energy Turkey. Since 1996 he has been with the Department of Electrical
systems and control systems. Engineering, Gazi University, where he is currently an associate
professor. His interests include renewable energy sources, energy
conversion systems, power electronics and electrical machines.