Name Farwa Jafer,Ramsha Shaukat,Maha Rauf

Reg. No 2014-EE-408,420,494

Power Electronics Lab Simulation Project Report

An Improved ZCT-PWM DC–DC Converter for High-Power and
Frequency Applications

Introduction
Semiconductors utilized in Static Power Converters operate in the switching mode to maximize
efficiency. Switching frequencies vary from 50 Hz in a SCR based AC-DC Phase Angle Controller to over
1.0 MHz in a MOSFET based power supply.

Present day fast converters operate at much higher switching frequencies chiefly to reduce weight and
size of the filter components. As a consequence, switching losses now tend to predominate, causing the
junction temperatures to rise. Special techniques are employed to obtain clean turn-on and turn-off of
the devices. This, along with optimal control strategies and improved evacuation of the heat generated,
permit utilization of the devices with a minimum of deration. The insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT)
has been broadly used as a switching device in high-power industrial applications. The IGBT has high
switching power, low conduction loss, and low cost, but relatively high switching losses. The turn-off
switching loss of the IGBT dominates its switching losses.

Why Snubber is used?

With SCRs’ 'forced commutation' and 'natural (line) commutation' usually described the type of
switching. Both refer to the turn-off mechanism of the SCR, the turn-on dynamics being inconsequential
for most purposes. A protective inductive snubber to limit the turn-on di/dt is usually utilised. For the
SCRs’ the turn-off data helps to dimension the 'commutation components' or to set the 'margin angle'.
Conduction losses account for the most significant part of total losses.

An improved active snubber cell that is especially suitable for an IGBT-PWM converter at high power
and frequency levels is proposed. This snubber cell overcomes most of the drawbacks of the normal
ZCT-PWM converter. The converter with the proposed snubber cell can operate successfully with soft
switching under light-load conditions and at considerably high frequencies.

Operation
The circuit scheme of the improved ZCT-PWM buck converter is shown in Fig. 1. The proposed snubber
cell consists of a resonant inductor , a resonant capacitor and only one auxiliary switch . Both the main
switch and the auxiliary switch consist of an IGBT and its body diode. The auxiliary switch has lower
power rating than the main switch.In the normal ZCT-PWM converter , the main switch is perfectly
turned off under zero-current switching (ZCS) and zero-voltage switching (ZVS) provided by ZCT with a
serial resonance.

The auxiliary switch is turned on with near ZCS. The operation of the circuit is very lightly dependent on
line and load conditions. On the other hand, the main switch is turned on and the main diode is turned
off simultaneously with hard switching, so that a short circuit occurs at the same time. The prevention of
this short circuit causing losses and electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise of large magnitudes is very
diffi cult to realize. Also, the auxiliary switch is turned off with hard switching, and the parasitic
capacitors discharge through their own switches.

Fig.1

Simulated Circuit

Fig.2
Calculations

Output Graphs
Currents:

Fig.3
Voltage:

Fig.4

Fig.5
Gains
1) All of the semiconductor devices operate with soft switching. T1 is perfectly turned off with ZCT, and is
turned on with near ZCS.DF is turned on and off under ZVS.T2 is naturally turned off under ZVS, and is
turned on with near ZCS. Also,D1 and D2 are turned on and off with near soft switching.

2) The circulating energy is minimal. Because one half resonance takes place during both the turn on
and off processes of.

3) The control is very easy. For the control of the converter, it is enough to perform a delay between a
normal PWM signal and its inverse. This delay is about a quarter resonant cycle.

4) The converter is as simple and cheap as the normal ZCT-PWM converter [3]. However, it overcomes
most of the drawbacks of the normal ZCT converter.

5) The converter acts as a conventional PWM converter during most of the time, because during both
the turn on and off processes only one half resonances occurs and the resonant cycle is very short.

6) The converter can operate at wide line and load ranges. Because the turn on and turn off transients
are provided by one half resonance and this resonant cycle is not dependent on the load current.

7) The presented converter does not require any additional passive snubbers.

8) The proposed active snubber cell can be easily applied to the other basic PWM dc–dc converters and
to all switching converters.

Learning Outcomes