Resonance Mode Converters

EE-4108

Resonant Conversion
Resonant power converters contain resonant L-C networks whose voltage and current waveforms vary sinusoidally during one or more subintervals of each switching period.

These sinusoidal variations are large in magnitude, and the small ripple approximation does not apply.
Some types of resonant converters:
dc-to-high-frequency-ac inverters Resonant dc-dc converters Resonant inverters or rectifiers producing line-frequency ac

Zero-Voltage or Zero-Current Switching Converters for soft switching

One Inverter Leg

Output current can be positive or negative

Hard Switching Waveforms

Turn-on and Turn-off Snubbers

Switching Trajectories

Comparison of Hard versus soft switching

Disadvantages of Hard Switching:

Large switching losses that necessitate derating of devices and or reduction in switching frequency.

Large di/dt and dv/dt stresses on the devices.

Large and complex snubber requirements. EMI problems.

A basic class of resonant inverters

Tank network responds only to fundamental component of switched waveforms

Tank current and output voltage are essentially sinusoids at the switching frequency fs. Output can be controlled by variation of switching frequency, closer to or away from the tank resonant frequency

Resonant conversion: advantages

The main advantage of resonant converters: Reduced switching loss due to Zero-current switching; Zero-voltage switching

Turn-on or turn-off transitions of semiconductor devices can occur at zero crossings of tank voltage or current waveforms, thereby reducing or eliminating some of the switching loss mechanisms. Hence, resonant converters can operate at higher switching frequencies than comparable PWM converters Zero-voltage switching also reduces converter-generated EMI Zero-current switching can be used to commutate SCRs In specialized applications, resonant networks may be unavoidable High voltage converters: significant transformer leakage inductance and winding capacitance leads to resonant network

Resonant conversion: disadvantages

Can optimize performance at one operating point, but not with wide range of input voltage and load power variations. Significant currents may circulate through the tank elements, even when the load is disconnected, leading to poor efficiency at light load Quasi-sinusoidal waveforms exhibit higher peak values than equivalent rectangular waveforms. These considerations lead to increased conduction losses, which can offset the reduction in switching loss. Resonant converters are usually controlled by variation of switching frequency. In some schemes, the range of switching frequencies can be very large. Complexity of analysis

Classification Of Resonant Converters

Load resonant converters

Resonant switch converters

Resonant dc link converters High frequency link integral Half cycle converters

Load Resonant Converters

1. Voltage source series resonant converters a) b) c) 2. 3. Series loaded resonant (SLR) converters Parallel loaded resonant (PLR) converter Hybrid resonant converter

Current source parallel resonant converters Class E and sub class E resonant converters

Resonant Switch Converters

1. Resonant Switch dc-dc converters a) Zero current switching (ZCS) converters b) Zero Voltage switching (ZVS) converters 2. Zero Voltage Switching - Clamped Voltage (ZVS-CV) Converters

Undamped Series-Resonant Circuit

The waveforms shown include initial conditions

diL Vd Lr vc dt dvc and iL Cr dt

The solution for the above equations for t t0 is

and

Vd Vc 0 iL (t ) I L 0 cos 0 (t t0 ) sin 0 (t t0 ) Z0
vc (t ) Vd (Vd Vc 0 ) cos 0 (t t0 ) Z0 I L0 sin 0 (t t0 )

Where, 0 = 2f0 = 1/sqrt(LrCr) and characteristic impedance Z0= sqrt(Lr/Cr)

Series-Resonant Circuit with Capacitor-Parallel Load

The waveforms shown include initial conditions

Quality factor Q is defined as

Impedance of a Series-Resonant Circuit

The impedance is capacitive below the resonance frequency

Undamped Parallel-Resonant Circuit

Excited by a current source

Impedance of a Parallel-Resonant Circuit

The impedance is inductive at below the resonant frequency

Derivation of a resonant dc-dc converter

Rectify and filter the output of a dc-high-frequency-ac inverter

The series resonant dc-dc converter

A series resonant link inverter

Same as dc-dc series resonant converter, except output rectifiers are replaced with four-quadrant switches:

Series Load Resonant (SLR) Converter

Transformer is ignored in this equivalent circuit

For iL > 0
T+ conducting D- conducting For iL < 0 T- conducting D+ conducting VAB = - 1/2 Vd VAB = +1/2 Vd VAB = -1/2 Vd + Vo VAB = +1/2 Vd + Vo VAB = +1/2 Vd VAB = -1/2 Vd VAB = +1/2 Vd Vo VAB = -1/2 Vd Vo

The voltage applied across the tank VAB depends on which device is conducting and on the direction of iL

There are three possible modes of operation based on the ratio of switching to resonance frequency.

Discontinuous conduction mode with s < o

In this mode of operation the switches turn off naturally at zero current and at zero voltage, since the inductor current goes through zero. The switches turn on at zero current but not at zero voltage. Also, the diode turns on and turns off at zero current. Since the switches turn off naturally in this mode of operation, it is possible to use thyristors in low switching frequency applications. The disadvantage of this mode is relatively large peak current in the circuit, higher conduction losses, compared to continuous conduction mode.

SLR Converter Waveforms

The operating frequency is below one-half the resonance frequency

SLR Converter 0< s < 0

In this mode the switches turn on at a finite current and voltage thus resulting in turn on switching losses. The freewheeling diodes must have good reverse recovery characteristics to avoid large reverse current spikes. The turn off of switches occurs naturally at zero current and zero voltage. Therefore it is possible to use thyristors as switches in low frequency aplications.

SLR Converter Waveforms 0< s < 0

The operating frequency is in between one-half the resonance frequency and the resonance frequency

SLR Converter s > 0

The switches in this mode are forced to turn-off a finite current but are turned on at zero voltage and zero current. The advantages are: since the turn-on is at zero voltage and current, the diodes need not have very fast reverse recovery characteristics. Further, it is possible to use lossless snubber capacitors for turnoff of switches.

SLR Converter Waveforms s > 0

Operating frequency is above the resonance frequency

Lossless Snubber in SLR Converters s > 0

The operating frequency is above the resonance frequency

SLR Converter Characteristics

Output Current as a function of operating frequency for various values of the output voltage

SLR Converter Control

Operating frequency is varied to regulate the output voltage

 For an input voltage Vd and load resistance, V0 can be regulated by controlling the switching frequency. A constant frequency control can be implemented in a full bridge SLR. The SLR can be used where the output is not a rectified dc; e.g. induction heating where the load appears as a resistance rather than a dc voltage V0

Parallel Load Resonant (PLR) Converter

Isolation transformer is ignored in this equivalent circuit

 PLR converter appears as a voltage source and therefore, more suited for multiple outputs. PLR converter can step up as well as step down the voltage, unlike SLR which can only step down the voltage. PLR converter do not posses inherent short circuit protection capability. A PLR converter can operate in a large no. of combinations consisting of the states of iL and vC. However, only three modes are commonly used. Discontinuous conduction mode S < 0 Continuous conduction mode S < 0 Continuous conduction mode S > 0

PLR Converter Waveforms

The current is in a discontinuous conduction mode

PLR Converter Waveforms

The operating frequency is below the resonance frequency

 Continuous conduction mode S < 0

Results in turn on losses in the PLR converter switches, but there are no turn off losses in the converter switches since the current through them commutates naturally when iL reverses its direction.

Continuous conduction mode S > 0

The switches in this case turn on naturally under ZCS condition when the inductor current iL reverses. This mode results in turn off losses and requires forced commutation. Similar to SLR in this case loss less snubber capacitors can be used to eliminate turn off losses

PLR Converter Waveforms s > 0

The operating frequency is above the resonance frequency

1.

In the discontinuous mode of operation a PLR exhibits good voltage source characteristics and V0 remains independent of i0. Also in this case the output varies linearly with S thus simplifying the output regulation.

2.

In the mode S > 0 the maximum change required in the operating frequency is < 50% to compensate for the output loading for a normalized output voltage of 1.0 It is possible to step-up or step-down the output voltage, i.e., V0 can be less than or greater than 1.0

3.

PLR Converter Characteristics

Output voltage as a function of operating frequency for various values of the output current

Hybrid-Resonant DC-DC Converter

Combination of series and parallel resonance

This is similar to SLR but the load is connected in parallel with a part of the series capacitor e.g. Cr2 is 1/3rd of total capacitance, C and Cr1 is 2/3rd of C. Has inherent current limiting capacity under short ckt. like an SLR and like a PLR acts as a voltage source, thus regulation of voltage to no load with a high Q tank ckt. is not a problem.

Parallel-Resonant Current-Source Converter

(a) Basic Circuit; (b) Phasor diagram at s=0;

(c) Phasor diagram at s >0

Basic circuit illustrates the operating principle at the fundamental frequency Since the square wave input current is generally supplied by a thyristor inverter, the resonant load must supply the capacitive VARs to the inverter. This implies that the load voltage V01 should lag the current I01, which is possible only at frequency S > 0

Parallel-Resonant Current-Source Converter

Using thyristors; for induction heating
To limit di/dt through inverter thyristors, a small inductor Lc is added in series with the resonant load. The inverter output current therefore deviates from its ideal square shape to trapezoidal shape

 The power output of this inverter can be controlled by controlling its frequency.

As the switching frequency fS is raised above the resonance frequency f0, the power output decreases, when Id is held constant by means of a controlled dc supply.
Another possible method is to control Id keeping the switching frequency of the inverter constant. For start-up of a current fed parallel resonant inverter, the load must be in resonance with Cr prior to the inverter operation. This is achieved by means of a precharged capacitor dumping its charge on to the parallel resonant load circuit, thereafter the inverter operation is initiated.

Class-E Converters

A sharply tuned series resonant ckt. results in essentially sinusoidal output current. The input to the converter is through a sufficiently large inductor that ensures the steady state input current is a dc current source Id. The current magnitude depends on the power output. When the switch is on Id + I0 flows through the switch. When the switch is turned off, the voltage across the switch builds up slowly due to C1, thus allowing ZV turn-off. When the switch is off the ckt resonates and the capacitor voltage builds up and reaches the peak and then comes back to zero, at which instant the switch is turned on again. The converter operates at frequency slightly higher than the resonance freq.

Class-E Converters

A high Q 7 is used which results in sinusoidal current; a slight variation in fs is needed to vary the Vo. As fs increases io and therefore vR decreases A small change in fs changes the output voltage.

Avg VT = Vd, avg (VR=VLr=0) D=0.5 Pmax, Ipk 3Id, Vpk 3.5Vd

Optimum mode

Class-E Converters
R< Ropt Vpk decreases with smaller duty ratio, but Ipk increases. Advantages: No switching losses & EMI Single switch topology Sinusoidal output current Disadvantages: High pk voltage and currents in switch and LC elements

Non-Optimum mode

Resonant Switch Converters

Classifications

ZCS Resonant-Switch Converter

One possible implementation

ZCS Resonant-Switch Converter

Waveforms
Voltage is regulated by varying the switching frequency

ZCS ResonantSwitch Converter

A practical circuit

ZVS ResonantSwitch Converter

Serious limitations

ZVS Resonant-Switch Converter

Waveforms

MOSFET Internal Capacitances

These capacitances affect the MOSFET switching

Comparison of ZCS & ZVS resonant switch converters: Both techniques use variable frequency control to regulate output voltage. ZCS: High peak current > Load current (Vd/Z0) For natural turn-off I0 < Vd/Z0

ZVS-CV DC-DC Converter

The inductor current must reverse direction during each switching cycle

ZVS-CV DC-DC Converter

One transition is shown

ZVS-CV Principle Applied to DC-AC Inverters

Very large ripple in the output current

Three-Phase ZVS-CV DC-AC Inverter

Very large ripple in the output current

Output Regulation by Voltage Control

Each pole operates at nearly 50% duty-ratio

ZVS-CV with Voltage Cancellation

Commonly used

Resonant DC Link Inverter (RDCLI)

HARD SWITCHING EFFECTS OF CONVERTER

High Device Switching Loss Or Snubber Loss

Burden on the Converter Cooling System Large Device Stresses

EMI Problems
Effect on Machine Insulation Machine Bearing Current Problem Machine Terminal Overvoltage with Long Cable

Machine

CF

Bearing current icm

Common Mode dv/dt Induced Current through Machine Bearing

Machine Stator Winding Stray Capacitor Coupling to Stator and Rotor by dv/dt Effect

Machine L

Rd C Common mode current Filter

Low-Pass Filter at Machine Terminal to solve dv/dt Induced Problems

Hard and soft switching of power semiconductor devices

Features In Soft-Switched Converters

Reduces switching loss
Softens EMI problem Reduces snubber size or snubber energy recovery

Reduces dv/dt effect on machine insulation

Eliminates machine bearing current Minimizes acoustic noise Eliminates machine terminal overvoltage with long cable Additional converter complexity Additional control complexity Additional losses

Soft-Switching Converter Classification for Motor Drives

Resonant DC-Link Inverter

The dc-link voltage is made to oscillate

With initial current IL0 in inductor, initial voltage VC0 on capacitor and with switch in off state, the capacitor voltage is given by eqn:

vc (t ) (VS Vc 0 ).(1 cos t ) LI L0 sin t Vc 0 )

For zero initial conditions: vc(t) = Vs (1- cos t)
Assuming RL= 0, the switch is closed and the difference of iL and I0 flows through the diode switch combination, current iL builds up linearly. At time t0 with iL = IL0 the switch is turned off at zero voltage. The eqns for the resonant circuit for t > t0 are
iL (t ) I 0 [ Vd'

0 Lr

sin 0 (t t0 ) ( I L 0 I 0 ) cos 0 (t t0 )]

vd (t ) Vd' [0 Lr ( I L 0 I 0 ) sin 0t Vd' cos 0t ] where, 0 1 Lr Cr

Three-Phase Resonant DC-Link Inverter

Several Modifications have been proposed

SOFT-SWITCHED RESONANT LINK DC CONVERTER (RLDC) Actively clamped RDCL inverter

Soft-switched Auxiliary Resonant Commutated Pole (ARCP) Converter

Soft-Switched Resonant Inverter and Waveforms

High Frequency Induction Heating using SIT

Resonant Link dc-dc Converter

HighFrequencyLink Inverter

Basic principle for selecting integral half-cycles of the highfrequency ac input

High-Frequency-Link Inverter

Low-frequency ac output is synthesized by selecting integral half-cycles of the high-frequency ac input

High-Frequency-Link Inverter

Figure shows how to implement such an inverter

High Frequency Resonant Link (ac-HFAC-ac) Power Conversion

Features Of High Frequency Resonant Link (AC-HFAC-AC) Converter

High Frequency Resonant ac Link (Instead Of DC Link) Zero Voltage Soft Switching Needs 12 ac Switches or 6 ac phase legs (24 IGBTs + 24 diodes) Link Frequency is Typically 20 kHz, but can be higher Four-quadrant Speed Control Line Voltage Brown-out Compensation Capability Input DPF Can be Unity, Leading Or Lagging Can be used as Static VAR Generator (SVG) Difficulty of Switching at ZV at High Link Frequency (Quasi Soft Switching) Problem of Link Frequency Drift and Distortion of Waveform Stability Problem at Fast Transient

Why are we interested in resonant mode power conversion? With the earliest switched-mode power converters, it became obvious that higher frequencies allow smaller L's and C's and this, in turn, should lead to smaller, lighter, and (hopefully) less costly systems. The down side to moving to higher frequencies, however, are the problems of greater susceptibility to parasitic capacitance and leakage inductance, greater stress in the switching devices, and increased EMI and RFI. A resonant mode system offers the potential of achieving the benefits while sidestepping many of the disadvantages of higher frequencies.

With a resonant circuit in the power path, the switches can be configured to operate at either zero current or zero voltage points in the waveform, greatly reducing their stress levels; the resonant sine wave minimizes higher frequency harmonics reducing noise levels; and since the circuit now requires inductance and capacitance, parasitic elements may enhance rather than detract from circuit performance. With these benefits, power systems operating in the range of 500 kHz to 2.0 MHz are now practical and in fact are already being produced by a few leading edge manufacturers.

Classifying Resonant Converters

Before attempting to classify resonant converter topologies, it might be helpful to introduce the concept of Resonant Switches. A resonant switch consists of a switching device (e.g., a transistor with a steering diode) in combination with a two-element resonant circuit. This resonant switch may be configured in several different ways, some of which are shown in Figure 1, but they always perform the same function as the conventional switch in a square wave converter. It is a useful concept as most resonant mode circuit topologies can be visualized as a conventional PWM circuit with the power switch replaced with a resonant switch.

Figure 1 Resonant Switches

Figure- 2 PWM vs Resonant Switching

Figure -3 Switching Stress and Switching Loss

Advantages: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Zero current switching Low component stress Low EMI Useful parasitic elements Improved diode recovery

Disadvantages:
1. Greater complexity 2. Higher peak currents 3. New technology learning curve

To bring some order and ease in understanding the broad range of circuit choices which are possible as we move to resonant mode operation, it helps to establish a system to classify resonant topologies by defining the following operating characteristics:

1. Is the load in series or in parallel with the resonant circuit elements? 2. Is the control system a fixed or variable frequency type? 3. Does current ( or voltage) in the resonant circuit flow continuously or is it equal to zero for some portion of the switching cycle? For discontinuous operation, it is also important to know: 4. Is the switching designed for zero current or zero voltage activation, and 5. Does the energy in the resonant circuit flow in only one direction or is there a full cycle before it returns to stop at zero?

Discontinuous Resonance The discontinuous operating mode works by supplying constant packets of energy to the load with the rate, i.e. frequency, determined by load power demand. The most popular and important class of resonant converters with variable frequency and discontinuous current is often called Quasi-Resonance. The general properties of any resonant converter are completely dependent on these options, so they are a good basis to use as a starting point in understanding the principles involved. Series or Parallel Loading Since resonant converters operate by putting energy into a resonant circuit and then transferring some or all of it into the load, There are two ways to accomplish this as shown in Figure 5. If the load is in series with the resonant circuit elements, as in Fig. 5A, we call it a series loaded converter and the operating characteristics tend toward a current source with a high impedance output.

Figure 5 Resonant Mode Loading

Parallel loading is the opposite, with a low impedance voltage source output as shown in Fig. 5B. Both modes have application to power systems with high voltage outputs usually using series loaded current source drive and low voltage supplies using parallel loading, but even within this class there are still many variations in circuit operation.

 Fixed or Variable Frequency Resonant converters may be configured for either constant or variable frequency operation, but these choices infer significant differences in their operation. Fixed frequency control systems use conventional pulse width modulation to change the output in response to a control input, as shown in Figure 6. This forces a fixedfrequency system to have at least one non-zero switching transition and possibly two, thereby voiding one of the more significant reasons for choosing to use a resonant mode topology. This would usually preclude its use unless system considerations required a synchronized frequency operation.

 Variable frequency operation, however, needs to be subdivided by the third classification: whether the resonant circuit current is continuous or discontinuous. A circuit operating in the continuous resonant mode uses the slope of the resonant circuit impedance curve to control the output. As shown in Figure 7, the circuit can operate either above or below resonance but the principle is the same: that the control circuit changes the frequency to move either toward or away from resonance, and thereby controls the amount of energy which is transferred into the resonant circuit and therefore to the load.

While many practical systems have used continuous conduction, variable frequency operation, there are several disadvantages: 1. The non-zero switching adds stress to the transistors. 2. As the frequency approaches resonance, peak currents or voltages can get very high, adding stress to the resonant components. 3. The control transfer function is very nonlinear following the resonant impedance curve.

The major advantage of the continuous mode of operation is that the frequency varies over a much smaller range than with the discontinuous mode.

As indicated in Figure 8, quasi-resonant circuit waveforms are not sinusoidal, but have two essentially linear portions interspersed with two sinusoidal portions. A quasi-resonant converter control loop is usually configured as shown in Figure 9 with a pulse generator driving the resonant circuit at a repetition rate determined by the control circuit. The pulse generator may be set for constant pulse width defined by the resonant circuit or set to sense zero crossing of either current or voltage. With maximum loading and low line voltage, a quasi-resonant converter can approach continuous resonance as a limit when the individual pulses run together .

Fig. - 6 Fixed Frequency Resonance

Fig. 7 Variable Frequency Continuous Resonance

Fig. 8 Quasi-Resonance Definition

Fig. 9 Quasi-Resonant Control