Two new families of high-gain DC-DC power electronic converters for DC-microgrids
"Distributing the electric power in dc form is an appealing solution in many applications such as telecommunications, data centers, commercial buildings, and microgrids. A high gain dc-dc power electronic converter can be used to individually link low-voltage elements such as solar panels, fuel cells, and batteries to the dc voltage bus which is usually 400 volts. This way, it is not required to put such elements in a series string to build up their voltages. Consequently, each element can function at it optimal operating point regardless of the other elements in the system. In this dissertation, first a comparative study of dc microgrid architectures and their advantages over their ac counterparts is presented. Voltage level selection of dc distribution systems is discussed from the cost, reliability, efficiency, and safety standpoints. Next, a new family of non-isolated high-voltage-gain dc-dc power electronic converters with unidirectional power flow is introduced. This family of converters benefits from a low voltage stress across its switches. The proposed topologies are versatile as they can be utilized as single-input or double-input power converters. In either case, they draw continuous currents from their sources. Lastly, a bidirectional high-voltage-gain dc-dc power electronic converter is proposed. This converter is comprised of a bidirectional boost converter which feeds a switched-capacitor architecture. The switched-capacitor stage suggested here has several advantages over the existing approaches. For example, it benefits from a higher voltage gain while it uses less number of capacitors. The proposed converters are highly efficient and modular. The operating modes, dc voltage gain, and design procedure for each converter are discussed in details. Hardware prototypes have been developed in the lab. The results obtained from the hardware agree with those of the simulation models."--Abstract, page iv.
DC-DC ConverterDC MicrogridMultiportSwitched Capacitor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Missouri University of Science and Technology
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