Analysis, Design, and Performance Evaluation of SiC Active Soft-Switching Cell for 1-ph/3-ph Universal Voltage Input PFC for On-Board Charger Applications

In this article, a detailed analysis, design, and experimental evaluation of a continuous-conduction-mode, pulsewidth modulated, boost-type active soft-switching cell suitable for 1-ph/3-ph universal input voltage power factor correction (PFC) rectifier for on-board charging applications is introduced. The soft-switching cell features zero-voltage switching and simple control. The evaluation of the concept was performed on a 1-ph/3-ph combo 7.2-kW/12.5-kW prototype designed to operate at 230 VRMS 1–ph and 480 VRMS 3-ph line input and deliver 650–750 V output. At full load and 150 kHz switching frequency, the prototype achieves 98.8% efficiency in 3-ph operation and 98% efficiency in 1-ph interleaved operation. The soft-switching PFC concept naturally morphs between an interleaved totem-pole converter for 1-ph ac line voltage and a 3-ph converter for 3-ph ac line voltage.