Fully Integrated Multilevel Power Converter for SRM Drive With Charging Capabilities (G2V) for Electric Vehicle Application

This article presents a fully integrated multilevel power converter topology (IML-PCT) with integrated battery charging capability for a switched reluctance motor (SRM) drive. The battery charger is integrated within the IML-PCT, which eliminates the requirement of any additional module for charging purposes. The proposed IML-PCT applies higher energization and de-energization voltages during the driving mode, which leads to an enhanced constant torque region for SRM drive. For the battery charging mode, the proposed IML-PCT exhibits the characteristics of an onboard charger (OBC) capable of charging the battery energy storage system directly via a standard ac outlet. The OBC functionality is realized by reconfiguring the proposed IML-PCT into an interleaved bridgeless boost power factor correction circuit (IBB-PFCC). The charging inductors for IBB-PFCC are realized by reutilizing/reconfiguring all the windings of the four-phase SRM. Also, with the proposed IBB-PFCC configuration, the charging current in the windings leads to an average zero torque production. Thus, the rotor is kept stationary during battery charging mode without any external braking mechanism. Detailed simulation and experimental studies on a 1.1-kW laboratory prototype four-phase SRM demonstrate ac level-1 (120 V/240 V) charging performance of the proposed IML-PCT.