Analysis and Design of Zero-Voltage-Switching Multiphase AC/DC Converters

In this article, the generic analysis and design of zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) multiphase ac/dc converters are proposed. With the edge aligned pulsewidth modulation (PWM) (EA-PWM) scheme, all switches of ZVS multiphase ac/dc converters can realize ZVS operation. Besides, the switching frequency is fixed and the auxiliary switch only operates once in each switching period. Its operation stages in a switching cycle are analyzed and a generic ZVS condition is derived. Based on the proposed theory, a ZVS two-stage three-phase photovoltaic (PV) inverter is investigated, which is regarded as a five-phase converter. Its ZVS condition under different working conditions is discussed. Finally, a 10-kW prototype with 150 kHz switching frequency of the ZVS two-stage three-phase PV inverter is built and the experimental results are given to verify the analysis. In addition, the extension of the ZVS multiphase converter in different applications is introduced.