Most fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) require wide voltage-gain DC DC converters to increase and equalize the relatively low voltage of fuel cell stacks with DC link bus or energy storage devices (ESD), such as supercapacitors or batteries. This paper proposes two new non-isolated DC-DC converters suitable for such applications, which can be extended to other electric vehicles as well. The proposed converters combine the main characteristics of both quadratic Boost and Ćuk converters, offering high step up voltage and control simplicity using only one ground referenced active power switch. Additionally, the proposed topologies present reduced voltage stress across the active power switch when compared to other Boost converters. Considerations about the design of the proposed converters will also be presented. Experimental results obtained using a laboratory prototype validate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed topologies and its suitability for fuel cell electric vehicles.

This paper presents a three-phase multilevel quasi-Z-source inverter (qZSI) topology operating in normal and fault-tolerant operation mode. This structure is composed by two symmetrical quasi-Z-source networks and a three-phase T-type inverter. Besides the intrinsic advantages of multilevel voltage source inverters, the proposed structure is also characterized by their semiconductor fault tolerance capability. This feature is only obtained through changes on the modulation scheme after the semiconductor fault and does not require additional extra-phase legs or collective switching states. In certain fault types, the reduction of the output power capacity will be compensated by the boost characteristic of the qZSI. The fault-tolerant behavior of the proposed topology is demonstrated by several simulation results of the converter in normal and fault condition. To validate the characteristics of this multilevel qZSI, an experimental prototype was also built to experimentally confirm the results.

Energy storage devices are essential to provide voltage and frequency stability in renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind. Due to operational requirements of distributed generation systems, energy storage devices like batteries and supercapacitors need bidirectional dc-dc converters to allow charge or discharge exchange according with the necessary conditions. In this paper, a new nonisolated bidirectional quadratic converter characterized by high voltage gain in both step-down (Buck) and step-up (Boost) operation modes is proposed. In addition to the wide conversion range, it presents continuous input and output current and reduced charging/discharging ripple. All these features allow an optimized operation between the dc bus and storage devices. The operation principle of the proposed converter in both condition modes (step-down and step-up), the converter design, as well as the theoretical analysis in different conditions will be discussed. Finally, the performance of the proposed converter is confirmed through simulation and experimental results.

This paper introduces a new topology for a DC-DC converter with bipolar output and high voltage gain. The topology was designed with the aim to use only one active power switch. Besides the bipolar multiport output and high voltage gain this converter has another important feature, namely, it has a continuous input current. Due to the self-balancing bipolar outputs, the proposed topology is suitable for bipolar DC microgrids. Indeed, the topology balancing capability can achieve the two symmetrical voltage poles of bipolar DC microgrids. Furthermore, it is possible to create a midpoint in the output of the converter that can be directly connected to the ground of the DC power supply, avoiding common-mode leakage currents in critical applications such as transformerless grid-connect PV systems. The operating principle of the proposed topology will be supported by mathematical analysis. To validate and verify the characteristics of the presented topology, several experimental results are shown.

In this paper, a multilevel inverter based on three-phase H-bridge inverters for an open-end winding induction motor drive is presented and its fault-tolerance capability is investigated. The multilevel topology is obtained using three wye-connected three-phase H-bridge inverters to supply open-end winding induction motors. This topology has the ability to extend the maximum voltage applied to the motor windings up to two times the dc supply voltage of the three-phase inverters. For a given induction motor voltage, the topology allows the use of dc sources with a lower voltage rating. Consequently, faster power semiconductors can be used. This multilevel topology can be directly controlled by modifying known modulation concepts, such as sinusoidal pulse width modulation (PWM). In this study, two sinusoidal PWM modulation techniques will be implemented: the level-shifted carriers (phase disposition) and the phase-shifted modulator. Fault-tolerant operation under an open-switch fault without adding any extra components and without changing the modulation strategy is also proposed, adding fault-tolerant capability to the new topology. Experimental results of this multilevel inverter in normal operation and in fault tolerant mode are presented. The obtained results confirm the fault effectiveness of the proposed multilevel topology.