Multiport dc-dc converters are particularly interesting for sustainable energy generation systems where diverse sources and storage elements are to be integrated. This paper presents a zero-voltage switching (ZVS) three-port bidirectional dc-dc converter. A simple and effective duty ratio control method is proposed to extend the ZVS operating range when input voltages vary widely. Soft-switching conditions over the full operating range are achievable by adjusting the duty ratio of the voltage applied to the transformer winding in response to the dc voltage variations at the port. Keeping the volt-second product (half-cycle voltage-time integral) equal for all the windings leads to ZVS conditions over the entire operating range. A detailed analysis is provided for both the two-port and the three-port converters. Furthermore, for the three-port converter a dual-PI-loop based control strategy is proposed to achieve constant output voltage, power flow management, and soft-switching. The three-port converter is implemented and tested for a fuel cell and supercapacitor system.

Multiport DC–DC converters are of potential interest in applications such as generation systems utilising multiple sustainable energy sources. A family of multiport bidirectional DC–DC converters derived from a general topology is presented. The topology shows a combination of DC-link and magnetic coupling. This structure makes use of both methods to interconnect multiple sources without the penalty of extra conversion or additional switches. The resulting converters have the advantage of being simple in topology and have a minimum number of power devices. The proposed general topology and basic cells show several possibilities to construct a multiport converter for particular applications and provide a solution to integrate diverse sources owing to their flexibility in structure. The system features a minimal number of conversion steps, low cost and compact packaging. In addition, the control and power management of the converter by a single digital processor is possible. The centralised control eliminates complicated communication structures that would be necessary in the conventional structure based on separate conversion stages. A control strategy based on classical control theory is proposed, showing a multiple PID-loop structure. The general topology and a set of three-port embodiments are detailed.

The implementation of a hybrid fuel cell/battery system is proposed to improve the slow transient response of a fuel cell stack. This system can be used for an autonomous device with quick load variations. A suitable three-port, galvanic isolated, bidirectional power converter is proposed to control the power flow. An energy management method for the proposed three-port circuit is analyzed and implemented. Measurements from a 500-W laboratory prototype are presented to demonstrate the validity of the approach

A three-port triple-half-bridge bidirectional dc-dc converter topology is proposed in this paper. The topology comprises a high-frequency three-winding transformer and three half-bridges, one of which is a boost half-bridge interfacing a power port with a wide operating voltage. The three half-bridges are coupled by the transformer, thereby providing galvanic isolation for all the power ports. The converter is controlled by phase shift, which achieves the primary power flow control, in combination with pulsewidth modulation (PWM). Because of the particular structure of the boost half-bridge, voltage variations at the port can be compensated for by operating the boost half-bridge, together with the other two half-bridges, at an appropriate duty cycle to keep a constant voltage across the half-bridge. The resulting waveforms applied to the transformer windings are asymmetrical due to the automatic volt-seconds balancing of the half-bridges. With the PWM control it is possible to reduce the rms loss and to extend the zero-voltage switching operating range to the entire phase shift region. A fuel cell and supercapacitor generation system is presented as an embodiment of the proposed multiport topology. The theoretical considerations are verified by simulation and with experimental results from a 1 kW prototype.

During voltage dips continuous power delivery from distributed generation systems to the grid is desirable for the purpose of grid support. In order to facilitate the control of inverter-based distributed power generation adapted to the expected change of grid requirements, generalized power control strategies based on symmetric-sequence components are proposed in this paper, aiming to manipulate the delivered instantaneous power under unbalanced voltage dips. It is shown that active and reactive power can be independently controlled with two individually adaptable parameters. By changing these parameters, the relative amplitudes of oscillating power can be smoothly regulated, as well as the peak values of three-phase grid currents. As a result, the power control of grid-interactive inverters becomes quite flexible and adaptable to various grid requirements or design constraints. Furthermore, two strategies for simultaneous active and reactive power control are proposed that preserve flexible controllability; an application example is given to illustrate the simplicity and adaptability of the proposed strategies for online optimization control. Finally, experimental results are provided that verify the proposed power control.

This paper proposes an impedance-based analytical method for modeling and analysis of harmonic interactions between the grid and aggregated distributed generation (DG) inverters. The root cause of harmonic interaction/resonance problems is the impedance-network quasi-resonance between the effective output impedance of the inverter and the equivalent grid impedance at the connection point. Starting with the output impedance modeling of an inverter, a Norton model of the inverter is derived. Comparing with the switching model and the average model of the inverter, simulation results show the effectiveness of the model. This paper proposes that impedance limits should be specified and used as an extra design constraint for DG inverters in order to minimize the harmonic distortion impact on the grid. Assuming the impedance models of individual inverters and local loads within a distribution grid are known, especially in the case of new grids under construction, harmonic interactions between the grid and a certain number of DG inverters can be preliminarily estimated.