New recommendations and future standards have increased the interest in power factor correction circuits. There are multiple solutions in which line current is sinusoidal. In addition, a great number of circuits have been proposed with nonsinusoidal line current. In this paper, a review of the most interesting solutions for single phase and low power applications is carried out. They are classified attending to the line current waveform, energy processing, number of switches, control loops, etc. The major advantages and disadvantages are highlighted and the field of application is found.

Single phase power factor correction: a survey

Sepic and Cuk power converters working as power factor preregulators (PFP) in the discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) present the following desirable characteristics for a PFP: (1) the power converter works as a voltage follower (no current loop is needed); (2) the theoretical power factor is unity; and (3) the input current ripple is defined at the design stage. Besides, input-output galvanic isolation is easily obtained. This paper analyzes the operation of both power converters as DCM-PFP. Design equations are derived, as well as a small-signal model to aid the control loop design. Both simulation and experimental results are presented that are in agreement with the theoretical analysis and complement the work.

The discontinuous conduction mode Sepic and Cuk power factor preregulators: analysis and design

SEPIC and Cuk converters present a great advantage over boost and fly-back topologies in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM): an input current with low harmonic content can be obtained by correctly choosing the inductors L/sub 1/ and L/sub 2/ of the converter with a fixed operation frequency, as is demonstrated here. The authors also discuss the intermedium capacitor C/sub 1/ as well as some advantages and disadvantages of the application. Simulation and experimental results support the approach. It is concluded that SEPIC and Cuk converters in DCM seem to be good choices for use as power factor preregulators. >

Design criteria for SEPIC and Cuk converters as power factor preregulators in discontinuous conduction mode

The importance of power-factor correction and the related line-harmonics reduction is increasing as the amount of line-fed electronic equipment grows and the requirements of regulatory agencies tighten. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of power-factor correction in single-phase off-line switching-mode power supplies, including the definition of power factor and its relation to total harmonic distortion; the IEC 555-2 requirements; many passive and active power-factor corrector topologies and control methods; modelling issues; and practical considerations.

Invited paper. Power-factor correction in single-phase switching-mode power supplies—an overview

The single-ended primary inductance converter (SEPIC) presents several advantages over boost and flyback topologies which make this converter convenient for use as a power factor preregulator (PFP). Due to this fact, both the pulsewidth modulation (PWM) and the zero-current switched quasi-resonant (ZCS-QR) SEPIC used as PFPs are studied. Stress in components and operation in continuous and discontinuous conduction mode are considered in the PWM case, while the use of full-wave and half-wave resonant switches is considered in the ZCS-QR case. The study of the PWM SEPIC used as a PFP reveals that both types of PFP control, multiplier approach and voltage-follower approach, can be used in PWM SEPIC, the first one when it operates in continuous conduction mode and the second one when it operates in discontinuous conduction mode. Regarding the ZCS-QR SEPIC used as PFP, both types of resonant switch (half-wave and full-wave) can be used. >

Improving power factor correction in distributed power supply systems using PWM and ZCS-QR SEPIC topologies

A sinusoidal line current rectifier is considered at unity power factor, where the conventional boost converter, usually utilized between the diode rectifier bridge and the DC bus capacitor, is replaced with a boost zero-current switching quasi-resonant converter (boost ZCS-QRC). The zero-current switching quasi-resonant rectifier (ZCS-QRR) is analyzed theoretically. Normalized curves are plotted, and equations that allow high flexibility in design are developed. A design example is proposed, and experimental results are presented to demonstrate the operating principle, the feasibility of the technique, and the validity of the theoretical analysis. >

I. Barbi

Papers

Sinusoidal line current rectification at unity power factor with boost quasi-resonant converters