Showing papers on "Boost converter published in 2011"
TL;DR: This paper presents first an overview of the well-known voltage and current dc-link converter topologies used to implement a three-phase PWM ac-ac converter system, and a common knowledge basis of the individual converterTopologies is established.
Abstract: This paper presents first an overview of the well-known voltage and current dc-link converter topologies used to implement a three-phase PWM ac-ac converter system. Starting from the voltage source inverter and the current source rectifier, the basics of space vector modulation are summarized. Based on that, the topology of the indirect matrix converter (IMC) and its modulation are gradually developed from a voltage dc-link back-to-back converter by omitting the dc-link capacitor. In the next step, the topology of the conventional (direct) matrix converter (CMC) is introduced, and the relationship between the IMC and the CMCs is discussed in a figurative manner by investigating the switching states. Subsequently, three-phase ac-ac buck-type chopper circuits are considered as a special case of matrix converters (MCs), and a summary of extended MC topologies is provided, including three-level and hybrid MCs. Therewith, a common knowledge basis of the individual converter topologies is established.
489 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a new high step-up dc-dc converter designed especially for regulating the dc interface between various microsources and a dc-ac inverter to electricity grid.
Abstract: This paper proposes a new high step-up dc-dc converter designed especially for regulating the dc interface between various microsources and a dc-ac inverter to electricity grid. The figuration of the proposed converter is a quadratic boost converter with the coupled inductor in the second boost converter. The converter achieves high step-up voltage gain with appropriate duty ratio and low voltage stress on the power switch. Additionally, the energy stored in the leakage inductor of the coupled inductor can be recycled to the output capacitor. The operating principles and steady-state analyses of continuous-conduction mode and boundary-conduction mode are discussed in detail. To verify the performance of the proposed converter, a 280-W prototype sample is implemented with an input voltage range of 20-40 V and an output voltage of up to 400 V. The upmost efficiency of 93.3% is reached with high-line input; on the other hand, the full-load efficiency remains at 89.3% during low-line input.
377 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a new approach is described based on estimation of the stored energy in the arms by combining the converter electromotive force reference, the measured alternating output current, and the known direct voltage.
Abstract: The internal control of a modular multilevel converter aims to equalize and stabilize the submodule capacitor voltages independent of the loading conditions. It has been shown that a submodule selection mechanism, included in the modulator, can provide voltage sharing inside the converter arm. Several procedures for controlling the total stored energy in each converter arm exist. A new approach is described in this paper. It is based on estimation of the stored energy in the arms by combining the converter electromotive force reference, the measured alternating output current, and the known direct voltage. No feedback controllers are used. Experimental verification on a three-phase 10 kVA prototype is presented along with the description of the new procedure.
343 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a bridgeless interleaved power factor correction topology is proposed for level II plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) battery charging, which can achieve high efficiency, which is critical for minimizing the charger size and the amount and cost of electricity drawn from the utility.
Abstract: In this paper, a new front end ac-dc bridgeless interleaved power factor correction topology is proposed for level II plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) battery charging. The topology can achieve high efficiency, which is critical for minimizing the charger size, PHEV charging time and the amount and cost of electricity drawn from the utility. In addition, a detailed analytical model for this topology is presented, enabling the calculation of the converter power losses and efficiency. Experimental and simulation results are included for a prototype boost converter converting universal ac input voltage (85-265 V) to 400 V dc output at up to 3.4 kW load. The experimental results demonstrate a power factor greater than 0.99 from 750 W to 3.4 kW, THD less than 5% from half load to full load and a peak efficiency of 98.9% at 70 kHz switching frequency, 265 V input and 1.2 kW load.
341 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a new family of high boost voltage inverters called switched-inductor quasi-Z-source inverters (SL-qZSIs), which is based on the well-known qZSI topology and adds only one inductor and three diodes.
Abstract: This paper deals with a new family of high boost voltage inverters called switched-inductor quasi-Z-source inverters (SL-qZSIs). The proposed SL-qZSI is based on the well-known qZSI topology and adds only one inductor and three diodes. In comparison to the SL-ZSI, for the same input and output voltages, the proposed SL-qZSI provides continuous input current, a common ground with the dc source, reduced the passive component count, reduced voltage stress on capacitors, lower shoot-through current, and lower current stress on inductors and diodes. In addition, the proposed SL-qZSI can suppress inrush current at startup, which might destroy the devices. This paper presents the operating principles, analysis, and simulation results, and compares them with those of the SL-ZSI. To verify the performance of the proposed converter, a laboratory prototype was constructed with 48 Vdc input and an ac output line-to-line voltage of 120 Vrms. The simulation and experimental results verified that the converter has high step-up inversion ability.
323 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a high step-up dc-dc converter for a distributed generation system is proposed, which is composed of two capacitors, two diodes, and one coupled inductor.
Abstract: A novel high step-up dc-dc converter for a distributed generation system is proposed in this paper. The concept is composed of two capacitors, two diodes, and one coupled inductor. Two capacitors are charged in parallel, and are discharged in series by the coupled inductor. Thus, high step-up voltage gain can be achieved with an appropriate duty ratio. The voltage stresses on the main switch and output diode are reduced by a passive clamp circuit. Therefore, low resistance R for the main switch can be adopted to reduce conduction loss. In addition, the reverse-recovery problem of the diode is alleviated, and thus, the efficiency can be further improved. The operating principle and steady-state analyses of the voltage gain are also discussed in detail. Finally, a 24-V input voltage, 400-V output voltage, and 400-W output power prototype circuit of the proposed converter are implemented in the laboratory to verify the performance.
274 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a dual-mode resonant converter topology is proposed for parallel connected dc MICs, which can change resonant modes adaptively depending on the panel operation conditions.
Abstract: The future renewable electric energy delivery and management (FREEDM) system provides a dc interface for alternative energy sources. As a result, photovoltaic (PV) energy can be easily delivered through a dc/dc converter to the FREEDM system's dc bus. The module-integrated converter (MIC) topology is a good candidate for a PV converter designed to work with the FREEDM system. This paper compares the parallel connected dc MIC structure with its counterpart, the series connected MIC architecture. From the presented analysis, the parallel connected architecture was shown to have more advantages. In this paper, a high-efficiency dual mode resonant converter topology is proposed for parallel connected dc MICs. This new resonant converter topology can change resonant modes adaptively depending on the panel operation conditions. The converter achieves zero-voltage switching for primary-side switches and zero-current switching for secondary-side diodes for both resonant modes. The circulation energy is minimized particularly for 5-50% of the rated power level. Thus, the converter can maintain a high efficiency for a wide input range at different output power levels. This study explains the operation principle of the proposed converter and presents a dc gain analysis based on the fundamental harmonic analysis method. A 240-W prototype with an embedded maximum power point tracking controller was built to evaluate the performance of the proposed converter. The prototype's maximum efficiency reaches 96.5% and an efficiency increase of more than 10% under light load conditions is shown when compared with a conventional LLC resonant converter.
274 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a novel H-bridge multilevel pulsewidth modulation converter topology based on a series connection of a highvoltage diode-clamped inverter and a low-voltage conventional inverter is proposed.
Abstract: A novel H-bridge multilevel pulsewidth modulation converter topology based on a series connection of a high-voltage diode-clamped inverter and a low-voltage conventional inverter is proposed in this paper. A dc link voltage arrangement for the new hybrid and asymmetric solution is presented to have a maximum number of output voltage levels by preserving the adjacent switching vectors between voltage levels. Hence, a 15-level hybrid converter can be attained with a minimum number of power components. A comparative study has been carried out to present high performance of the proposed configuration to approach a very low total harmonic distortion of voltage and current, which leads to the possible elimination of the output filter. Regarding the proposed configuration, a new cascade inverter is verified by cascading an asymmetrical diode-clamped inverter, in which 19 levels can be synthesized in output voltage with the same number of components. To balance the dc link capacitor voltages for the maximum output voltage resolution as well as synthesize asymmetrical dc link combination, a new multi-output boost converter is utilized at the dc link voltage of a seven-level H-bridge diode-clamped inverter. Simulation and hardware results based on different modulations are presented to confirm the validity of the proposed approach to achieve a high-quality output voltage.
272 citations
TL;DR: The proposed topology is based on a cascaded connection of single-phase submultilevel converter units and full-bridge converters and is optimized in order to utilize a minimum number of switches and dc voltage sources and produce a high number of output voltage steps.
Abstract: In this paper, a new topology of a cascaded multilevel converter is proposed. The proposed topology is based on a cascaded connection of single-phase submultilevel converter units and full-bridge converters. Compared to the conventional multilevel converter, the number of dc voltage sources, switches, installation area, and converter cost is significantly reduced as the number of voltage steps increases. In order to calculate the magnitudes of the required dc voltage sources, three methods are proposed. Then, the structure of the proposed topology is optimized in order to utilize a minimum number of switches and dc voltage sources, and produce a high number of output voltage steps. The operation and performance of the proposed multilevel converter is verified by simulation results and compared with experimental results of a single-phase 49-level converter, too.
249 citations
TL;DR: A new bridgeless single-ended primary inductance converter power-factor-correction rectifier is introduced, which provides lower conduction losses with reduced components simultaneously and shows 1% improvement in comparison to conventional SEPIC rectifier.
Abstract: In this paper, a new bridgeless single-ended primary inductance converter power-factor-correction rectifier is introduced. The proposed circuit provides lower conduction losses with reduced components simultaneously. In conventional PFC converters (continuous-conduction-mode boost converter), a voltage loop and a current loop are required for PFC. In the proposed converter, the control circuit is simplified, and no current loop is required while the converter operates in discontinuous conduction mode. Theoretical analysis and simulation results are provided to explain circuit operation. A prototype of the proposed converter is realized, and the results are presented. The measured efficiency shows 1% improvement in comparison to conventional SEPIC rectifier.
243 citations
Patent•
10 Aug 2011
TL;DR: In this article, the converters are coupled in series and an inverter is connected in parallel with the series connection of converters and inverts a DC input to the inverter from converters into an AC output.
Abstract: A system and method for combining power from DC power sources. Each power source is coupled to a converter. Each converter converts input power to output power by monitoring and maintaining the input power at a maximum power point. Substantially all input power is converted to the output power, and the controlling is performed by allowing output voltage of the converter to vary. The converters are coupled in series. An inverter is connected in parallel with the series connection of the converters and inverts a DC input to the inverter from the converters into an AC output. The inverter maintains the voltage at the inverter input at a desirable voltage by varying the amount of the series current drawn from the converters. The series current and the output power of the converters, determine the output voltage at each converter.
TL;DR: This paper presents a high-efficiency and high-step-up nonisolated interleaved dc-dc converter with a common active-clamp circuit that achieves high efficiency because of the recycling of the leakage energies, reduction of the switch voltage stress, mitigation of the output diode's reverse recovery problem, and interleaving of the converters.
Abstract: This paper presents a high-efficiency and high-step-up nonisolated interleaved dc-dc converter with a common active-clamp circuit. In the presented converter, the coupled-inductor boost converters are interleaved. A boost converter is used to clamp the voltage stresses of all the switches in the interleaved converters, caused by the leakage inductances present in the practical coupled inductors, to a low voltage level. The leakage energies of the interleaved converters are collected in a clamp capacitor and recycled to the output by the clamp boost converter. The proposed converter achieves high efficiency because of the recycling of the leakage energies, reduction of the switch voltage stress, mitigation of the output diode's reverse recovery problem, and interleaving of the converters. Detailed analysis and design of the proposed converter are carried out. A prototype of the proposed converter is developed, and its experimental results are presented for validation.
TL;DR: LLC resonant converter with significant resonant inductance is proposed for designing an adjustable wide-range regulated voltage source and an almost flat efficiency curve with maximum value of 94% has been achieved for the converter.
Abstract: LLC resonant converter with significant resonant inductance is proposed for designing an adjustable wide-range regulated voltage source. Large resonant inductance increases output voltage adjustment range and conversion efficiency, particularly at light loads. Soft switching is achieved for all power devices under all operating conditions by choosing the dead time and maximum switching frequency properly and operating in the converter's inductive region. Using a power-factor-correction (PFC) converter reduces the resonant converter's output voltage dependence to the variations of the main ac input voltage. Thus, the compensation of the load variations and the wide-range adjustment of the regulated output voltage can be achieved by using small switching frequency variations. The proposed method has been used to implement an adjustable wide-range voltage source (35-165 V dc), as an ion implanter arc power supply. An almost flat efficiency curve with maximum value of 94% has been achieved for the converter. Its output current can change from no load to 3 A dc.
TL;DR: This paper suggests an isolated dc/dc converter using an unregulated LLC converter for fuel cell applications that can be operated at an optimal switching condition, and the high-frequency operation of 300 kHz can be accomplished without introducing an excessive switching loss.
Abstract: This paper suggests an isolated dc/dc converter using an unregulated LLC converter for fuel cell applications. The LLC converter operates as an isolated voltage amplifier with a constant voltage gain, and a nonisolated converter installed in the input stage regulates the output voltage under a wide variation of fuel cell stack voltage. By separating the functions, the unregulated LLC converter can be operated at an optimal switching condition, and the high-frequency operation of 300 kHz can be accomplished without introducing an excessive switching loss. The prototype converter with a 1-kW design (Vin = 24 ~ 48 V/Vo = 400 V) shows an efficiency of above 90.2% under a 24-V input and full load conditions.
TL;DR: A novel high step-up dc-dc converter with coupled-inductor and voltage-doubler circuits is proposed, which achieves highstep-up voltage gain with appropriate duty ratio and low voltage stress on the power switches.
Abstract: In this paper, a novel high step-up dc-dc converter with coupled-inductor and voltage-doubler circuits is proposed. The converter achieves high step-up voltage gain with appropriate duty ratio and low voltage stress on the power switches. Also, the energy stored in the leakage inductor of the coupled inductor can be recycled to the output. The operating principles and the steady-state analyses of the proposed converter are discussed in detail. Finally, a prototype circuit of the proposed converter is implemented in the laboratory to verify the performance of the proposed converter.
TL;DR: The effectiveness of the proposed TSMC scheme is verified by numerical simulations and realistic experimentations, and the advantages of good transient response and robustness to uncertainties are indicated in comparison with a conventional proportional-integral control system and a CSMC scheme.
Abstract: In this paper, a total sliding-mode control (TSMC) scheme is designed for the voltage tracking control of a conventional dc-dc boost converter. This control strategy is derived in the sense of Lyapunov stability theorem such that the stable tracking performance can be ensured under the occurrence of system uncertainties. The salient feature of this control scheme is that the controlled system has a total sliding motion without a reaching phase as in conventional sliding-mode control (CSMC). Moreover, the effectiveness of the proposed TSMC scheme is verified by numerical simulations and realistic experimentations, and the advantages of good transient response and robustness to uncertainties are indicated in comparison with a conventional proportional-integral control system and a CSMC scheme.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors presented an optimized wind energy harvesting (WEH) system that uses a specially designed ultra-low-power management circuit for sustaining the operation of a wireless sensor node.
Abstract: This paper presents an optimized wind energy harvesting (WEH) system that uses a specially designed ultra-low-power-management circuit for sustaining the operation of a wireless sensor node. The proposed power management circuit has two distinct features: 1) an active rectifier using MOSFETs for rectifying the low amplitude ac voltage generated by the wind turbine generator under low wind speed condition efficiently and 2) a dc-dc boost converter with resistor emulation algorithm to perform maximum power point tracking (MPPT) under varying wind-speed conditions. As compared to the conventional diode-bridge rectifier, it is shown that the efficiency of the active rectifier with a low input voltage of 1.2 V has been increased from 40% to 70% due to the significant reduction in the ON-state voltage drop (from 0.6 to 0.15 V) across each pair of MOSFETs used. The proposed robust low-power microcontroller-based resistance emulator is implemented with closed-loop resistance feedback control to ensure close impedance matching between the source and the load, resulting in an efficient power conversion. From the experimental test results obtained, an average electrical power of 7.86 mW is harvested by the optimized WEH system at an average wind speed of 3.62 m/s, which is almost four times higher than the conventional energy harvesting method without using the MPPT.
Patent•
24 Aug 2011
TL;DR: The Electric Power Converter as discussed by the authors is an uninterruptable power supply, battery management, energy conversion, micro-grid formation, and power factor correction including total harmonic distortion correction in real time.
Abstract: The Electric Power Converter functions as an uninterruptable power supply, battery management, energy conversion, micro-grid formation, and Power Factor Correction including Total Harmonic Distortion correction in real time. Uninterruptable power supply's use is for always-on, real-time, reduced distortion with functions of load reduction and management during peak load events. The Electric Power Converter is able to establish and sustain a micro-grid with multiple and varying sources of power generation and load conditions. The Electric Power Converter achieves dynamic, real-time, interactive Power Factor Correction (PFC) and advanced voltage harmonic distortion correction with a high efficiency ratio. The Electric Power converter is designed to function with the emerging Smart Grid technologies and provide an overall higher level of operating efficiency and higher quality of electrical power.
TL;DR: In this paper, a switching-coupled inductor boost converter is studied in detail, and a family of DC-DC converters (boost, buck-boost, C-uk, Sepic, Zeta) based on the new switching cell is studied.
Abstract: By replacing the inductor in basic converters by a coupled-inductor, and adding one diode, new converters with a small count of elements and a high conversion ratio are obtained. The additional diode helps to circulate the leakage inductance energy to the load in a non-oscillatory manner. This diode conducts for a short period of time. The transistor turns on/off with soft-switching. The diodes turn on with zero-voltage switching and turn off with zero-current-switching, their reverse-recovery problem is alleviated. A switching-coupled inductor boost converter is studied in detail, and a family of DC-DC converters (boost, buck-boost, C-uk, Sepic, Zeta) based on the new switching cell is then presented. The dependence of the voltage gain on the magnetic-coupling coefficient and turns ratio of the coupled inductor is studied. The influence of the load value on the voltage conversion ratio is discussed based on an exact analysis, which avoids assumptions of ideal elements. Computer simulation and experimental results confirmed the theoretical expectations.
TL;DR: In this paper, a new 9-level active neutral-point-clamped (9L ANPC) converter is proposed for the grid connection of large wind turbines (WTs) to improve the waveform quality of the converter output voltage and current.
Abstract: Wind power is one of the most promising emerging renewable energy technologies for distributed generation (DG). In this paper, a new nine-level active neutral-point-clamped (9L ANPC) converter is proposed for the grid connection of large wind turbines (WTs) to improve the waveform quality of the converter output voltage and current. Therefore, the bulky passive grid filters can be reduced or even removed. The topology, operating principles, control schemes, and main features, as well as semiconductor device selection of the proposed converter are presented in detail. The floating capacitor voltage control based on redundant switching states and capacitor prioritization is detailed. A comparison between the new topology and other existing 9L topologies is presented to illustrate the characteristics and performance of the new converter. The proposed 9L ANPC converter is studied in the case of the grid connection of a 6-MW WT without using passive grid filters in DG systems. Simulation and experiment results are presented to validate the proposed converter topology and control schemes. The proper operation and the compliance to the harmonic limit standards of the filterless grid-connected WT system are verified by simulation results.
TL;DR: In this article, a novel high step-up dc-dc converter is proposed for a sustainable energy system, which uses coupled-inductive inductor and switched-capacitor techniques.
Abstract: In this paper, a novel high step-up dc-dc converter is proposed for a sustainable energy system. The proposed converter uses coupled-inductor and switched-capacitor techniques. The capacitors are charged in parallel and discharged in series by the coupled inductor to achieve high step-up voltage gain with an appropriate duty ratio. Besides, the voltage stress on the main switch is reduced with a passive clamp circuit; low on-state resistance Rds(on) of the main switch can be adopted to reduce the conduction loss. In addition, the reverse-recovery problem of the diode is alleviated by a coupled inductor. Thus, the efficiency can be further improved. The operating principle and steady-state analyses of voltage gain are discussed in detail. Finally, a prototype circuit with 24-V input voltage, 400-V output voltage, and 200-W output power is implemented in the laboratory to verify the performance of the proposed converter.
01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: It is illustrated that the proposed grid-interfacing converter systems with enhanced voltage quality could ride through voltage disturbances and continue the power transfer between the local generation and the grid, while a high-quality voltage is maintained for the local loads.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed an interleaved soft switching boost converter (ISSBC) for a photovoltaic (PV) power-generation system, and the feasibility of the proposed topology is experimentally verified for a 1.2-kW prototype.
Abstract: In this paper, a interleaved soft switching boost converter (ISSBC) for a photovoltaic (PV) power-generation system is proposed. The topology used raises the efficiency for the dc/dc converter of the PV power conditioning system (PVPCS), and it minimizes switching losses by adopting a resonant soft-switching method. A detailed mode analysis of the proposed topology is presented. The feasibility of the proposed topology is experimentally verified for a 1.2-kW prototype. The experimental results imply that 97.28% efficiency is achieved under the full-load condition. Consequently, it is confirmed that the overall efficiency is increased by about 1.5% compared with the conventional hard switching interleaved boost converter.
TL;DR: In this paper, a simple control strategy for an optimal extraction of output power from grid connected variable speed wind energy conversion system (WECS) is presented, which consists of a variable-speed wind turbine coupled to a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) through a gear box, a diode bridge rectifier, a dc-to-dc boost converter and a current controlled voltage source inverter.
TL;DR: In this article, a two-phase interleaved critical current mode (CRM) boost power factor correction (PFC) converter with a coupled inductor is analyzed, and the coupling effects on the input current, the inductor current, switching frequency and the flux linkage are separately.
Abstract: Interleaved critical current mode (CRM) boost power factor correction (PFC) converter is widely employed recently for its high power density. In order to further reduce the volume and the copper usage of the magnetic components, two-phase interleaved CRM boost PFC converter with a coupled inductor is analyzed in this paper. The coupling effects on the input current, the inductor current, the switching frequency and the flux linkage are analyzed separately. If the self-inductances and the magnetic core are the same for both coupled and noncoupled inductors, the number of winding turns of coupled inductor is fewer than that of the noncoupled inductor, which implies a lower cost. Although the input current ripple increases a little since coupling, a reduction in the total volume of magnetic components, including the electromagnetic interference filter and the coupled inductor, is possible if the coupling coefficient is made reasonable.
TL;DR: In this article, a phase shift control method was proposed to realize zero-voltage switching operation, and thus achieves a high-conversion efficiency for a switched-capacitor-based resonant converter (SCRC).
Abstract: This paper presents operating performance of a switched-capacitor-based resonant converter (SCRC) using a phase-shift control method. The proposed phase-shift control realizes zero-voltage switching operation, and thus achieves a high-conversion efficiency. A theoretical analysis shows that the SCRC can reduce its inductor volume compared with a conventional buck converter when the output voltage range is within 19%-81% of its input voltage. Experimental results verify the operating characteristics of the proposed method and show the improved conversion efficiency of more than 99%.
TL;DR: The operational principle and characteristics of the proposed converter are presented, and it is verified experimentally with a 135-W, 24-V input, 250-V output prototype converter for a LED driver.
Abstract: To obtain a high step-up gain with high efficiency in nonisolated applications, a high step-up technique based on isolated-type converters is introduced in this paper. By stacking the secondary side of an isolated converter in addition to its primary side, a high step-up conversion ratio and a distributed voltage stress can be achieved. Moreover, a careful choice of an isolated converter can provide zero-voltage switching, continuous input current, and reduced reverse recovery on diodes. Based on a conventional voltage-doubler-rectifier boost-integrated half-bridge converter, the derived converter satisfies all these features, which make it suitable for high step-up applications. The operational principle and characteristics of the proposed converter are presented, and verified experimentally with a 135-W, 24-V input, 250-V output prototype converter for a LED driver.
TL;DR: In this paper, a cascade controller is designed and analyzed for a boost converter, and the simulation results show that the reference output voltage is well tracked under parametric changes, system uncertainties, or external disturbances with fast dynamic transients.
Abstract: In this paper, a cascade controller is designed and analyzed for a boost converter. The fast inner current loop uses sliding-mode control. The slow outer voltage loop uses the proportional-integral (PI) control. Stability analysis and selection of PI gains are based on the nonlinear closed-loop error dynamics. It is proven that the closed-loop system has a nonminimum phase behavior. The voltage transients and reference voltage are predictable. The current ripple and system sensitivity are studied. The controller is validated by a simulation circuit with nonideal circuit parameters, different circuit parameters, and various maximum switching frequencies. The simulation results show that the reference output voltage is well tracked under parametric changes, system uncertainties, or external disturbances with fast dynamic transients, confirming the validity of the proposed controller.
TL;DR: In this article, a system consisting of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) and a power management system was proposed to harvest energy in water and use the harvested energy to power electronic devices deployed in the water.
Abstract: This paper presents a system that can harvest energy in the water and use the harvested energy to power electronic devices deployed in the water. The system consists of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) and a power management system. The MFC uses electrochemical reactions and bacteria that exist in the water to harvest energy and generate electricity. The power management system consisting of a charge pump, a super capacitor, two solid-state switches, and a boost converter accumulates the energy harvested by the MFC, stores the energy in the super capacitor, and bursts power to the load. The power management system also boosts the voltage of the MFC to a sufficient level for the electronic devices. The presented energy-harvesting system is self-powered, sustainable, environment friendly, and maintenance-free. The system has been tested and proven through experimental work.
07 Apr 2011
TL;DR: To manage the variation in both the illumination and panel size, a power-management circuit that is able to efficiently handle a wide range of input power is necessary.
Abstract: Energy harvesting provides a means to supply wireless sensor networks in building environments with autonomous and sustainable power [1,2]. Indoor light can be converted into electricity by a solar cell and stored in a rechargeable battery or super-capacitor [3]. Depending on the indoor illumination level and the installed location as well as the orientation of the solar cell, the output power of an amorphous silicon solar cell can vary from less than a few μW/cm² up to hundreds of μW/cm² [3]. To manage the variation in both the illumination and panel size, a power-management circuit that is able to efficiently handle a wide range of input power is necessary. A solar cell can be modeled as a light-controlled current source in parallel with a diode. Its output current is determined by the output voltage in an exponential relation. At one point, the solar cell reaches its maximum power point (MPP). This MPP can be tracked by tuning either the output voltage or the load impedance [4].