A New Bridgeless Boost Half-Bridge ZVS-PWM Frequency Converter for High-Frequency Induction Heating Applications

Abstract

A practical evaluation of a novel utility-frequency AC (UFAC) to high-frequency AC (HFAC) power converter, called a frequency converter, for induction heating (IH) applications is presented in this paper. The proposed frequency converter can process the UFAC to HFAC power conversion without any diode full-bridge rectifier (bridgeless), thereby reducing the number of semiconductor power devices and eliminating the associated conduction power losses. In addition, power factor correction (PFC) can be naturally achieved while boosting the UFAC source voltage to the non-smoothed DC-link voltage. The operating principle of the proposed frequency converter together with its IH load power regulation scheme is described, and the circuit performance is demonstrated in an experiment based on its 3.0kW-30kHz laboratory prototype. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed frequency converter is evaluated from a practical point of view.