IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 2 5 , NO.

2, MARCHIAPRIL 1989

317

The Resonant DC Link Converter-A New Concept in Static Power Conversion

Abstract-A new approach to realizing efficient high-performance power converters is presented. The concept of a resonant dc link inverter has been proposed and realized with the addition of only one small inductor and capacitor to a conventional voltage source inverter circuit. The new topology is capable of switching almost an order of magnitude faster than state-of-the-art voltage source inverters at significantly improved efficiencies using the same family of devices. The topology is especially suitable for high-power applications using gate turn-off devices.

S4

S5

S6

Fig. 1. Schematic of conventional voltage source inverter typically used in PWM applications.

INTRODUCTION HE EMERGENCE of a mature gate turn-off (GTO) device technology over the last ten years has revolutionized the power conversion industry, It has meant a virtual disappearance of the thyristor in force-commutated applications. The autosequentially commutated current source inverter, once a promising and widely used circuit topology, has been almost completely replaced by GTO and transistor voltage source inverters (VSIs) at power ratings up to 1 MW. In fact, the pulsewidth-modulated (PMW) voltage source inverter is probably the most widely used configuration for dc/ac inverter applications in the 10 W-500 kW power range. The attractiveness of the VSI topology stems from its extremely simple power structure and the need for only six unidirectional gate turn-off devices (Fig. 1). The antiparallel diodes required are typically mounted in the same device package for minimum lead inductance and ease of assembly. The control strategy is reasonably simple and provides a fully regenerative interface between the dc source and the ac load. However, given the limitations on the characteristics of available gate turn-off devices, the following problems can also be identified with the topology.

Device stresses require large SOA specifications and compromise reliability. Acoustic noise at the inverter switching frequency can be very objectionable. The generation capability into the ac line is poor. The input ac line harmonics are poor. The dc link and ac side filters are large. The fault recovery characteristics are poor. An optimum power converter, on the other hand, would be designed with zero switching losses, a switching frequency greater than 18 kHz, small reactive components, and multiquadrant operation capability. The system would also be insensitive to second-order parameters such as diode recovery, device turn-off, and parasitic LC elements. Obviously, the voltage source inverter does not satisfy the requirements for an optimal converter. This paper presents a new approach to gate-turn-off device switching. It is easily shown that maximum device stresses and switching losses occur when switching off a stiff dc bus. In the concept presented here, the dc bus is made to oscillate at a high frequency so that the bus voltage goes through periodic zero crossings, thus setting up ideal switching conditions for all devices connected across the bus. The resulting topology is seen to require minimum number of devices and moderately sized reactive elements, and it can easily switch at frequencies in excess of 18 kHz at multikilowatt power levels. CONVENTIONAL DC/AC
INVERTER

Low switching frequencies result from high switching losses. This also results in low-amplifier bandwidth and poor load-current waveform fidelity (harmonics). High d v / d t on the output generates interference due to capacitive coupling. Diode reverse recovery and snubber interactions cause high device stresses under regeneration conditions.
Paper IPCSD 88-26, approved by the Static Power Converter Committee of the IEEE Industry Applications Society for presentation at the 1986 Industry Applications Society Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, September 28-October 3. This work was supported in part by the Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium. Manuscript released for publication July 14, 1988. The author is with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin, 1415 Johnson Drive, Madison, WI 53706- 1691. IEEE Log Number 8825313.

TOPOLOGIES

As has long been recognized, a substantial increase in inverter switching frequency is required to be able to minimize the lower order harmonics in PWM-type applications. Higher switching frequencies have the concomitant advantages of higher current regulator bandwidth, smaller reactive component size, and for frequencies above 18 kHz, acoustic noise which is above the threshold of human perception. Increases in PWM inverter switching frequency over the last decade (from around 500 Hz to 2 kHz for supplies rated 1-25 kW) have

OO93-9994/89/03oO-0317$01 O .O

1989 IEEE

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 25, NO. 2, MARCHlAPRlL 1989

I
60 Hz

Cycloconverter Filter

Cycloconverter

Finer

Fig. 3.

Block schematic of three-phase-ac-to-three-phase-ac HF link converter [ 111.

Fig. 2. Typical snubber used with BJTs. (a) Circuit diagram. (b)Switching ih loci for transistor operating into clamped inductive load, both w t and without snubber.

typically been as a result of improvements in device speed and SOA ratings. An equally important approach, topological in nature, explores the possibility of modifying the switching environment to maximize device utilization. The best known example of such an approach is the perennial search for the quintessential snubber. The elegant concept of controlling the device switching trajectory was first discussed by Calkin and Hamilton [l], and subsequently by McMurray [2], [3], Undeland [4], Zach et al. [5], and many others. The snubber network protects the devices by diverting switching losses away from the device itself. A survey of the literature indicates that the simple snubbers of the past have evolved into increasingly complex networks, often to a point where the snubber itself can be called a power-converter topology [5] ! Notwithstanding the level of sophistication attainable, the most popular snubber configuration is also the simplest and is shown in Fig. 2(a). L , provides turn-on protection while Cs and Ds constitute a polarized turn-off snubber. R D provides a dissipative snubber discharge path. Fig. 2(b) shows typical switching loci for a bipolar junction transistor (BJT) operating into an inductive load, both with and without the snubber network. Even though the advantages of using snubbers in BJT inverters are well known, packaging problems and the cost of additional components make their use by industry infrequent. For GTO inverters, on the other hand, the snubber is absolutely essential for device protection and is often the key to a reliable and successful inverter design. While snubbers perform admirably in alleviating device switching losses, the total switching losses do not change appreciably and can actually increase for given operating conditions. Consequently, increases in inverter switching frequency continue to exact a heavy penalty in terms of system efficiency. Another interesting alternative is the use of resonant mode converters employing a high-frequency resonant LC circuit in the power transfer path. A substantial amount of interest exists in the area, as can be seen from the proliferation of papers on the subject [6]-[ 131. Two distinctly identifiable categories

of resonant converter seem to have emerged over the years. Converters of the first category, of which induction heating inverters and dc/dc converters are examples, accomplish control through a modulation of the inverter switching frequency. For these circuits, the frequency-sensitive impedance of the resonant tank is the key to a variable output [6]-[8]. While it is also possible to synthesize low-frequency ac waveforms using such frequency modulation principles, the complexity of control, large number of switching devices, and oversized resonant components makes it an unattractive proposition [9]. The second type of resonant converter, commonly referred to as a high-frequency (HF) link converter, was proposed by Bedford in 1973 [14] and was enhanced in scope by Gyugui [15], and then by Pelly and Gyugyi [16]. The first discussion in the literature was by Espelage and Bose [lo], followed by Gyugyi and Cibulka [ l l ] . Most of these realizations use naturally commutated converters and cycloconverters with a high-frequency ac link formed out of resonant LC tank circuits. The HF link converters are capable of ac/ac or dc/ac conversion with bidirectional power flow and can present any desired power factor to the ac supply. Fig. 3 shows the schematic for an ac/ac HF link converter [ll]. In contrast with the frequency-modulation scheme used earlier, the link frequency is not very important, and output ac waveform synthesis is done through modulation of the output stage. For natural commutation, phase angle control is the obvious choice. To obtain the benefits of higher switching frequencies, Schwarz raised the internal resonant frequency to 20 kHz and achieved forced commutation of the thyristors with a series LC circuit, as opposed to a parallel tank [13]. Huisman and deHaan proposed a dc-to-three-phase ac resonant link converter using thyristors [ 121. They also proposed integral cycle modulation as a viable control strategy for low-frequency ac waveform synthesis. Sood and Lip0 have recently examined the viability of a high-frequency link power distribution system using bidirectional GTO devices in the resonant converters [17]. The HF link converter is a viable topology and is the focus of continuing research. The system is capable of switching at frequencies greater than 18 kHz using available devices at the multikolowatt power level. However, the technology is not economically competitive and has not gained much favor in industry for variable-speed drive applications. This can be attributed to a wide variety of reasons. The large number of bidirectional high-speed highpower switches required are realized from available unidirectional devices. Gyugyis system needs 36 thyristors in addition to an excitation inverter [ 111.

DIVAN: RESONANT DC LINK CONVERTER

The recovery characteristics of the deviceddiodes used often necessitate the use of snubber networks. The LC resonant circuit handles the full-load power and has large circulating currents, up to six times the load current. Consequently, even though energy stored in the system is small, the VA rating of the resonant elements is substantial. Control is extremely complex given the simultaneous tasks of input and output control, HF bus regulation, and thyristor commutation (where applicable).
OF DC BASIC PRINCIPLES THE RESONANT LINK CONVERTER

vs

fR;*J
s3
54

319

__

Fig. 4. Current-fed resonance dc link converter using H-bridge.

VA VB

vc

From the foregoing discussion, it is obvious that whereas the dc link system requires the minimum number of devices, it is the resonant converter which is capable of switching at the high-frequencies of interest. It is extremely important to realize that if the switching environment could be modified to ensure zero switching losses, the dc link converter switching frequency would then be restricted only by device turn-on, storage, and turn-off times. Zero switching losses could be obtained by holding the dc bus voltage at zero volts for the duration of the switching transient. An elegant method for attaining the desired objective is to make the dc bus oscillatory, ensuring that the voltage remains at zero for sufficient time to allow lossless switching to take place. Fig. 4 shows a current-fed resonant converter circuit which can oscillate at or below the tank resonant frequency [18]. Assuming excitation of the H-bridge at the system natural frequency, the tank voltage is seen to be a pure sinusoid, and the average curent in the dc link inductor is just sufficient to compensate for losses in the circuit. It can also be observed that all devices SI-& switch with zero voltage across them. The zero-switching-loss condition is also seen to hold for switching frequencies below the natural resonant frequency. Further, the dc bus voltage at Vois seen to be a rectified sinusoid which goes through two zero crossings per cycle of the switching frequency. If dc power is now delivered to LL and R L , as shown in Fig. 4, it is apparent that the resonant circuit damping is independent of the power delivered, provided L L 9 Ldc > L . Consequently, the tank continues to oscillate and does not handle any of the power delivered to RL in the steady state. Of even greater importance is the conclusion that if Vo is used as a resonant dc bus, then additional devices connected across that bus could also be operated with zero switching loss provided they were switched at the zero voltage crossings of the bus. Fig. 5 shows the schematic of a dc-to-three-phase resonant dc link inverter. Fig. 6 shows a technique for synthesizing low-frequency ac waveforms using integral cycles of the resonant dc link. With commercially available BJTs and GTOs in this topology, tank resonant frequencies of 20 kHz are easily attainable. This permits the six-transistor inverter stage to switch at up to 40 kHz, giving sufficient resolution to realize control in drive-type applications through an appropriate integral pulsewidth modulation (IPWM) strategy. The concept is easily extended to a three-phase-ac-to-threephase-ac converter by the addition of six input devices, as

Fig. 5. DC-to-three-phase-ac resonant dc link inverter using H-bridge

vo

nnnnnnnnnnnn

VA

npp,
Ann

nnn
Ann

VB

Fig. 6. Synthesis of low-frequency ac waveform fron integral pulses of resonant dc link using DPM.

s9

S10

SI1

S12

SI3

S14

S15

S16

Fig. 7. Three-phase-ac-to-three-phase-resonant link power converter dc topology using H-bridge to resonant dc link.

shown in Fig. 7. All 16 GTO devices can now be switched on the zero crossings of the dc bus, eliminating switching losses in the entire system. The circuit is also seen to be completely symmetric, fully regenerative, has zero switching losses and low energy storage. There is no snubber network, although it is tempting to consider the resonant dc link to be a lossless rotating snubber. The configuration is extremely insensitive to factors such as diode recovery and variations in device storage or turn-off times. During the switching transient, the dc bus voltage automatically continues to be at zero until the last device has recovered its blocking characteristic. In spite of all the apparent advantages, the circuit in Fig. 5 (or Fig. 7) is far from ideal in its performance. As mentioned earlier, when the current in Ldc equals the inverter current, the resonant tank is minimally involved in the power flow. However, the use of a PWM-type modulation strategy causes

320

IEEE TRANSA(ZTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 25, NO. 2 , MARCHiAPRIL 1989

VS

f 7 -?R y J; ] L
-

__
Fig. 8. Basic circuit of single-transistor resonant dc link.

S4

S5

S6

(a)

very rapid changes in the dc link current drawn by the inverter stage. In a conventional voltage source inverter, this dc current ripple is absorbed in a large electrolytic capacitor with few deleterious effects. For the resonant dc link inverter, the current in Ldcno longer flows into the inverter, and the resulting difference current now excites the tank, causing an undesirable modulation of the dc bus voltage (Fig. 12). The depth of this modulation is proportional to the ratio of the peak load current Zx to the peak capacitor current Zcp. Consequently, meeting the desired objective of low energy storage results in high modulation depth of the dc bus voltage. This, in turn, can cause objectionable low-frequency torque pulsations in the load. Increasing the peak capacitor current requires higher device ratings and results in higher dissipation in the tank circuit. In addition to operating problems, four additional devices and a fairly large resonant tank add a cost burden which is difficult to justify. A simpler version of the resonant dc link is considered next. SINGLE-TRANSISTOR RESONANT LINK DC Given that the objective is to generate a resonant dc link, consider the circuit shown in Fig. 8. If V, is applied to the system with the device S off, for lossless L and C, YO will be given by vo(t) = Vs(l - cos u t ) (1) where o is the resonant frequency of the LC circuit. At w t = 2a, uo will return to zero volts, thus setting up the desired lossless switching condition. For finite Q factors, the voltage will never return to zero and will finally stabilize at V,. On the other hand, if S is maintained on while applying V,, the current in L is seen to increase linearly. S is then turned off when sufficient energy is stored in the inductor L to ensure that YO returns to zero. This then allows S to be turned on once again so as to repeat the process and establish a single transistor resonant dc link. Having established the desired resonant dc link, Fig. 9(a) shows the obvious extension of the concept to a dc-to-threephase ac inverter. As in the previous case, the dc link voltage is required to go through zero periodically, thus setting up conditions for the lossless switching of all devices connected across it. To accomplish that objective, it is now necessary to monitor (iL - I,) to ascertain that sufficient excess energy is stored in L to ensure that VOreturns to zero. It is also interesting to note that the oscillator device S is in parallel with the inverter per-phase device pairs. Consequently, S is redundant and the resonant dc link inverter topology reduces to the circuit shown in Fig. 9(b). It is obvious that control of the six devices will now need modification to include action of switch S . The three-phase-ac-to-three-phase-ac converter is also easily derived from the basic circuit and is shown in

S4

S5

S6

(b)

38 AC

To Load

S4

S5

S6

s10

s11

s12

(c) Fig. 9. Variations of single resonant transistor resonant dc link inverters. (a) DC-to-three-phase inverter with seven devices. @) Resonant dc link inverter using only six devices. (c) Three-phase-ac-to-three-phaseac resonant dc link inverter.

Fig. 9(c). L and C are the resonant elements, and Cf is an electrolytic capacitor which establishes the dc voltage required for resonant dc link operation. Once again, the circuit is completely symmetric, fully regenerative, and without switching losses. Many significant advantages can be seen to characterize this topology. The addition of one small inductor and one capacitor to a conventional VSI eliminates all switching losses and results in a substantial increase in the inverter efficiency and the switching frequency. Active control of the current (iL - Zx) ensures that each resonant cycle starts with the same initial conditions. Thus the resonant cycle is controlled in a deadbeat manner, independent of the actual value of dc link current I,. This results in a virtual elimination of the sustained dc bus modulation encountered in the previous resonant dc link case and also results in a reduction in the size of the resonant elements required. Resonant dc link inverter operation will be analyzed next. ANALYSIS DESIGN AND Assuming that the load inductance is much greater than the resonant inductor L , the equivalent circuit of the system for the duration of each resonant cycle reduces to that shown in Fig. 10. The value of the link current I, depends on the individual phase currents and the switching functions for the six inverter devices. Given a PWM-type strategy, Zx can vary by a large amount from one switching cycle to the next. However, during the resonant cycle itself, Zx remains virtually constant. If switch S is turned off when the inductor current is at ZLb,

DIVAN: RESONANT DC LINK CONVERTER

R

32 1

Fig. 10. Equivalent circuit of system during each resonant pulse.

the capacitor voltage and the inductor current can be found to be vc(t)
=

V,

Z,R

+ e-"'

I L

for the duration of the resonant cycle. The constants are given by CY = R / 2 L
WO

CY

and w

I
(b) Fig. 1 1 . Operation of resonant dc link. (a) Computed waveforms for resonant dc link operation. Top trace: dc link current into inverter I,. Center trace: inductor current i. Lower trace: resonant dc link voltage vC. (b) , Phase plane plot of vC and iL for waveforms shown in (a).

= (L

c)-"2

w = (Of- CY*)'/*.

on operating conditions, I, is varied from its rated value of +30 A to -30 and back. During the transition from the motoring to the regenerating mode, a large overshoot is observed in Vc(t)for one resonant cycle. The second transition, i.e., from regenerating to motoring, is seen to possess the deadbeat characteristic mentioned earlier. The voltage overshoot is easily contained by a voltage-clamping-type energy-recovery Vc(t)= V, e-"'[- V, * cos w t W L * sin ut] (4) circuit without affecting the superior transient performance of the system. Fig. 1l(b) shows a phase plane plot of v c ( t )versus i L ( t ) for the waveforms shown in Fig. ll(a). An optimum design can be formulated for the resonant dc link converter by minimizing the dissipation in the resonant where elements. Using the circuit in Fig. 10, the dissipation in the inZM = ZL, - I x . (6) ductor effective series resistance (ESR) is approximately given It can be seen that (4), which determines whether Vc will by return to zero, is essentially independent of Z, and depends strongly on (ZL, - Z,). Thus an appropriate control strategy 7 R ' Sk Vi * P = Z:R d (7) requires that ( i t - I,) be monitored when S is conducting 220 and that S be turned off when ( i ~ I,) equals the desired value of ZM. This also gives insight into the deadbeat response where V, is the supply voltage, zo = ( L / C ) ' l 2is the characanticipated. Starting the system with the foregoing initial con- teristic impedance, Z, is the dc current for rated power output, dition implies that vc(t) is independent of the load current and S k is a multiplying factor which includes skin effect, proximity effect, etc. As the switching frequency is assumed Fig. 1l(a) shows a simulated plot of relevant waveforms for by specification, S k is taken to be a constant. For an inducthe resonant dc link. To illustrate the effect of change in I, tor wound with N turns of wire, we can write the following

The preceding equations are valid until V, returns to zero, at which instant the diode in antiparallel with the switch S conducts and clamps V , to zero. S can then be turned on to allow iL to build up to ZL, once again. To minimize system losses, R is made as small as feasible. Consequently, assuming that the system is highly underdamped, i.e., R Q wL, (2) and (3) reduce to the following form:

ziM

322
TABLE Ia
CALCULATED SWITCHING LOSSES

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON LNDUSTRY APPLICATIONS. VOL. 2 5 . NO. 2 , MARCH/APRIL 1989

c s
Inverter type Hard-switching H-bridge Single-transistor (pH)

L S
(pH)

Psw Device

Pinductor

(W
180 8.4 4

(W
-

3.2 0.75

19.8 85

50 50

202 45

a Calculations are based on link voltage and link current of 150 V, 30 A, giving apparent power o f 4 . 5 kW. The device used has t r = 2 ps, t, = 2 ps. Switching frequency is 20 kHz. This comparison only looks at the trade-off between device switching losses and losses in the additional LC tank circuit. Detailed trade-off studies are currently under examination.

relationships:

L =
R
=

AL

N2

(8)

(9) Substituting (9) into (7), and minimizing Pd with respect to the resonant circuit characteristic impedance, the optimum value of 2 is Z, 0 o where
*

AR

N = AR(L/AL)'/~.

A comparison is made between a conventional PWM inverter and both types of resonant dc link inverters. The inverters are rated at 4.5 kW with V, volts, la= 30 A, and a switching frequency fs = 20 kHz. The transistor rise time t , is 1 ps, and the fall time tf is 2 p s . Component values and switching losses, including resonant circuit losses, are calculated for the three configurations and are listed in Table I. Conduction losses are almost the same for all three circuits. It can be seen that the switching losses for the single transistor case are substantially lower than for the other two. Comparing the two resonant dc link inverters, the LC component values and the peak capacitor currents are also seen to be significantly lower for the single-transistor link. The biggest penalty for the new topology is in terms of the device voltage ratings required, i.e., 2 2 V,.

Fig. 12. Oscillograms of dc bus modulation in presence of DPM switching. (a) For H-bridge resonant dc link inverter. Top trace: dc bus voltage. Lower trace: line-line voltage. (b) Same traces as in (a) but for singletransistor resonant dc link.

quency fsynch. A block schematic of the controller is shown in Fig. 15. Control strategies for inverters with regularly samA 4.5-kW inverter was designed and fabricated using Fuji pled data system characteristics raise interesting questions, 450-V 50-A Darlington transistors to verify the concepts pro- which are the focus of current investigations. Fig. 16 shows posed for resonant dc link inverters. The parallel resonant tank line-line voltage and line-current waveforms while operating topology was tested first and demonstrated severe modulation with an induction motor load. The line-line voltage consists of of the dc bus, as shown in Fig. 12(a). By way of contrast, a three-level waveform with discrete resonant pulses of zero the single-transistor resonant dc link circuit had a reasonably positive or negativ epolarity and represents an discrete pulse stable dc bus waveform, even in the presence of substantial modulation (DPM) pattern (Fig. 12(b)). modulation of the inductor current iL (as shown in Figs. 12(b) Fig. 17(a) shows the frequency spectrum of the line-line and 13). voltage demonstrating an almost total absence of any objecThe inverter switched at 18 kHz under no-load conditions, tionable harmonics. The major spectral component, besides with L = 65 pH and C = 1 pF and no snubber networks. the fundamental, is centered around the carrier frequency of The losses in the resonant circuit were predominantly in the 18 1 kHz and possesses the characteristic double peak of carLitz wire inductor and totaled 35 W at 100 V dc. Device rier-modulated systems. Fig. 17(b) shows the spectrum of the switching losses were nonexistent, as can be ascertained from average energy contained in the line-line voltage over a wide the V,, - IC switching locus for the resonant transitor (Fig. bandwidth of 20 kHz. The response is symmetrial around 9 14). This resulted in a substantial reduction in the size of the kHz, a consequence of the 18-kHz sampling frequency. It also inverter transistor heat sinks. demonstrates the absence of any dominant frequency compoThe inverter was controlled via a delta-modulation-type nents in the audible range and has a spectral response which controller which was synchronized to the resonant link fre- is reminiscent of colored noise, a result of the nonintegral and EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

DIVAN: RESONANT DC LINK CONVERTER

323

Fig. 13. Plot of inductor current i, (upper trace) and dc bus voltage (lower trace) under similar IPWM conditions, showing , , significant instantaneous change in i (Vdc = 300 V peak, i = 50 A peak-to-peak, 18-kHz switching frequency).

Fig. 14.

VcE - IC switching locus for resonant dc link transistor (switch S ) showing absence of switching losses.

Fig. 15. Block schematic of delta DPM controller. Note absence of any hysteresis in comparator. DC link oscillation frequency and low-frequency ac signal are not synchronized in any manner.

Fig. 16. Line-line voltage and line current waveforms when connected to induction motor load (voltage: 200 V/div; current: 5 A/div; time: 5 ms/div).

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 25, NO. 2, MARCHIAPRIL 1989

which enhance its usefulness in an industrial environment. The deadbeat response gives excellent control of transient stresses and minimizes the impact of most load or supply side faults on the system. The circuit has a simple power structure, low losses, and no snubbers. System reliability is improved because the devices have no switching losses. The high switching speed makes it possible to design very high bandwidth current regulators with all the concomitant advantages. Acoustic noise associated with variable-speed drives, often a problem in industrial and commercial plants, is also dramatically reduced. The resonant dc link concept can also be simply extended to a multiquadrant three-phase-ac-to-three-phase-ac power converter with low harmonic currents on both the input and the output sides. Summing up the various features of the resonant dc link inverter, we can see the following advantages: minimum number of power devices, elimination of switching losses and snubbers, high switching frequency, low acoustic noise, excellent dynamics and transient response, multiquadrant operation, unity PF and low harmonics on ac line side, low sensitivity to parasitic impedance and device recovery effects, maximization of power density, suitable for high power levels with GTO devices, simple control strategy and power structure.
A 4.5-kW inverter has been fabricated and tested extensively in the laboratory, and the superior characteristics of the resonant dc link topology have been amply verified.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Fig. 17. (a) Frequency spectrum of line-line voltage showing low harmonic content with fundamental at 13.7-500 Hz bandwidth. (b) Same spectrum as (a), but over 20-kHz bandwidth shows characteristic folded spectrum of sampled data system.

Fabrication assistance from G. Skiblinski, 0. Patterson, and Kheraluwala is greatly appreciated

REFERENCES
E. T. Calkin and B. H. Hamilton, Circuit techniques for improving the switching loci of transistor switching regulators, in IEEE Annu. Conf. Rec., 1972, pp. 4 7 7 4 8 4 . W. McMurray, Selection of snubbers and clamps to optimize the design of transistor switching converters, IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl., vol. IA-16, no. 4, pp. 513-523, July/Aug. 1980. -, Efficient snubbers for voltage source GTO inverters, in IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conf. Rec., 1985, pp. 20-27. T. M. Undeland, F. Jenset, and A. Steinbakk, A snubber configuration for both power transistors and GTO PWM inverters, IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conf. Rec., 1984, pp. 42-53. F. C . Zach, K. H . Kaiser, J . W. Kolar, and F. J. Haselsteiner, New lossless turn-on and turn-off (snubber) networks for inverters, including circuits for blocking voltage limitation, IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. PE-I, no. 2. F. C. Schwarz and J. Ben Klaassens, A controllable 45 kW current source for dc machines, IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl., vol. IA-15, no. 4, pp. 437-444, JulyiAug. 1979. R. L. Steigerwals, High frequency resonatn transistor dc-dc converters, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. IE-31, no. 2, pp. 181-191, May 1984. R. Oruganti and F. C. Lee, Resonant power processors: Part 1State plane analysis, in IEEE Industry Applications Soc. Annu. Meeting Conf. Rec., 1984, pp. 860-867. P. D. Ziogas, V . T. Ranganathan, and V. R. Stefanovic, A fourquadrant current regulated converter with a high frequency link,

constantly dithering carrier-to-signal-frequency ratios. This has a profound effect on the audible noise generated by the system. Instead of the wailing banshee effect typical of PWM systems, the motor-inverter combination is quiet and produces an inoffensive hissing sound. It is also felt that the lower noise levels are due, at least in part, to the moderate du/dt lelvels experienced by the motor windings. CONCLUSION This paper has presented a new approach to realizing efficient high-performance power converters. The concept of a resonant dc link inverter has been proposed and realized with the addition of only one small inductor and capacitor to a conventional voltage source inverter circuit. The new topology is capable of switching an order of magnitude faster than stateof-the-art VSIs at significantly improved efficiencies using the same family of devices. The topology is especially suitable for high-power applications using GTO devices. The topology exhibits unique operating characteristics

DIVAN: RESONANT DC LINK CONVERTER

325
[ 151 L. Gyugyi, Static power conversion arrangement for converting

IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl., vol. IA-18, no. 5, pp. 499-506, SeptJOct. 1982. P. M. Espelage and B. K . Bose, High frequency link power conversion, in IEEE Ind. Appl. Soc. Annu. Meeting Conf. Rec., 1975, pp. 802-808. L. Gyugyi and F. Cibulka, The high-frequency base converter-A new approach to static high-power conversion, IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl., vol. IA-15, no. 4, July/Aug. 1979. H. Huisman and S. W. H. deHaan, A dc to 3-phase series-resonant converter with low harmonic distortion, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. IE-32, no. 2, pp. 142-149, May 1985. F. C. Schwarz, A doublesided cycloconverter, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron. Contr. Instrum., vol. IECI-28, no. 4, pp. 282-291, Nov. 1981. B. D. Bedford, Versatile cycloinverter power converter circuits, U.S. Patent 3 742336. June 26. 1975.

direct current power to alternating current power, U.S. Patent 3875494, Apr. 1, 1975. [16] B. R. Pelly and L. Gyugyi, Naturally commutated cycloconverter with controlled input displacement power factor, U.S. Patent 4013037, Mar. 22, 1977. [17] P. Sood and T. A. Lipo, Power conversion distribution system using a resonant high-frequency ac link, IEEE Ind. Appl. Soc. Annu. Meeting Conf. Rec., 1986. [I81 D. M. Divan, Design considerations for very high frequency resonant mode dc/dc converters, IEEE Ind. Appl. Soc. Annu. Meeting Conf.Rec., 1986.

Deepakraj M. Divan (S78-M78-S82-M83), for a photograph and biography please see page 315 of this TRANSACTIONS.