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A novel noninverting boost-buck dc-dc converter topology is presented, applicable when both sides of the converter need to have the same grounding. It is based on the back-to-back connection of two n-level diode-clamped converter legs, and allows bidirectional power flow. A simplified topology is proposed for unidirectional power flow applications. Two new pulse width modulation strategies with different advantages are proposed to operate the converter guaranteeing dc-link capacitor voltage balance in every switching cycle for all possible operating conditions and using small capacitance values. The semiconductor device losses are analytically compared to the losses in a conventional two-level boost-buck converter. The analysis yields a higher efficiency for the multilevel converter, especially as the number of levels increases. Experimental results are presented to validate the good converter performance in a five-level converter prototype.

Peer Reviewed