Design and implementation of a novel rapid charger with energy recovery

Design and implementing considerations of a novel rapid charger for lead-acid batteries are presented in this paper. The researched charger uses a single-stage power converter with an energy recovery cell. While providing high charging efficiency and prolonging battery lifetime, the proposed charger exhibits a high power factor, simplicity and lower cost. The operating principles of the single-stage circuit have been explained in previous paper presented by the authors at APEC'03. The design considerations are discussed in detail in this paper. Simulation and experimental results from a laboratory prototype are shown to verify the feasibility of the proposed scheme.