Observer-Based Power Factor Control for Matrix Converters in Dynamic Applications

Matrix Converters provide an efficient, compact and reliable alternative to the traditional AC/DC/AC converters in various applications including mining. A typical requirement for a converter is to maintain the grid-side power factor close to unity. To address this requirement, a novel power factor control method is proposed, which optimizes the grid-side power factor over the full power/frequency ranges of the prospective applications. A major novelty of this method is utilization of observers to establish a closed-loop mechanism for maintaining the optimal power factor in the presence of modelling errors and load changes. The article presents a background study, description of the system model and the control strategy, and a detailed derivation of the proposed algorithm. The proposed method is validated by simulation and experimental results.