A Three-Phase Delta Switch Rectifier for More Electric Aircraft Applications Employing a Novel PWM Current Control Concept

In the course of the more electric aircraft program active three-phase rectifiers in the power range of 5 kW are required. A comparison with other rectifier topologies shows that the three-phase Delta-switch rectifier (comprising three Delta-connected bidirectional switches) is well suited for this application. The system is analyzed using space vector calculus and a novel PWM current controller concept is presented, where all three phases are controlled simultaneously; the analysis shows that the proposed concept yields optimized switching sequences. To facilitate the rectifier design, analytical relationships for calculating the power components average and rms current ratings are derived. Furthermore, a laboratory prototype with an output power of 5 kW is realized. Measurements taken from this prototype confirm the operation of the proposed current controller. Finally, initial EMI-measurements of the system are also presented.