Design and testing of a novel single-stage half-bridge AC-DC converter for battery charging

AC-DC converters are used in most of the electrical utility applications especially in battery charging. Here, a novel topology for single-stage bridgeless ac-dc converter is presented which can give an isolated output voltage and input power factor correction. The input current to an ac-dc converter is rich in low order harmonics and so the total harmonic distortion is high and input power factor is poor. Hence Power Factor Correction (PFC) schemes have been implemented. The effectiveness of the converter is tested and verified in PSIM^TM simulation software and in experimental hardware prototype. This topology is found to have reduced losses and better power factor correction compared to the single-stage PFC ac to dc converters with full-bridge diode rectifier. This topology is suitable for battery charging application with reduced losses and better power quality.