A Novel Four-Quadrant Common-Ground Interleaved Switched-Capacitor Converter

A novel four-quadrant switched-capacitor converter optimized for low-voltage high-current applications is proposed with the primary motivation of controlling the operation of water treatment systems using membrane capacitive deionization (mCDI) but which also has many other emerging applications in electrification technologies. Without increasing the number of inductors per-phase, the novel converter features automatic inductor current balancing, a higher voltage conversion ratio, reduced switching loss and voltage stresses and a smooth transition of voltage polarities. Operation principles are explained. A prototype converter has been constructed to verify the theory and demonstrate the performance of the proposed topology.