DC Bus Voltage Regulation Strategy in Maritime DC Power System for Minimized Converter Loss

In a maritime dc power system, the rectified dc-bus voltage of a permanent magnet synchronous generator is generally regulated by the pulsewidth modulation (PWM) operation of an active ac/dc converter. This article proposes a dc bus voltage regulation strategy exploiting the six-step operation. Under the six-step operation, the switching loss of the converter can be significantly reduced, compared to the PWM operation. Moreover, due to the higher modulation index and the less flux-weakening current of the six-step operation, the conduction loss can also be reduced. By employing diode rectification mode at light load, the conduction loss induced by the non-negligible ripple current of the six-step operation could be minimized. This article implements a controller for the proposed dc bus voltage regulation strategy and verifies its validity with simulation and experimental setup. According to the simulation and the experimental test, the converter efficiency at the rated load is enhanced by 0.6% and 0.4%, and the converter loss is reduced by up to 70% and 19%, respectively.