Unity power factor single phase AC line current conditioner

Electronic equipment used for data processing typically feature a simple diode bridge rectifier at the front end of the power circuit. The rectifier, in conjunction with its capacitive filter is a nonlinear load and draws current with high crest factor and is rich in harmonics, which cause power quality problems. Such problems have prompted the development of unity power factor rectifiers, which use active current shaping techniques. However, such unity power factor rectifiers have not found widespread application in commercial data processing equipment, mainly due to the absence of persistent problems related to power quality and higher premium being placed on processor speed, memory size, etc. This paper presents an alternative approach to solve power quality problems in such scenarios, only when the problem becomes severe and causes persistent malfunction. A unity power factor line current conditioner based on a boost type AC to AC converter topology is proposed. The paper presents a detailed analysis of the evolution of the converter topology, operation, and design. Experimental results for a prototype converter are included