Experimental testing of a high-power-quality modulator for A.C. resistive heaters

A.C. resistive heaters represent a widely diffused typology of loads. An effective power regulation may improve the overall energetic efficiency, the exploitation of the available peak power, the thermal load regulation and the power quality in their line-side operation. This paper focuses on the experimental testing of unconventional power modulators for mono- and 3-phase resistive heaters, previously proposed and analyzed under the theoretical and simulation points of view. Such modulators ideally permit a linear regulation of the heating power with an almost unity power factor and a low distortion of the line currents.