An Interleaved Converter for 12-pulse Rectifier Harmonic Suppression

In order to further improve the harmonic suppression capability of conventional 12-pulse rectifiers, this paper proposes a low harmonic 12-pulse rectifier using an Active Inter-Phase Reactor (AIPR). Through a detailed analysis of the relationship between the input current, output current and circulating current of the DC side, the mechanism where the AC grid side current harmonics can be suppressed by the DC side circulating current is revealed. On this basis, an interleaved APFC controlled by a DSP is designed and used as an AIPR along with an interphase reactor. A simulation is carried out with MATLAB/Simulink and an experiment is performed on a 9-kVA prototype. The obtained results verify the feasibility and validity of the proposed approach. Compared with a traditional 12-pulse rectifier, the THD can be reduced to 1/5 of the original value, and the capacity of the AIPR is only 2% of the load power. Thus, it is suitable for high-power applications.