Power Factor Correction in AC-DC Converter Systems
Summary
Power factor correction (PFC) in AC-DC converter systems is a critical technique to align the phase of input current with the supply voltage, thereby minimising reactive power and reducing harmonic distortion on the grid. At its core, PFC employs active switching converters—such as boost, SEPIC and Ćuk topologies—to shape the input current waveform, achieving near-unity power factor and low total harmonic distortion (THD). These converters operate in continuous or discontinuous conduction modes, with interleaving and bridgeless designs gaining prominence for their enhanced efficiency and reduced electromagnetic interference. Practical applications span from consumer electronics and data-centre power supplies to electric-vehicle onboard chargers and renewable-energy interfaces. Improvements in semiconductor devices, notably with gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) switches, have driven higher switching frequencies and lower conduction losses, enabling more compact magnetics and filter components. Concurrent advances in digital control and predictive algorithms have yielded faster transient response and tighter voltage regulation. Taken together, these developments support global efforts to improve energy efficiency, ensure compliance with stringent power-quality standards, and accommodate increasingly demanding power-conversion requirements across diverse sectors.
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Power Factor Correction in AC-DC Converter Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in power factor correction in ac-dc converter systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Power factor: The ratio of real power delivered to the load to apparent power drawn from the source, indicating phase alignment between voltage and current.
Active PFC converter: A controlled AC-DC stage that actively shapes input current to achieve near-unity power factor and reduced harmonics.
Total harmonic distortion (THD): A measure of the distortion in a waveform, defined as the ratio of the sum of the powers of all harmonic components to the power of the fundamental frequency.
Continuous conduction mode (CCM): An operating condition in which the inductor current never falls to zero during each switching cycle, allowing lower current ripple.
Bridgeless converter: A PFC topology that eliminates the full-bridge diode rectifier, reducing conduction losses by using active switches in place of diodes.
Interleaved converter: A multi-phase approach where parallel converter legs share current, reducing input current ripple and enabling smaller passive components.
References
- Review on State-of-the-Art Unidirectional Non-Isolated Power Factor Correction Converters for Short-/Long-Distance Electric Vehicles. IEEE Access (2022).
- High Step-Down Bridgeless SepicCuk PFC Rectifiers With Improved Efficiency and Reduced Current Stress. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics (2022).
- PFC Single-Phase AC/DC Boost Converters: Bridge, Semi-Bridgeless, and Bridgeless Topologies. Applied Sciences (2021).
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