Novel active clamped Y-source network for improved voltage boosting

Y-source impedance networks are one of the prominent two-port networks for DC-DC and DC-AC applications with the higher boosting ability and reduced stress across the switching elements. However, the boosting ability of the Y-source converter needs better magnetic coupling between the windings. The loosely coupled inductors cause high-voltage spikes and poor voltage regulation. Use of highly rated switches or incorporation of the proper clamping circuit is essential to improve the performance Y-source converter. It is always better to go with clamping/absorbing circuits instead of the selection of highly rated devices. Various passive and active clamping/absorbing circuits are introduced in literature to suppress the voltage spikes at the expense of higher component count. This article proposes a novel active clamped Y-source impedance network and its family by adding one additional clamping diode to the existing type-I improved Y-source network. Compared to other Y-source networks, the proposed networks absorb the voltage spikes with reduced passive component count and re-utilise the absorbed energy to enhance the voltage gain in the presence of leakage inductance and winding equivalent series resistance. Finally, one of the proposed impedance networks, i.e. an active clamped Y-source DC-DC converter, has been verified experimentally using a ferrite core.