A Two-terminal Active Inductor with Minimum Apparent Power for the Auxiliary Circuit

This letter proposes a concept of a two-terminal active inductor with minimum apparent power processed by the auxiliary circuits, which are implemented by power semiconductor switches and passive elements. It has the same level of convenience as a passive inductor with two power terminals only. Compared with a conventional inductor with the same equivalent inductance and current rating, the energy storage requirement of the inductor can be reduced significantly, as well as the weight and volume. The auxiliary circuit in the active inductor processes both partial voltage and partial current, with the lowest apparent power rating compared to existing solutions. A case study for the DC-link filter inductor in a three-phase diode-bridge rectifier is discussed. Proof-of-concept experimental results are given to verify the functionality and effectiveness of the proposed active inductor.