High Efficiency Power Conversion Using a Matrix Converter

As demands for energy savings have increased in recent years, inverters are being used in a wider range of applications. Demands for lower cost, smaller size and higher efficiency will continue to further expand the range of inverter applications. However, as a trend toward eco-friendly products increases, some sort of measure is necessary to suppress the harmonics contained in the inverter input current. Fuji Electric is developing a matrix converter capable of converting a input voltage directly into an arbitrary AC voltage, instead of converting that voltage into a DC voltage as inverters. This matrix converter has higher efficiency, smaller size, longer lifespan and fewer input current harmonics than inverters and has high potential for realizing the abovementioned demands. This paper presents Fuji Electric’s matrix converter and the new technologies that enable its practical application.