Active power factor correction using nonlinear control

Conventional active power factor correction (PFC) converters are using classical PI controllers to carry out power factor correction. As the voltage input to the converter is fluctuating, a PI controller with nonlinear gain is proposed for the control of the supply current. To further reduce the total harmonic distortion of the supply current, a new reference current generation has been introduced. One of the novelties of the proposed approach is the possibility of generating reactive power for the converter to compensate loads outside the converter. Experimental studies are included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed nonlinear PI controller.