A Study on Input Power Factor Compensation Capability of Matrix Converters

In practice, the input filter is an important component in matrix converter (MC) systems for removing high harmonic components from input currents. Due to the input filter, the input power factor (IPF) at the main power supply does not always achieve unity. To investigate the behavior of the IPF, this paper analyzes the IPF compensation capacity of MCs with an LC input filter based on space vector theory and the conservation of energy law. The study shows that the range of voltage transfer ratio (VTR) to achieve unity IPF depends strongly on the quality factor, which is determined by the system parameters. If the quality factor is greater than 0.375, the MC can never achieve unity IPF for the whole range of VTR. If the quality factor is lower than 0.375, the MC can only achieve unity IPF for a certain range of VTR, except at a very low or very high VTR. Experimental results are provided to confirm the correctness of the study.