Non-Isolated High Current Battery Charger with PFC
Semi-Bridgeless Rectifier
Rodrigo Patrício Dacol Joselito Anastácio Heerdt
Mobility Engineering Department Electrical Engineering Department
Federal University of Santa Catarina University of State of Santa Catarina
Joinville, Brazil
rodrigo.dacol@gmail.com joselito.heerdt@udesc.br
Abstract— In this paper a unidirectional non-isolated high
current battery charger with power factor correction (PFC) is
proposed. The structure of the battery charger is divided in two
parts: a bridgeless PFC at the input stage and a interleaved
Buck converter at the output stage. The structure uses multi-
interfase transformer, to allow the magnetic volume reduction,
and a bridgeless PFC rectifier to reduce the number of
components. This paper presents the converter operational
stage analysis, control and simulation results.
For a 48V battery with 32A constant current of charging, the
proposed converter reached a power factor of 0.9938.
Keywords — Battery charger, interleaved buck, couple
inductor, PFC bridgeless, lithium-ion battery.
I. INTRODUCTION
With the increasing demand for portable high-power
devices, high-capacity energy storage devices are becoming
very popular, in especially the technologies involving
lithium-ion batteries due to their higher power/energy
density.
Lithium-ion battery packs have being used in many
applications so far, for instance, in telecommunication,
uninterrupted power supplies, computer, cameras, drones,
and electric vehicles.
In the last years, many companies start to commercialize
electric vehicles with large battery banks, with high current
charge/discharge capability, to provide fast battery
charging/discharging. However, in fast battery chargers the
current can reach higher levels (>500A), and therefore, a new
infrastructure to recharge this batteries need to be created [1]
[2]. Not only fast charger infrastructures need to be built but
also smaller charger, with high current capability, should be
design for use mainly in residential applications.
The battery chargers are classified by the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard IEC61851 [3],
into three categories. The first two categories are for a power
range between 1 to 14.4 kW, used in small and onboard
charger applications. The third category represents public
charging stations, with power levels up to 240 kW. The study
presented in this paper is focus on the first two categories.
Normally, the battery chargers, for the first categories,
are composed by EMI filters, PFC rectifiers and dc-dc
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Gierri Waltrich
Mechanical Engineering Department
Federal University of Santa Catarina
Joinville, Brazil Florianopolis, Brazil
gierri.waltrich@ufsc.br
converters. The EMI filters are not the focus of this paper;
therefore, they will not be study. The studies are related to
single phase PFC and dc-dc converter at the output stage.
Single phase PFC topologies used in battery charger for
categories 1 and 2 are usually classified as phase-shifted
semi-bridgeless rectifier, bridgeless rectifier and controllable
full-bridge transistor rectifier [2]. However, in commercial
applications, normally it is used the simplest solution, i.e.,
using the conventional fully-bridge single-phase boost PFC
with a step-down converter [4] (Buck, forward or flyback) at
the output stage [5] [6].
Thus, with the goal of reducing the number of
components and increase the charger current output, in this
paper is proposed a converter with a bridgeless rectifier to
reduce number of components, and an interleaved Buck
converter to allow a higher charger current output.
Furthermore, a CC/CV controller (Constant Current-
Constant Voltage controller) [7] for the charging process is
implemented.
II. PROPOSED TOPOLOGY
A battery charger, with an interleaved buck converter [8]
and a bridgeless PFC [9] is proposed in this paper and shown
Fig. 1. The PFC is used the obtain a high power factor (close
to unity) and the interleaved Buck converter is used to control
the battery charging current due to its output current source
characteristic. The interleaved Buck converter has a multi-
interfase transformer to reduce its magnetic volume, as
described in [10] [11].
Fig. 1 - Battery charger proposed.
In the following subsections are presented the
operational stages and main characteristics of both input and
output stages of the proposed converter.
A. Semi-Bridgelessrectifier B. Interleaved Buck
The operational stages of the Semi-BridgelessPFC Fig. 4 shows the operational stages of the Buck
rectifier [9] are shown in Fig. 2. It is divided in four steps, interleavead converter with a duty cycle lower than 50%. Fig.
two steps for the positive half-cycle and two steps for the 5 shows the couple inductor currents (iC1, iC2), switches
negative half-cycle of utility grid. currents (iS1, iS2) and diode currents (iD1, iD2).
In the stage I, 𝑄1 and 𝐷𝐵 diode are conducting. In this
situation the input current increases and the current in the
load is supplied by the dc bus capacitor.
In the stage II, 𝑄1 is turned-off and diode 𝐷𝐵 is still
conducting. The input current flows through the diode 𝐷1 to
the load and to the dc bus capacitor. In this situation, the input
current derivative is negative.
The input current follows the input voltage reference (in
a closed lopping control) guarantying high power factor.

Fig. 3 - Semi-BridgelessPFC waveforms.

Fig. 2 - Semi-BridgelessPFC rectifier.

When the input current is negative, the rectifier works
similarly, but the current is controlled by 𝑄2 .
Fig. 3 shows the main PFC Semi-Bridgelessrectifier
waveforms, including, input current, switches currents and dc
bus capacitor voltage.
Fig. 4 - Buck interleaved operational stages.
In the stage I, 𝑆1 is on, and 𝑆2 is off. The input current
flows through 𝐿𝐶1 and 𝐿𝐶2 and the current in the inductor, 𝐿𝑆 ,
increases, as shown in Fig. 6.
In the Stage II, 𝑆1 and 𝑆2 are turned-off. The current
flows through 𝐷1 and 𝐷2 and the current in 𝐿𝑆 decreases. This
stage is similar to Stage IV.

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 The Stage III, occurs when the 𝑆1 is off, and 𝑆2 is on. The
input current flows through 𝐿𝐶1 and 𝐿𝐶2 and the current in the
inductor, 𝐿𝑆 , increases.
Some mechanisms were added to the DSP (used in the
prototype) to disconnect the charger in case of overvoltage.
The PFC control system is more complex. It has two
control loops; one for the dc bus voltage and another one for
the input current, as shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 5 - Buck interleaved main waveforms. Fig. 8 – Semi-BridgelessPFC control.

Using a interleaved buck at the output stage the current The voltage control is the external loop, therefore, has a
in 𝐿𝑆 has a frequency twice higher compared with the slower dynamic. This voltage loop controls the dc bus using
switching frequency, thus, this magnetic has its volume a PI controller. The current reference is generated by
reduced [10]. Furthermore, because the multi-interfase multiplying the utility grid alternating voltage with the output
transformer s, 𝐿𝐶1 and 𝐿𝐶2 has its average flux canceled with of the voltage loop control, thus, it is guaranteed the high
each other, the induced magnetic field peak value is very low power factor control. The current control loop also uses a PI
[10] [12]. In Fig. 6 is observed that ∆𝐼𝐶 has a null average controller, however, with a faster dynamic.
value.
IV. PROTOTYPE AND SIMULATIONS
In order to verify the operation of the proposed battery
charger, a 1.5 kW prototype was built and it is shown in Fig.
9. The battery charger specifications and parameters are
shown in Table 1. For tests purposes it has been configured
the battery charge with 48V, to charge a battery bank with
13-cell lithium-ion batteries in series with 3 cells in parallel,
with capacity of 6600mAh, as shown in Fig. 10. This battery
pack was built in laboratory with a spot welding machine and
a commercial BMS (battery management system), for
protection against over-discharge, over-voltage charge and
short circuits. This battery pack was built using recycling
Fig. 6 - Typical waveforms of current on inductors. battery cells from laptops.
TABLE 1 - Prototype specifications and parameters.
III. BATTERY CHARGER CONTROL Input voltage 𝑉𝑎𝑐 = 220𝑉
The battery charger control system [11] is very simple, Input frequency 60Hz
as showed in Fig. 7. It only uses a proportional-integral (PI) Switching frequency 𝑓𝑠 =50kHz
controller for the converter current, with a duty cycle limiter, Output power 𝑃𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 1.5𝑘𝑊
to protect against battery overvoltage. Maximum output voltage 𝑉𝑜_𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 55𝑉
Minimum output voltage 𝑉𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 38𝑉
Maximum output current 𝐼𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 32𝐴
Input inductor 𝐿𝑖𝑛 =250uH
Dc bus capacitor 𝐶𝐵 =900uF
Output inductor 𝐿𝑆 =150uH
Battery configuration 13 cells in series and 3 in parallel
(13S3P)
Fig. 7- Proposed battery charger control.

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 The multi-interfase transformer were built in accordance
with the methodology described in [10]. The total volume of
the inductors was 0.165L (0.041L for the multi-interfase
transformer 𝐿𝐶1,2 and 0.125L for the output inductor 𝐿𝑆 ).
Compared with the inductor volume of a Buck converter,
built with the same specifications results in 0.427L, in which
represents a reduction of almost 60%.
Fig. 9 - Prototype of the proposed battery charger.
Fig. 10 - 13S3P lithium-ion battery pack.
A. Semi-BridgelessPFC simulations
The simulations for the Semi-BridgelessPFC controlled
rectifier, were carried out using the data from Table 1 and the
results are presented in Fig. 11. Interleaved As shown in this
figure, the input stage has a high power factor. The power
factor for the Fig. 11 was calculated and the resulted obtained
was equal to 0.9938. The Fast Fourier Transformer was also
measured, and it is presented in Fig. 12. The first harmonics
appears around twice the switching frequency, showing that
the high frequency harmonics in fact are twice the switching
frequency.
B. Interleaved Buck simulation
The simulation for the Buck interleaved were also carried
out and the results are shown in Fig. 13.
Because the multi-interfase transformer were winding in
opposite direction, the dc component of the induced magnetic
field is cancelled. The dc flux cancellation, allows only the
ac flows through the core with an small peak value.
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Fig. 11 – Proposed input voltage and input current battery
charger simulation.
Fig. 12 – Fast Fourier Transformer of the input current.
Fig. 13 – Multi-interfase transformer currents in 𝐼𝑐1 and 𝐼𝑐2
In Fig. 14 is shown the current through the inductor 𝐿𝑆 .
As expected, the current frequency through this inductor is
twice the switching frequency, allowing to reduce size in the
inductor design. Actually, because this inductor has lower
current ripple and high dc value (around 30.5A in this case),
this inductor might be designed using iron powder core,
which has higher induced magnetic flux saturation value.
However, for the multi-interfase transformer , they were
designed with ferrite.
The simulation of the lithium-ion battery charging
process [7] is shown in Fig. 15. It is divided into two steps.
In the first step, the battery pack was charged with a constant
current, supplied by the interleaved Buck converter until the
battery pack reaches its maximum value. For this case the
maximum value is equal to 54.6V, because it has 13 cells in
series and each cell cannot be charged over 4.2V. Thus, in the
second step, when it reaches 54.6V, the current controller is
designed to saturated, and therefore, the voltage controller
actuates maintain the voltage at its maximum value and the
charging current starts to reducing in a nonlinear way, until POWER ELECTRONICS, vol. 28, no. 5, pp. 2151-
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Sponsored 9th International Conference on
simulation for a prototype of 1.5kW power (already built) and
Intelligent Systems and Control, vol. 1, no. 1, pp.
a 48V lithium-ion battery. In the simulation results, the
978-985, 2015.
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