A Review of Hybrid Power Ampli!er Technologies

Rafael C. Beltrame; Fabricio E. Cazakevicius; Mário L. da Silva Martins; Cassiano Rech; Hélio L. Hey

doi:10.18618/REP.2012.4.702716

Authors

Rafael C. Beltrame Federal University of Santa Maria — UFSM Power Electronics and Control Research Group — GEPOC Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
Fabricio E. Cazakevicius Federal University of Santa Maria — UFSM Power Electronics and Control Research Group — GEPOC Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
Mário L. da Silva Martins Federal University of Santa Maria — UFSM Power Electronics and Control Research Group — GEPOC Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
Cassiano Rech Federal University of Santa Maria — UFSM Power Electronics and Control Research Group — GEPOC Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
Hélio L. Hey Federal University of Santa Maria — UFSM Power Electronics and Control Research Group — GEPOC Santa Maria, RS, Brazil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18618/REP.2012.4.702716

Keywords:

AC Power Source, Hybrid Amplifier, Linear Amplifier, multilevel inverter, Switching Amplifier

Abstract

With the aim of synthesizing high-fidelity voltage waveforms without penalizing the system efficiency, several works have proposed hybrid power amplifiers (HPAs), composed of linear and switching amplifiers, combining the benefits of each approach. According to the connection of the linear and the switched amplifiers, the HPAs are classified as envelope, parallel and series configurations. Each configuration holds particular characteristics that can be advantageous in some applications meanwhile to be quite stringent in others. This way, through a review of literature, this work aims to identify the features of each configuration, highlighting its benefits and possible limitations. The topologies proposed hitherto are analyzed from the circuit and control perspective. Therefore, this paper can be useful for one who is starting researching on this field or aims to select a suitable hybrid arrangement for a given application. Finally, an experimental case study is analyzed and future trends in research on HPAs are addressed.

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Author Biographies

Rafael C. Beltrame, Federal University of Santa Maria — UFSM Power Electronics and Control Research Group — GEPOC Santa Maria, RS, Brazil

was born in Santa Maria, RS, Brazil, in 1984. He received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Brazil, in 2008 and 2009, espectively, where he is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree. He has been with the Power Electronics and Control Research Group (GEPOC), Federal University of Santa Maria, since His research interests include electric motor drives, soft-switching techniques and AC power sources. Mr. Beltrame is a member of Brazilian Power Electronics Society (SOBRAEP), and IEEE Power Electronics, Industrial Electronics and Industry Applications Societies.

Fabricio E. Cazakevicius, Federal University of Santa Maria — UFSM Power Electronics and Control Research Group — GEPOC Santa Maria, RS, Brazil

was born in Marcelino Ramos, RS, Brazil, in 1988. He is currently working toward the B.S. degree in electrical engineering with the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Brazil. He has been with Power Electronics and Control Research Group (GEPOC), Federal University of Santa Maria, since 2009. His main research interests include industrial nstrumentation, gate-driver circuits and AC power sources.

Mário L. da Silva Martins, Federal University of Santa Maria — UFSM Power Electronics and Control Research Group — GEPOC Santa Maria, RS, Brazil

was born in Palmeira das Missões, RS, Brazil, in 1976. He received the B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria, Brazil, in 1999, 2002 and 2008, respectively. From 2006 to 2012, he was with the Federal University of Technology — Parana, Pato Branco, Brazil. In 2012, he joined the Department of Electronics and Computation of Federal University of Santa Maria. His research interests include switching power converters for renewable power applications and switching mode power supplies. Dr. Martins is a member of the Brazilian Power Electronics Society (SOBRAEP) and several IEEE Societies.

Cassiano Rech, Federal University of Santa Maria — UFSM Power Electronics and Control Research Group — GEPOC Santa Maria, RS, Brazil

was born in Carazinho, RS, Brazil, in 1977. He received the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria, Brazil, in 1999, 2001, and 2005, respectively. From 2005 to 2007, he was with the Universidade Regional do Noroeste do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. From 2008 to 2009, he was with the Santa Catarina State University, Florianópolis, Brazil. Since 2009, he has been with the UFSM, where he is currently a Professor. His research interests include multilevel converters and modeling and digital control techniques of static converters. Dr. Rech is a member of Brazilian Power Electronics Society (SOBRAEP) and several IEEE Societies.

Hélio L. Hey, Federal University of Santa Maria — UFSM Power Electronics and Control Research Group — GEPOC Santa Maria, RS, Brazil

was born in Santa Maria, RS, Brazil, in 1961. He received the B.S. degree from the Catholic University of Pelotas, Brazil, in 1985 and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the Federal University of Santa Catarina, SC, Brazil, in 1987 and 1991, respectively. He was with the Federal University of Uberlândia, Brazil, from 1989 to 1993. Since 1994, he has been with the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, where he is currently a Full Professor. From 1995 to 1999, he was Editor of the Brazilian Power Electronics Journal. From 2005 to 2006, he was with the Electrical and Electronic Department of the University of Oviedo, Spain, where he performed his Postdoctoral Research Scholar. His research interests include soft-switching techniques, high frequency power conversion, power-factor-correction techniques and renewable energy applications. Dr. Hey is a member of the Brazilian Power Electronics Society (SOBRAEP), Brazilian Automatic Control Society (SBA), and several IEEE societies.

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