IEEE ICSET 2010

6-9 Dec 2010, Kandy, Sri Lanka

A Fixed Frequency PWM Induction Shower Using the Duty Cycle

1
N. Sanajit , A. Jangwanitlert
2
l
Electrical Power Department, Faculty of Engineering, Mahanakorn University of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand 10530
2
Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok, Thailand 10520
Email: narongri@mut.ac.th.kjanuwat@kmitl.ac.th

Ahstract- This paper presents a 2 kW, 36.5 kHz induction shower
using a duty cycle control. The principle of this depends on
induction heating from high frequency electromagnetic
induction. The high frequency electric current passes through
two induction coils connected in parallel so as to induce current
at work piece that uses a stainless steel box and transfer heat to
water inside it. The control uses the duty cycle which is generated
from integrated circuit. In addition, this paper analysis output
power and efficiency compared with the duty cycle. The results
waveform shown as a ZVS condition is agreed with the theory
one. A fixed PWM induction shower gives the rated output
power and makes the temperature rise to 41°C at the work piece
in steady state within 2 min.
Keywords: Induction shower, high frequency inverter
I. INTRODUCTION
Induction heating is widely used for industrial heating
applications such as induction hardening, induction melting,
induction cooking and so on. In these applications, induction
shower is efficient compared to other heating methods like
gas, because the substance is heated directly by electric power.
One key advantage of electrical heating including induction
heating is its high control capability. Heating power can be
easily and quickly controlled. Therefore, induction heating is a
promising heating method to produce value added products
because of its high potential for high performance heat
control.
Induction heating has a potential to control heat
distribution by frequency adjustment or duty cycle control [I].
Alternating magnetic flux induces current in steel plate and
the current heats the steel. Magnetic flux concentrates in
fringe part of the steel plate for high frequencies according to
electromagnetic theory [2]; therefore, heating distribution can
be controlled by variable frequency current or adjusted
variable duty cycle was demonstrated [3-4]. This paper will
focus on characteristics of the proposed converter and the
point of variable duty cycle operation.
II. CIRCUIT TOPOLOGIES OF HIGH FREQUENCY DC-AC INVERTER
Fundamental output frequency of usual motor drives or
grid connected inverters is around several ten hertz and high
switching frequencies around several kilo hertz are used for
modulations. On the other hand, an induction shower requires
relatively high output duty cycle and usually switching
frequency is fixed. Required switching frequency is above the
load resonant frequency in order to achieve zero voltage
switching conditions (ZVS).
III. VOLTAGE SOURCE INVERTER
Voltage source inverter (VSI) as shown in Fig.1 can be
used for an induction shower and parameters are used in Table
I. The control circuit for generating PWM duty cycle control and
driving the switches are shown in Fig. 2. For VSI, a parallel capacitor
is usually used to compensate a low power factor because of
induction coil and work piece and to reduce the voltage rating
of the inverter. Higher frequency operation than the resonant
frequency, which means lagging power factor at inverter
output, is preferred. For example, turn-on of IGBT is
performed under zero voltage and zero current condition in
Fig. 3 because current starts to flow through free-wheeling
diode connected in shunt and maintains its direction naturally.
In this system, no snubber is included.
In conventional induction heating which are intended to
operate very close to the resonant frequency in order to utilize
the output voltage increase. For duty cycle control
applications, the relatively high inverter output voltage is
1
····_-_····__····__····__····__···· __·····--··--

voltage control. r--'r--.--�+----'

In general, induction heating uses high frequency dc-ac
inverters with capacitor connected in shunt or series with the D,

II
load to compensate reactive power because of low load power nOVae KBPC R
factor. Therefore, this type of converter can reduce ratings of 50 Hz 0-_-+-+...:5:.
: °1.:..
.: ° ..
power electronics components. However, output duty cycle
PWM is controlled to output power at a desired value; D3 D4 !
1
therefore it cannot be controlled independently of load .._-_.....__ ..... ....... ..

condition. For small and medium scale applications, some

Fig. System configuration.
configurations for a fixed frequency PWM induction shower
using a duty cycle control have been proposed; in addition, an
induction shower has not yet been introduced to practical use.
One reason seems that the proposed technical books have not
provided yet. This paper proposed a dc-ac high frequency
inverter for induction shower applications, which can control
the output duty cycle with soft-switching operation.
Experiments confirmed the operation of the proposed
converter and possibility of heat distribution control by

978-1-4244-7191-1/10/$26.00 ©2010 IEEE

 Fig. 2 Control circuit. Mode 4: (t3-t4) [Fig.4(d)]: switch Q2 is off. In order to
maintain load current, diode 05 conducts the load current iL.
v,w
The output voltage across the load inductance is VDcI2. The
voltage across QI is zero to prepare the switch Q2 going to a
is. zero voltage and zero current switch (ZVZCS).
The next cycle will be repeated mode 1 and so on.
/

I.". ZVZCS

Fig. 3. Tum-on of IGBT under zero voltage and zero current condition.

TABLE I R
Voc
PARAMETERS FOR SYSTEM CONFIGURATIONS
Item Value/ part number
DC source voltage ( Vde) 310 V
Capacitor C 1000 uF
Capacitors C1, C2 48 uF
IGBT module CM400DY-12H
Resonant capacitor C, 0.15 uFx2 (a) Mode
Induction coil with work piece (L,) 130.3 uH /2
Resistance of work piece ( R) 400 mO x2

needed for high duty cycle operation; therefore, upper duty

cycle limit is determined by equipped voltage rating.
When a wide operating range is required, this voltage R
Voc
rating reduction is relatively small. Moreover, losses of semi­
conductor switches cannot be reduced even in the operation
around the resonant frequency since the main contribution for
losses is current and the inverter output current is equal to the
load current in whole operating range. The voltage across the
switch is cross with the switch current that makes the (b) Mode 2
switching loss very high as well..

IV. OPERAnON PRINCIPLES

Fig. 4 shows possible current paths of the output voltage
inverter and load current. Also, the operation waveforms are R
shown in Fig. 5. To simplifY it, the following assumptions are Voc
provided:
• CI and C2 are large enough so that Vel and Ve2 are constant
which is equal to VDC/2
• The resonant capacitor is ideal
• Inductance Lr is working coil and work piece (c) Mode 3
• Resistance R is work piece
• all devices are no losses.
There are 4 switching modes in a switching period as
described in the following.
Mode 1: (1o-tl) [Fig.4(a)]: switch Q2 is off. Switch QI conducts
the load current iL. The output voltage across the load c, R
Voc
inductance is VDC/2. The voltage across QI is zero.
Mode 2: (tl-t2) [Fig.4(b)]: switch QI is off. In order to
maintain load current, diode 06 conducts the load current iL.
The output voltage across the load inductance is -VDcI2. The
voltage across Q2 is zero to prepare the switch Q2 going to a
zero voltage and zero current switch (ZVZCS). (d) Mode 4
Mode 3: (trt3) [Fig.4(c)]: Diode 06 is off. Switch Q2 conducts Fig. 4 Operation mode.
the other side of load current iL and Q2 achieve the ZVZCS
condition. The output voltage across the load inductance is -
VDc/2. The voltage across Q2 is zero.
 1

I
to t1 t2 t3 �
2
!
�

: VAS! !
VDC/2
iL -
y- "' Y 1\ Fig. 7 Stainless steel box (26x26x 1 cm3 size,1.2 mm. thickness).

� '- �
-VDcI2 --
Fig.S Operation waveform.

V. DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

To use this converter in the soft-switching condition, zero

voltage period of the capacitor is needed. This is realized
under the following condition,
Is > .!,
wherefs is switching frequency andfr is the resonant frequency
1
referred as
.!, = 27[ LrC r�
where Lr is the inductance of coil and work piece, Cr is the
parallel resonant capacitance. Although a variable duty cycle
operation at fixed switching frequency, the soft-switching
condition and maximum duty cycle of the control range must
satisfy this equation. In this case, fr is equal to 36 kHz where
the parameters in Table I and fs equals to 36.5 kHz.
Load Considerations
The design of induction coil with work piece should be
considered. The output power is firstly defined in order to
specify the rated semiconductor devices. In this research, two
induction coils connected in parallel shown in Fig. 6 are
designed to decrease a value of inductor. When the induction
coils combines with a work piece that uses the stainless steel
(the stainless steel is a ferrous material), the inductor value
(Lr= 65.15 uH) of the induction coil with work piece will be
higher. It makes the switch current going low so that the rated
semiconductor device does not need to be chosen for a high
(1)
(2) Fig. 8 Induction coil with stainless steel box.
VI. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
To verify the performance of a fixed frequency PWM
induction shower, a prototype circuit has been built and tested.
Characteristics of output voltage and current with a basic
configuration of the proposed concept are investigated. The
system configuration shown in Fig.l and parameters on Table
I are used. The output voltage and current waveforms are
shown in Fig. 9. The switching frequency is 36.5 kHz that
illustrates the current waveform is lagging phase with the
output voltage in order to achieve ZVS and ZCS condition
that is the same as Fig. 5.
The test of the efficiency of a fixed frequency PWM
induction heater with the a different duty cycle together with
the a various pressure is shown in Fig.l0. The more increase
duty cycle, the more increase efficiency because of following
the desired output power. Moreover, the higher water
pressure, the higher efficiency.
Stopped � 2010/01/12 00:08:35

rated power. The work piece uses the stainless steel plate to
CH1�200V: CH2:=200V: ! lOuS/div
DCi 100:1: DC 100:1 : (lOU�/diY)
be built as a stainless steel box for heat water as shown in Fig. ...... � ... ..... : ..... ... : ..... .. : ....... + .. NORM:l00MS/s

7. The installation of working coil and work piece is shown in

Fig. 8.

=Trac�:'= Ma� 240.0Y 14�.OY . Fr¢q 3S;23kHZ

=Trac�2= MilK 56 � OO
V � 29i1 2V ..
.. � . . ..�.���. 36;5 0kHz

Fig. 6 Two induction coil connected in parallel. Fig. 9 Output voltage and load current.
 80 �------,

79
'*
-
>­
u
<:
78 �I-----
- :-tl
�
Q)
'u
i:
77
LU

76 X
-+- 2.4 L/min _ 2.2 L/min
2.0 L/min � 1.8 L/min
7 5+-----�====�====�==�
22 % 24% 26% 28 % 30%
Duty cycle ( % )
Fig.13 Time 2 min. after turning on thermoscan.
Fig. 10 Efficiency vs. % duty cycle and a various pressure. Measure: stainless steel.

The rated output power is 2,000 W when time is passing 2 VII. CONCLUSIONS
min. at a water pressure of 2.4 liter per minute as shown in
Fig. 11. In addition, the thermoscan at time=O shown in Fig. This paper discussed a fixed frequency PWM induction
12 measures at the stainless steel box and the temperature shower using a duty cycle control. Voltage source inverter
from 27°C and 2 min. after the temperature by thermoscan is uses resonant capacitor in parallel to provide the resonant
41°C as shown in Fig.13. circuit and to improve the lagging power factor better. For a
fixed frequency PWM induction shower, handling desired real
2200 power is derived from the limited duty cycle control
S essentially. This paper described configurations and the
::- 2100 operation principle of the proposed a fixed high frequency
(])
:;: inverter that is used for this induction shower. Moreover, the
�2000 • • • • • • • •

I
... proposed configuration has the advantage of wide operating
:::J
a. duty cycle range with soft switching. In this paper, the parallel
� 1900 capacitor can reduce current rating of semi-conductor without
0
additional limitation on operating duty cycle range. A fixed
1800 switching frequency induction shower promising heating
o 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 method in industry and experimental results uses the
Time (min) developed device confirm the possibility of improving heat
Fig. II Output Power vs. time. control performance. However, the required large rating of
semiconductor switch is one of remaining challenges to
increase the rated output power.

VIII. REFERENCES
[I] P. Achara, P. Viriya and K. Matsuse, "Analysis of a Half- Bridge Inverter
for a Small-Size Induction Cooker Using Positive-Negative Phase-Shift
Control under ZVS and NON-ZVS Operation," Con! IEEE PED2007,
157-163.
[2] L. C. Meng, K.W.E. Cheng, K.W. Chan, "Heating Performance
Improvement and Field Study of the Induction Cooker," Corif. IEEE 3rd
Power Electronics Systems and Applications, 2009, pp.I-5.
[3] P K. Jain, I R Espinoza, and N. A. Ismail, "A Single-Stage Zero­
Voltage Zero-Current-Switched Full-Bridge DC Power Supply with
Extended Load Power Range," IEEE Trans. Industrial Electron, Vol. 46,
No. 2, APRIL 1999, pp.261-270.
[4] X. Yang, Y.Wang, and W. Yan, "Simulation of induction heating with
double inductors for continuously heating up steel bars," Con! IEEE
Automation Congress, 2008, pp.1-5.
Fig. 12 Started Thermoscan while operating induction shower.
Measure: stainless steel