A Cost-Effective Nonresonant Inverter Topology for Domestic Induction Heating

Non-resonant inverter topologies are a reliable, self-protective, and cost-effective solution for induction heating (IH) appliances. In this paper, a novel non-resonant inverter topology, particularly suitable for domestic IH applications, is proposed. The proposed topology achieves high output voltage levels, addressing the main drawback of non-resonant topologies compared to resonant ones, which is an increased voltage demand for the same output power. In addition, both switching devices operate against a common ground, enabling a cost-effective implementation with high power density. In this paper, the proposed inverter is described, its different operating modes are analyzed, and a power control strategy is derived. A comparison with conventional resonant topologies reveals a potential cost reduction of approximately 13 % in the main power electronics components, due to the elimination of resonant capacitors and the possibility of using more cost-effective gate drivers. Experimental results demonstrate that the output power can be seamlessly controlled from zero to 3.6 kW, while maintaining zero-voltage switching (ZVS) across a wide operational range. This ensures efficient operation with a maximum estimated efficiency of 98.3 %.