IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS, VOL. 55, NO.
8, AUGUST 2008
Simplified Voltage-Sag Filler for Line-Interactive
Uninterruptible Power Supplies
Manuel Arias Pérez de Azpeitia, Student Member, IEEE, Arturo Fernández, Member, IEEE,
Diego Gonzalez Lamar, Student Member, IEEE, Miguel Rodríguez, Student Member, IEEE, and
Marta María Hernando, Member, IEEE
Abstract—There are three types of static uninterruptible power
supplies (UPSs): passive standby, line interactive, and double
conversion. The last one protects the load against all types of
line disturbances, but it is the most expensive and the one with
the lowest efficiency. On the other hand, passive-standby and
line-interactive UPSs have higher efficiency and lower cost, but
they show an important drawback: a switching time from normal
to stored-energy mode. As a consequence, there is a notch in
the UPS output voltage during this switching time. In a previous
paper, the authors proposed a method for filling these voltage
notches with a sinusoidal waveform generated by a switch-mode
converter. In this one, a simplified notch filler is proposed. It
consists of two capacitors, one charged with positive voltage and
the other with negative voltage. If the fault occurs in the positive
period, the positive-charged capacitor is connected to the load.
This connection is then modulated in order to obtain a sinusoidal
waveform at the load. In the negative period, the other capacitor
is used in the same way.
Index Terms—Filler, notch, sag, simplified, uninterruptible
power supply (UPS).
I. I NTRODUCTION
T HE NUMBER of sensitive loads connected to the grid
has increased in the last years. Consequently, the need
of a high-quality and stable voltage has also increased. Sev-
eral custom power devices have been developed in order to
cover this demand: dynamic voltage restorer [1]–[4], static
compensator [5]–[7], etc. Among them, one of the most used
is the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system. Three types
may be distinguished depending on the technology employed:
dynamic, static, and hybrid UPSs [8]–[12]. The second type,
which is the static UPS, is the most extended and basically
consists of a rectifier/charger, a set of batteries, an inverter, and
a static switch. Nowadays, three different types of static UPSs
exist: passive standby, line interactive, and double conversion,
and they differ in the way their elements are connected to the
grid (Fig. 1).
Manuscript received March 1, 2007; revised October 16, 2007. First pub-
lished February 22, 2008; last published July 30, 2008 (projected). This
work was supported in part by the Fundación para el Fomento en Asturias
de la Investigación Cientifica Aplicada y la Tecnología and Chloride Power
Protection under Project PC-04-72.
M. Arias Pérez de Azpeitia, D. G. Lamar, M. Rodríguez, and M. M.
Hernando are with the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering,
University of Oviedo, 33204 Gijón, Spain (e-mail: ariasmanuel@uniovi.es).
A. Fernández is with the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineer-
ing, University of Oviedo, 33204 Gijón, Spain, and also with the Power and
Energy Conversion Division, European Space Agency, 75738 Paris, France.
Color versions of one or more of the figures in this paper are available online
at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TIE.2008.918595
0278-0046/$25.00 © 2008 IEEE
3005
For the passive-standby UPS [13], its elements are connected
in parallel to the grid [Fig. 1(a)]. In the normal operation mode
(when there are no abnormal conditions in the grid), the static
switches connect the load to the ac line, the inverter is not
working, and the battery charger keeps the batteries charged. As
can be seen, it has no capability of regulating the load voltage
in normal operation mode. When a fault in the grid occurs, the
static switches are opened and the UPS inverter starts working,
supplying energy from the batteries. This implies a switching
time and, therefore, a voltage notch of several milliseconds in
the UPS output voltage [14]. This type of UPS is used in low-
power low-cost applications due to its poor performance.
The line-interactive UPS [15], [16] also has its elements in
parallel [Fig. 1(b)]; therefore, it will also show a switching time
between normal and stored-energy (battery) modes. Compared
with the passive standby, this UPS has several elements that
improve its performance in order to be used in higher power
applications.
The double-conversion UPS [17] is connected in series with
the load [Fig. 1(c)]. This implies that the voltage is constantly
regulated (in normal and battery modes), and there is no switch-
ing time when a fault in the grid occurs. As can be seen, this
UPS has the highest performance, but it also has an important
drawback: The energy is constantly processed by the rectifier
and the inverter (not only in battery mode); therefore, its size
and cost are very high. In fact, the rectifier also has to process
the battery-charging energy.
In a previous paper [18], the authors presented a small
switch-mode converter designed for filling voltage notches
[19], [20] with a sinusoidal waveform. In this paper, a sim-
plified method is proposed. Therefore, the cost and size of the
whole system are considerably reduced. This can make a line-
interactive UPS more competitive than a double-conversion one
in many cases.
II. O PERATION C ONCEPT
As it has been mentioned in the previous paper, the notch
filler has to be a low-cost device in order to be competitive.
Therefore, the energy storage system must be simplified as
much as possible. Using batteries implies a rectifier/charger
system that adds complexity and cost to the overall design.
Furthermore, the most common voltage value for batteries is
12 V (or 48 V with four batteries connected in series). This
results in the need of elevating its voltage to the nominal value.
Choosing capacitors as energy-storage systems means that a
3006 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS, VOL. 55, NO. 8, AUGUST 2008

Fig. 1. Schemes of the (a) passive-standby, (b) line-interactive, and (c) double-conversion UPSs.

Fig. 2. (a) Complete operating principle for positive and negative periods. (b) Bang-bang control system. (c) Voltage reference and sensed load voltage during a
notch. (d) UPS output and load voltages when the notch filler is protecting the load.

simple diode can be used to charge them directly from the UPS
output [Fig. 2(a)]. Therefore, neither a charger nor an output
converter is needed.
Regarding the method for connecting the capacitors to the
load when a failure occurs, a very simple control is employed.
Considering a positive period of the grid, the sensed load volt-
age is continuously compared with a lower sinusoidal reference
[Fig. 2(b) and (c)]. When the load voltage is higher than the
reference, the capacitor is kept disconnected from the load,
and when the load voltage is lower, the capacitor is connected.
Therefore, when a notch takes place, the load voltage falls
below the reference and the capacitor is connected. As a con-
sequence, the load voltage is higher than the reference and the
capacitor is disconnected again. This process is repetitive until
the UPS output is restored to normal values [Fig. 2(d)]. This
leads to a modulation of the capacitor voltage, resulting in a
sinusoidal waveform (with some ripple) applied to the load. As
it will be seen later in this paper, the circuit needed for this
bang-bang control [21], [22] is very simple [Fig. 2(b)]. In fact,
this simplicity also helps in the need for a quick action of the
switch. For the negative period of the grid, another capacitor
and switch are needed [Fig. 2(a)].
Considering the short duration of the voltage notches at
the UPS output (only a few milliseconds), reducing the ripple
generated by the bang-bang control is not the main issue.
Therefore, no output filters are needed, and the size of the whole
system can be minimized.
Another switch, which is different from the previous two, is
also required for isolating the notch filler from the UPS when a
fault takes place. If this isolation is not implemented, energy
from the capacitor will flow both to the load and the UPS
that is in parallel with the load. This makes the measurement
systems at the output of the UPS affected by the current
supplied by the capacitor. This switch will be closed again when
ARIAS PÉREZ DE AZPEITIA et al.: SIMPLIFIED VOLTAGE-SAG FILLER FOR LINE-INTERACTIVE UPSs
Fig. 3. (a) Complete scheme of the proposed notch-filler power stage. (b) Control stage of the positive and negative switches. (c) Circuit for generating the
synchronizing signal.
the UPS has completed the change to the stored-energy mode
[Fig. 2(c)].
It should be noted that the notch filler will be delivering
energy to the load only during a few milliseconds of the UPS
switching time. As a consequence, the typical design considera-
tions are not valid. Later in this paper, the design considerations
will be explained.
As can be seen, the system is very simple. Neither an output
filter nor inductors are needed in the design. The size of the
two capacitors, due to the short duration of the switching time,
is reasonably small. The positive and negative switches are
implemented with MOSFETs. Their parasitic diodes act as
rectifiers for charging the capacitors, and hence, no extra diodes
are needed. The switch used for isolating the UPS when a fault
occurs is made by using two MOSFETs connected “source to
source.” This allows current flowing in both directions and pro-
vides the system with a fast switch response. Later in this paper,
all these MOSFETs will be rated. For generating the sinusoidal
reference and for providing some extra logic actuation, a low-
cost low-size microcontroller is implemented in the notch filler.
III. I MPLEMENTATION OF THE S YSTEM
In Fig. 3(a), the complete scheme of the notch filler is
shown. As can be seen, the two capacitors are charged directly
from the UPS output through the parasitic diodes of the power
MOSFETs. This feeds the system with the energy of two
capacitors, one charged at the positive-peak value of the grid
and the other at the negative peak. As it has been mentioned, the
sizes of these capacitors are small due to the short period of time
that they will be supplying energy (only a few milliseconds).
Their only condition is being rated for more than 375 V.
In order to control the MOSFETs connected to the capac-
itors, a bang-bang control will be implemented; therefore, a
sinusoidal voltage reference is needed. This reference is con-
tinuously compared with the load voltage. Taking the positive
period as an example, if the sensed output voltage falls below
the reference, an activation signal is generated and the positive
MOSFET connects the load to the positive-charged capacitor.
When the sensed load voltage is higher than the reference, the
connection between capacitor and load is cut off. This bang-
bang control is done by a simple comparator. As a result of
this control, when a notch occurs, the load voltage is filled
3007
with a sinusoidal waveform. The control during the negative
period is developed in the same way using another comparator
[Fig. 3(b)].
The output voltage of the notch filler has some ripple as a
consequence of this bang-bang control. Nevertheless, this ripple
will be affecting the load only during the switching time of the
line-interactive UPS (only during this time is the load voltage
supplied by the notch filler). Considering that this time is very
short (only a few milliseconds), there is no need of employing
a filter in order to smooth the notch-filler output voltage. This
eliminates the need of magnetic cores and reduces the cost and
size of the whole system. Nevertheless, the ripple could be
reduced by placing some capacitors at the notch-filler output.
This will smooth the ripple, and it may be necessary in high
power loads, as the ripple will be considerably higher.
Not only the voltage notches but also the fast short voltage
surges are limited. The parasitic diode of the MOSFETs will
clamp any voltage trying to reach values above the capacitor-
voltage value. The protection provided will strongly depend on
the amount of energy delivered by the surge and on the size of
the capacitor.
As it has been said, two different activation signals exist:
positive and negative signals. The positive-activation ones
should only reach its corresponding MOSFET when the notch
takes place in the positive period. The same should occur with
the negative signals [Fig. 3(b)]. Therefore, the control system
must be synchronized with the UPS output in order to be able
to decide whether the positive signals or the negative ones
must be generated. Not only the activation signals but also the
generation of the voltage reference needs this synchronization.
In order to achieve this, the microcontroller “reads” the load
voltage and detects the zero crossing with a negative slope with
a well-known circuit [Fig. 3(c)]. The two diodes clamp the
voltage to acceptable levels, and the resistor limits the current
flowing through them. With the zero-crossing information, the
microcontroller generates the synchronized sinusoidal refer-
ence and is able to decide which activation signal should be
considered if needed [Fig. 3(b)].
This sinusoidal reference could be generated by the pulse
width modulation (PWM) module generator of the microcon-
troller. Nevertheless, there is no need of using this PWM mod-
ule. The waveform can be directly generated by software due to
the simplicity of the rest of the actions the microcontroller has
3008
Fig. 4. (a) Control-circuitry ground referred to the mains ground. (b) Control-circuitry ground independent from the mains ground.
to do. The whole sinusoidal reference is generated by a 200-
entry lookup table. The variations of the grid voltage that are
within tolerances imply no action by the UPS. Therefore, these
variations reach the load. This can affect the bang-bang control
and generate an unnecessary actuation of the notch filler. In
order to counter-effect this, the peak value of the load voltage
is constantly sensed by the microcontroller. Depending on this
peak value, one lookup table or another will be used in order
to generate a sinusoidal voltage reference that is always lower
than the sensed load voltage. The chosen lookup table should
generate a voltage within tolerances in case a notch takes place.
As has already been mentioned, the “isolating switch” is
made with two source-to-source MOSFETs. It must isolate the
UPS from the notch filler if one of the activating signals is
generated. That means that a notch is taking place and that
there is a need for avoiding energy flowing through the UPS
output. Once opened, it must remain in that state until the
microcontroller detects that the notch has finished.
The notch filler needs a subsystem for supplying power to
the control circuitry. The topology of this subsystem depends
on the way all the circuitry is referred to ground. There are two
main options.
1) The control-circuitry ground is connected to the UPS
output ground.
2) The control-circuitry ground is connected to the “source”
of positive and negative MOSFETs.
For the first option [Fig. 4(a)], the following voltages are
needed:
1) +/−12 V for the control circuitry;
2) +12 V for the positive MOSFET;
3) −12 V for the negative MOSFET;
4) +12 V for the isolating switch.
On the other hand, the second option [Fig. 4(b)] simplifies
the problem. The following voltages are needed:
1) +/−12 V for the control circuitry and positive and nega-
tive MOSFETs;
2) +12 V for the isolating switch.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS, VOL. 55, NO. 8, AUGUST 2008
As can be seen in Fig. 4(b), a p-channel is used for the
negative switch. Using an n-channel MOSFET implies another
+12-V source referred to the source of this MOSFET. With the
p-channel MOSFET, the −12-V source employed in the control
circuitry is used.
The main drawback of the second option is that the output
voltage of the UPS cannot be directly measured. Nevertheless,
the voltage to be sensed is the load voltage and not the main
voltage; therefore, the second option is the chosen one to be
implemented in the prototype. The main advantage is the sim-
plicity and size saving obtained in the power-supply subsystem.
Finally, all the devices will be rated. It is important to note
that, in normal and battery modes, the notch filler will be
delivering no energy. Only during the few milliseconds of the
switching time, will it be feeding the load. Therefore, a typical
design cannot be employed in order to select components and
heat sinks.
The positive and negative MOSFETs can be rated with the
voltage and the nonrepetitive peak current. When they are
opened, their voltage is
Vmosfet = Vcapacitor − Vgrid . (1)
Considering that the capacitor is fully charged and the Vgrid
is in its peak value
Vcapacitor ≈ + Vpeak (2)
Vgrid = ± Vpeak . (3)
The ranges of the voltages that the MOSFETs will be sup-
porting are the following:
Vmosfet = Vpeak − Vpeak = 0 V (4)
Vmosfet = Vpeak − (−Vpeak ) = 2 · Vpeak . (5)
Because of the short duration of the switching time, the
repetitive peak current, not the dc current, is needed for rating
these MOSFETs. The maximum current that they will have to
drive is the peak value of the load one.
ARIAS PÉREZ DE AZPEITIA et al.: SIMPLIFIED VOLTAGE-SAG FILLER FOR LINE-INTERACTIVE UPSs 3009

Regarding the MOSFETs of the isolating switch, their most

restrictive requirement is driving the double of the grid voltage.
In normal operation mode, they will be connecting the load to
the UPS output; therefore, they will have to drive the current
given by the UPS.
It is important to note that, in normal operation mode, the
conduction losses of the positive and negative MOSFETs will
be zero. Furthermore, they will be switching at low frequency;
therefore, their overall losses can be neglected. Therefore, there
is no need of using heat sinks. The isolating-switch losses are
generated only by the conduction state, and depending on the
power delivered by the UPS, heat sinks may be necessary.

IV. E XPERIMENTAL R ESULTS

A prototype of the system has been built and tested
[Fig. 5(a)]. Its main specifications are the following:
1) Voltage: 230 V;
2) Maximum duration of the notch: 3 ms;
3) Nominal UPS power: 3000 W.
As has been mentioned, the key issue when designing this
notch filler is the short time that it will be delivering en-
ergy. Considering this, the 470-µF capacitors selected provide
enough energy to cover the maximum notch specified.
Two IRFBE20s have been selected for the isolating switch,
and a BUK456 is chosen for the positive switch. The p-channel
MOSFET used is the STB9NK70Z.
The auxiliary voltages are obtained with three small low-
frequency transformers. As it is mentioned in the previous
paper, it may be possible to use the auxiliary voltages of the
UPS for its control circuitry, but it is interesting to develop
an autonomous system. Another option, which is used in the
previous paper, is using a flyback built with a TopSwitch.
Fig. 5. (a) Photograph of the prototype. (b) Comparison between the new and
Fig. 5(a) shows a photograph of the prototype. former (with heat sink) prototypes.
Comparing the previous prototype with this one, the volt-
age ripple [Fig. 6(c)] is bigger due to the bang-bang control time of a line-interactive UPS is no longer than 5 or 6 ms.
employed. Nevertheless, this voltage will be applied to the Filling longer notches may be achieved with bigger capacitors.
load only for a few milliseconds, and hence, it is perfectly The same tests (3- and 8-ms notches) have been done with a
admissible. On the other hand, the size has been strongly load of 500 W [Fig. 6(e) and (f)].
reduced as can be seen in Fig. 5(b). Not only the size but also the Finally, Fig. 7(a) shows the results with a 3-ms notch and
cost is considerably lower. The control circuitry is less complex a load of 1000 W. Compared with the previous prototype
than the previous, and it uses cheaper components. [Fig. 7(b)], this simplified notch filler shows a higher ripple
Considering a 3-ms notch [Fig. 6(a)], it can be noticed that in its voltage. As it has been mentioned, the reduction of this
the load only sees a small voltage drop to a lower sinusoidal ripple is not a key issue considering that the duration of the
value [Fig. 6(b)]. This drop depends on the sinusoidal reference transfer time between the normal and battery operation modes
that the microcontroller is generating. As it has been mentioned, is no longer than a few milliseconds (typically < 10 ms) in line-
the peak value of the load voltage is constantly sensed by the interactive UPSs.
microcontroller, and it will generate a convenient sinusoidal
reference. Therefore, the variations of the load voltage within
V. C ONCLUSION
tolerances will not activate the notch filler. Normally, the dura-
tion of the notch is limited to a few milliseconds, and hence, the The voltage notches during the switching time from nor-
resulting voltage ripple with this control method is admissible mal to stored-energy mode are the main drawbacks of line-
[Fig. 6(c)]. Also, Fig. 6(b) and (c) shows the control signal of interactive UPS; on the other hand, they have very good
the positive MOSFET. efficiency and cost. Eliminating this notch can make line-
With the 470-µF capacitors selected, it is possible to cover interactive UPSs much more competitive than the double-
longer notches if a low power load is connected to the UPS. conversion ones, due to their high cost, high size, and low
A test with an 8-ms notch has also been done, and the result is efficiency. This paper proposes a very simple system to elimi-
shown in Fig. 6(d). Nevertheless, nowadays, the typical transfer nate these notches at the load voltage. A sinusoidal reference is
3010
Fig. 6. (a) Typical 3-ms-voltage notch. (b) UPS output voltage with the notch filler connected (no load). (c) Details of the UPS voltage and the control gate signal
of the positive MOSFET. (d) Notch-filler performance with 8-ms fault (no load). (e) UPS output voltage with the notch filler connected (500 W). (f) Notch-filler
performance with 8-ms fault and 500-W load.
Fig. 7. (a) UPS output voltage when the simplified notch filler is connected (1000 W, transfer time of 3 ms). (b) UPS output voltage when the former notch filler
is connected (1000 W, transfer time of 3 ms).
compared with the sensed load voltage, and if necessary, a
charged capacitor is connected to the load in order to cover the
notch. The bang-bang control directly modulates this capacitor
voltage by turning the switch on and off. This leads to a
sinusoidal voltage applied to the load. Only two capacitors and
two switches, one for the positive period and the other for the
negative period, are needed. Additionally, an isolating switch is
needed in order to isolate the UPS output until the switching
time has expired. Only during this switching time will the
system be delivering energy, and hence, all the design is condi-
tioned by this. As a consequence, the size and cost of the result-
ing system is very low. When a notch takes place, the load only
sees a small step-down. The voltage ripple during the switching
time can be neglected due to the short duration of the notch.
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Manuel Arias Pérez de Azpeitia (S’05) was born
in Oviedo, Spain, in 1980. He received the M.Sc.
degree in electrical engineering from the University
of Oviedo, Gijón, Spain, in 2005, where he is cur-
rently working toward the Ph.D. degree.
Since February 2005, he has been a Researcher
with the Department of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering, University of Oviedo, where he has
been involved in developing electronic systems for
uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) and electronic
switching-mode power supplies and has also been an
Assistant Professor of Electronics since February 2007. His research interests
include dc–dc converters, HF inverters, UPSs, and motor control.
Miguel Rodríguez (S’06) was born in Gijón, Spain,
in 1982. He received the M.S. degree in telecommu-
nication engineering from the University of Oviedo,
Gijón, in 2006, where he is currently working toward
the Ph.D. degree in the Department of Electrical and
Electronic Engineering (granted by the Spanish Min-
istry of Science and Education under the university
formation program).
His research interests include dc/dc conversion,
high-frequency-power conversion, and power-supply
systems for RF amplifiers.

Arturo Fernández (M’98) received the M.Sc. and

Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the Uni-
versity of Oviedo, Gijón, Spain, in 1997 and 2000,
respectively.
In 1998, he was with the Department of Electrical
and Electronic Engineering, University of Oviedo
as an Assistant Professor, where he has been an
Marta María Hernando (M’94) was born in Gijón,
Associate Professor since 2003. Since 2007, he has
Spain, in 1964. She received the M.S. and Ph.D.
been a Contractor with the European Space Agency,
Paris, France, where he is currently working with the degrees in electrical engineering from the University
of Oviedo, Gijón, in 1988 and 1992, respectively.
Power and Energy Conversion Division. He has been
She is currently an Associate Professor with the
involved in around 20 power-electronics research and development projects
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineer-
since 1997. He has published over 50 technical papers. His research interests are
switching-mode power supplies, low output voltages, converter modeling, high- ing, University of Oviedo. Her main interests include
switching-mode power supplies and high-power-
power-factor rectifiers, and power electronics for space applications. Regarding
factor rectifiers.
power-factor-correction issues, he has been involved in the development of
high-power-factor rectifiers for Alcatel and Chloride Power Protection.