Sliding mode control of an ozone generator based on dual AC/DC/AC power converters

The aim of this study was to design a first-order sliding mode controller for dual AC/DC/AC power converters to regulate the production of a corona discharge ozone generator. The design is presented in the two following parts: (a) The first part regulates a three-branch (phase) AC/DC converter to control the DC intermedium voltage that is required to produce the desired ozone concentration, while (b) the second part regulates a one-phase DC/AC power conversion circuit that regulates amplitude of the AC voltage that must be injected into the reaction chamber of the ozone generator. For the first section, the controller regulates the switching sequence yielding the control of the input currents, which defines the amplitude of the DC voltage. In the second, the switching control regulates the amplitude of the expected output AC signal, which depends on the obtained DC voltage from the AC/DC section. This structure represents a novel form to adjust the functioning of the AC/DC/AC power device, which has not been used before in the context of ozone production. Lyapunov’s second method was the main tool for confirming the existence of an asymptotical equilibrium state point for the trajectory tracking deviation for both sections of the power converter. The voltage amplitude was tested on a previously validated mathematical model of a corona-effect ozone generator performance. Several numerical evaluations illustrated the efficient performance of the suggested discontinuous controller and considering the proposed switching sequence that realizes the control action. The proposed controller was contrasted with a usual proportional/integral/derivative (extended state) design, which is a common technique to regulate the ozone generation system.