A High Efficiency Modified Forward Converter for Solar Photovoltaic Applications

Abstract

In this paper, a modification of a conventional forward converter and a new mixed-stranded transformer winding technique are proposed for the development of a simple and high efficiency isolated dc-dc boost converter for solar photovoltaic applications. The conventional single switch forward converter topology is modified for simplification and elimination of losses due to the output filter components. A new mixed-stranded transformer winding technique is proposed to minimize the leakage inductance between the primary and tertiary windings for reducing losses. A pulse frequency modulation technique (PFM) is employed for reducing switching losses at low power operation. An experimental prototype of 300 W with a voltage step-up ratio of 1:12 has been built to obtain dc output voltage between 360-480 V for the dc input voltage of 30-40 V. Through the experimental results, it is shown that the converter can boost the input voltage according to the step-up ratio and exhibits a remarkably high dc-dc power conversion efficiency with a flat response curve. The average efficiency of around 95.5 % and peak efficiency of 97.6% are obtained.