Abstract
High-frequency wireless power transfer (WPT) technology provides superior compatibility in the alignment with various WPT standards. However, high-efficiency and compact single-phase power switching systems with ideal snubber circuits are required for maximum power transfer capability. This research aims to develop an inverter using Gallium Nitride (GaN) power transistors, optimized RCD (resistor/capacitor/diode) snubber circuits, and gate drivers, each benefitting WPT technology by reducing the switching and conduction loss in charging electric vehicle batteries. A full-bridge GaN inverter was simulated and instituted as part of the wireless charging circuit design. The RCD circuits were adjusted by transferring maximum power from the power supply to the transmitter inductor. For verification of the simulated output, lab-scale experiments were implemented for two half-bridges controlled by gate drivers with corresponding snubber circuits. After authenticating the output results, the GaN inverter was tested with an input range of 30 V to deduce the success of charging electric vehicle batteries within an efficient time frame. The developed inverter, at 80 kHz frequency, was applied in place of a ready-to-use evaluation board, fully reducing less harmonic distortion and greatly increasing WPT system efficiency (~93%). In turn, the designed GaN inverter boasts considerable energy savings, resulting in a more cost-effective solution for manufacturers.
Highlights
In this article, the proposed Gallium Nitride (GaN) inverter with optimized snubber circuits at 80 kHz reduces the size of the overall system design, and minimizes the associated cost of installation and maintenance for wireless charging of electric vehicle batteries
This study proposed SS compensation capacitors for magnetic transmitter/receiver and resistor, capacitor, and diode (RCD) snubber circuits for GaN inverter and rectifiers to boost the power efficiency, minimize the voltage spikes, and improve the output system waveforms
This paper demonstrates an H/full-bridge inverter, implemented by GaN power switches, operating at a high-frequency of 80 kHz based off of the SAE J1772 standard for wireless charging of electric vehicles (EVs) batteries
Summary
While prior studies [1,2,3,4,5] evinced that a high-frequency H-bridge GaN inverter with compact size, lower-price, and high-performance is rarely found in the market, this project was designed to fulfill the indicated demand. Scientists have designed GaN inverters using the dual-frequency programmed harmonic modulation method at ~26–991.6 kHz with totem-pole rectifiers operating in a discontinuous conduction mode at 6.78 MHz [6,7]. In this article, the proposed GaN inverter with optimized snubber circuits at 80 kHz reduces the size of the overall system design, and minimizes the associated cost of installation and maintenance for wireless charging of electric vehicle batteries. Aiming to limit harmonic content in the output waveform, this research introduced the H-bridge GaN inverter operating with pulse-width-modulation (PWM)
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