Abstract
Compact and low profile power converters are the main business of todayโs power industry. A significant volume of a power converter is occupied by the power transformer. This article proposes a unique solution that would make the power converters low profile. Instead of designing a power converter by using a single bulky transformer, the solution proposed is to split the main bulky transformer into a number of low profile transformers. This not only reduces the total weight and volume of the converter but also the total transformer losses. The use of more than one transformer in series reduces the applied voltage on the transformers, which minimizes the required turns ratio and decreases the stress on the secondary rectifiers and filter elements. Moreover, the decrease in the applied voltage reduces the proportional loss per transformer and makes it possible to design a hybrid transformer by combining Litz wire and traces of a printed circuit board. The reduced copper loss and lower heat dissipation per transformer simplify thermal management. An analytical comparison is made between the utilization of a single transformer or a number of transformers. The procedure of splitting a volume of a single transformer into a number of small transformers has been comprehensively discussed. The idea is investigated both experimentally and in computer simulation for an example application of a phase shifted full bridge dc-dc converter. The converter is characterized up to a load power of 2.2 kW at $V_{in} =400\,\,\text{V}_{\mathrm {dc}}$ and $\text{V}_{out} =48\,\,\text{V}_{\mathrm {dc}}$ .To make the approach more practical, the transformers are modeled using the traditional analytical method. The design of the example application using the split transformer approach reduces the total transformer weight by 45%, compared to the traditional approach with a single transformer. The converter also shows good performance with a maximum efficiency of 96%.
Highlights
The demand for smarter and low profile electronic solutions is rapidly increasing in most industrial applications
The power density of a power converter has a direct relationship with the switching frequency; increasing the switching frequency has been trending as a way to reach the goal of a compact power converter
DESIGN EXAMPLE In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed model, it is implemented in an example application of the dc-dc power converter
Summary
The demand for smarter and low profile electronic solutions is rapidly increasing in most industrial applications. The decrease in the applied voltage improves the size and efficiency of the transformer and eliminates the need to increase the switching frequency for improved power density. The allowed power loss spreads among N low profile transformers, simplifies heat management and improves the power density In [13] and [17], the series-connected transformers have been utilized for improved power density and better heat management in LLC power converters, but the methodology of splitting the design into a number of small transformers has not been discussed. The remainder of this article is structured as follows: the procedure of splitting the main transformer into small transformers is discussed, followed by a comparison of loss between different configurations, and the performance of the example application is discussed
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