Phase-shifted Full-bridge DC-DC Converter Research Articles

Research on the Intelligent Control Strategy of the Fuel Cell Phase-Shifting Full-Bridge Power Electronics DC-DC Converter

With the aggravation of energy problems, the development and utilization of new energy has become the focus of all countries. As an effective new energy, the fuel cell has attracted the attention of scholars. However, due to the particularity of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), the performance of traditional PI controlled phase-shifted full-bridge power electronics DC-DC converter cannot meet the needs of practical application. In order to further improve the dynamic performance of the converter, this paper first introduces several main topologies of the current mainstream front-end DC-DC converter, and analyzes their performance in the fuel cell system. Then, the operation process of the phase-shifted full-bridge power electronics DC-DC converter is introduced, and the shortcomings of the traditional PI control are analyzed. Finally, a double closed-loop adaptive fuzzy PI controller is proposed, which is characterized by dynamically adjusting PI parameters according to different working states to complete the intelligent control of phase-shifted full-bridge DC-DC converter. The simulation results in MATLAB/Simulink show that the proposed algorithm has good a control effect. Compared with the traditional algorithm, the overshoot and stabilization time of the system are shorter. The algorithm can effectively suppress the fluctuation of the output current of the fuel cell converter, and is a very practical control method.

A Fixed Frequency Zero-Voltage-Switching On-Board EV Charger

For electric vehicle (EV) onboard charging, high efficiency and power density of the charger is required. Soft switching technique is an effective way to increase On-Board Charger (OBC) power density and efficiency. This paper presents a fixed frequency zero-voltage-switching OBC topology which can realize Zero-Voltage-Switching (ZVS) of all the power semiconductor devices. An auxiliary resonant branch is used to realize Zero-Voltage-Switching for both front-end full-bridge rectifier and phase-shift full-bridge dc-dc converter. A novel PWM scheme is proposed for the OBC topology. ZVS conditions are derived. Finally, the proposed OBC is verified by the experiment.

طراحی وشبیه سازی یک مبدل تمام پل شیفت-فاز بهبود یافته با مقدار RMS جریان و تنش ولتاژ کمتر

In this paper, an improved phase-shifted full-bridge (PSFB) dc-dc converter with coupled inductors and a current doubler rectifier (CDR) for battery charger applications in electric vehicles (EVs) is proposed. By using two coupled inductors as opposed to traditional output filter inductors, the RMS currents, the circulating current, and the voltage stresses on the secondary side are decreased. Besides, the zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) operation range is lengthened. Therefore, higher efficiencies are achieved. The two recursive inductors in the primary side have small and negligible values compared to the output inductors and, consequently, neither complex control systems nor extra components (like auxiliary circuits and active clamps) are needed. Thus, by using the proposed topology a simple structure with a simple control system will be obtained. Utilizing the proposed converter leads to reduce the RMS currents, the circulating current, and the voltage stresses on the secondary side. Besides, the cost and size of the system are not changed compared to the traditional one, as well. Moreover, the required energy for ZVS operation of power MOSFETs will be decreased which leads to higher efficiencies over a more extended operation range. Finally, the proposed and traditional converters have been simulated under the following conditions: the input voltage (150-250 V), switching frequency (200 kHz), the output voltage (75-85 V), and the output current (1.85-18.5 A). The simulation results validate the major benefits of the proposed phase-shifted full-bridge dc-dc converter over the traditional one.

Synchronous Rectifiers Drain Voltage Overshoot Reduction in PSFB Converters

The requirements for the blocking voltage of the rectification devices on the secondary side of phase shift full bridge (PSFB) dc-dc converter topology are, by nature, higher than for other quasiresonant or fully resonant topologies (DAB, LLC). This is especially aggravated in wide range operation converters and further increased by the rectifiers' drain voltage overshoot. Unlike other resonant topologies, the inductor at the output of the PSFB effectively decouples the capacitor bank from the rectification stage, which otherwise acts as a strong lossless snubber. Higher blocking voltage requirements for the rectification devices worsen their Figure of Merit, increasing their related losses and decreasing the overall efficiency of the converter. In this article, the main causes of the rectifiers drain voltage overshoots in PSFB are analyzed. Design guidelines for the mitigation of the different causes are introduced, as well as a novel modulation scheme for the overshoot reduction, while the output filter operates in discontinuous conduction mode, without penalties in performance, complexity, or cost. A prototype of PSFB DC-DC converter of 3300 W, with 400-V input to 54.5-V output nominal voltages, was designed and built to test the proposed solutions achieving a peak efficiency of 98.12% at 50% of load.

A Practical Approach to the Design of a Highly Efficient PSFB DC-DC Converter for Server Applications

The phase shift full bridge (PSFB) is a widely known isolated DC-DC converter topology commonly used in medium to high power applications, and one of the best candidates for the front-end DC-DC converter in server power supplies. Since the server power supplies consume an enormous amount of power, the most critical issue is to achieve high efficiency. Several organizations promoting electrical energy efficiency, like the 80 PLUS, keep introducing higher efficiency certifications with growing requirements extending also to light loads. The design of a high efficiency PSFB converter is a complex problem with many degrees of freedom which requires of a sufficiently accurate modeling of the losses and of efficient design criteria. In this work a losses model of the converter is proposed as well as design guidelines for the efficiency optimization of PSFB converter. The model and the criteria are tested with the redesign of an existing reference PSFB converter of 1400 W for server applications, with wide input voltage range, nominal 400 V input and 12 V output; achieving 95.85% of efficiency at 50% of the load. A new optimized prototype of PSFB was built with the same specifications, achieving a peak efficiency of 96.68% at 50% of the load.

Emphasis on switch selection and its switching loss comparison for on‐board electric vehicle charger

A DC/DC converter plays a vital role in on-board electric vehicle (EV) charger. Among the many converter topologies, the phase-shifted full-bridge DC/DC converter (PSFBDC) is widely used. For improved efficiency, PSFBDC is embedded with passive auxiliary networks resulting in several unique configurations for achieving soft-switching in entire load range. The architecture of the chosen DC/DC converter configuration should comply with the society of automotive engineers (SAE) standards. Although, the conduction loss of the converter can be minimised by choosing a proper topology configuration and proper switching of the configuration, the selection of appropriate for PSFBDC plays an important role in enhancing the overall efficiency. An optimistic method for the selection of switch configuration satisfying the reduced power loss and cost-effective aspects is presented. For demonstrating the proposed method, a 1 kW 100 kHz system with commercially available switches IRFP460, IXFN64N60P, and IPP65R045C7 is chosen and the obtained results are presented.

Phase-Shifted Full-Bridge Zero Voltage Switching DC-DC Converter Design with MATLAB/Simulink Implementation

Design of phase-shifted full bridge zero voltage switching DC-DC converter has been very challenging due to circuit parasitic effect on the system dynamics. This paper presents steady-state analysis and iterative approach for the systemic design of phase-shifted full bridge DC-DC converter with improved dynamic performance and satisfactory operational requirement in terms of zero-voltage switching range, operating switching frequency and switching resonance. A 3 kW DC-DC converter is designed using the iterative design approach and the system dynamics performance was investigated in the MATLAB/Simulink environment. The converter zero-voltage switching simulation results were satisfactory with 90% efficiency under full load condition.

Control-oriented discrete-time large-signal model of phase-shift full-bridge DC–DC converter

In this paper, a new approach toward large-signal discrete-time modeling of phase-shift full-bridge (PSFB) dc–dc converter for discontinuous conduction mode operation has been introduced. Instead of averaging the circuit elements or state variables, this approach makes use of the inherent characteristics of the dc–dc converter by developing piecewise differential equations of the switching network in different time intervals. Then, these differential equations are analytically solved with appropriate boundary conditions in order to develop the discrete-time nonlinear model of the PSFB dc–dc converter. The developed nonlinear model captures the complete dynamics of state variables within a switching cycle. Another major contribution of this research work is an accurate linear model of PSFB dc-dc converter, which has been acquired by employing small signal approximations and change of variables. The proposed model has been compared to the previously reported large-signal models of the PSFB dc–dc converter. Detailed theoretical results have been included, which show excellent agreement of the proposed model with the original switching network.

Stability Analysis of FCHEV Energy System Using Frequency Decoupling Control Method

Fuel cell (FC) is a promising power supply in electric vehicles (EV); however, it has poor dynamic performance and short service life. To address these shortcomings, a super capacitor (SC) is adopted as an auxiliary power supply. In this study, the frequency decoupling control method is used in electric vehicle energy system. High-frequency and low-frequency demand power is provided by SC and FC, respectively, which makes full use of two power supplies. Simultaneously, the energy system still has rapidity and reliability. The distributed power system (DPS) of EV requires DC-DC converters to achieve the desired voltage. The stability of cascaded converters must be assessed. Impedance-based methods are effective in the stability analysis of DPS. In this study, closed-loop impedances of interleaved half-bridge DC-DC converter and phase-shifted full-bridge DC-DC converter based on the frequency decoupling control method are derived. The closed-loop impedance of an inverter for permanent magnet synchronous motor based on space vector modulation control method is also derived. An improved Middlebrook criterion is used to assess and adjust the stability of the energy system. A theoretical analysis and simulation test are provided to demonstrate the feasibility of the energy management system and the control method.

Design of a Bidirectional Energy Storage System for a Vanadium Redox Flow Battery in a Microgrid with SOC Estimation

This paper used a Vanadium Redox flow Battery (VRB) as the storage battery and designed a two-stage topology of a VRB energy storage system in which a phase-shifted full bridge dc-dc converter and three-phase inverter were used, considering the low terminal voltage of the VRB. Following this, a model of the VRB was simplified, according to the operational characteristics of the VRB in this designed topology of a VRB energy storage system (ESS). By using the simplified equivalent model of the VRB, the control parameters of the ESS were designed. For effectively estimating the state of charge (SOC) of the VRB, a traditional method for providing the SOC estimation was simplified, and a simple and effective SOC estimation method was proposed in this paper. Finally, to illustrate the proper design of the VRB ESS and the proposed SOC estimation method, a corresponding simulation was designed by Simulink. The test results have demonstrated that this proposed SOC estimation method is feasible and effective for indicating the SOC of a VRB and the proper design of this VRB ESS is very reasonable for VRB applications.

A high-efficiency DC-DC converter with LC resonant in the load-side of HFT and voltage doubler for solar PV systems

This paper presents the implementation of a prototype phase-shift soft-switching full-bridge PWM DC-DC power converter isolated by a high-frequency transformer (HFT). This circuit topology is based on a new concept of series resonant principle in the secondary side. The step-up HFT and the voltage doubler rectifier make this circuit suitable for low-voltage renewable sources such as fuel cell or PV applications. Meanwhile, all semiconductor switches can achieve zero-voltage soft-switching (ZVS) with the assistance of transformer leakage inductances and lossless capacitive snubbers. The new contribution of this work is that the passive semiconductor switches (diodes) on the secondary side can also perform ZVS and zero-current switching (ZCS) transitions with the assistance of voltage doubler capacitance. The theory of operation and the experimental setup of the proposed circuit with a rated output of 5 kW are presented and discussed. A comparison between simulation and experimental results is explored and illustrated.

Wide Bandgap 소자의 안정적 구동을 위한 하드웨어 최적 설계 및 구현

In this paper, the GaN FET based phase-shift full-bridge dc-dc converter design is implemented. Switch characteristics of GaN FET were analyzed in detail by comparing state-of-the-art Si MOSFET. Owing to the low conduction resistance and parasitic capacitance, it is expected to GaN FET based power conversion system has improved performance. However, GaN FET is vulnerable to electric interference due to the relatively low threshold voltage and fast switching transient. Therefore, it is necessary to consider PCB layout to design GaN FET based power system because PCB layout is the main reason of stray inductance. To reduce the electric noise, gate voltage of GaN FET is analyzed according to operation mode of phase-shift full-bridge dc-dc converter. Two 600W phase-shifted full-bridge dc-dc converter are designed based on the result to evaluate effects of stray inductance.

Cascode GaN HEMT를 적용한 위상 천이 dc-dc 컨버터의 구현 및 문제점 분석

Gallium nitride high-electron mobility transistor (GaN HEMT) is the strongest candidate for replacing Si MOSFET. Comparing the figure of merit (FOM) of GaN with the state-of-the-art super junction Si MOSFET, the FOM is much better because of the wide band gap characteristics and the heterojunction structure. Although GaN HEMT has many benefits for the power conversion system, the performance of the power conversion system with the GaN HEMT is sensitive because of its low threshold voltage () and even lower parasitic capacitance. This study examines the characteristics of a phase-shifted full-bridge dc-dc converter with cascode GaN HEMT. The problem of unoptimized dead time is analyzed on the basis of the output capacitance of GaN HEMT. In addition, the printed circuit board (PCB) layout consideration is analyzed to reduce the negative effects of parasitic inductance. A comparison of the experimental results is provided to validate the dead time and PCB layout analysis for a phase-shifted full-bridge dc-dc converter with cascode GaN HEMT.

The study of energy model and multi-period of discrete phase shift control technique for full-bridge DC-DC converter

Phase-shift full-bridge (PSFB) DC-DC converter benefits from high efficiency by zero-voltage switching turn-on of all switches without any additional auxiliary circuit, and PSFB DC-DC converter has been widely used in high power applications. In this paper, the operating mode of PSFB DC-DC converter is studied, and the energy iteration model of PSFB DC-DC converter is established. The discrete phase shift (DPS) control technique for PSFB DC-DC converter is proposed and discussed. Unlike the conventional PWM PSFB control technique, the DPS control technique uses two preset phase shift times tpsH and tpsL as control variables where 0tpsHtpsL ≤Tw with Tw being the switching period. When output voltage is lower than the reference voltage, phase shift time tpsH is selected, and a large duty cycle DH is obtained on the secondary side, which makes output voltage increase. Similarly, when output voltage is higher than the reference voltage, phase shift time tpsL is selected, and a small duty cycle DL is obtained on the secondary side, which makes output voltage decrease. With the energy iteration model, the energy iteration process is clearly revealed, steady-state and transient performances are studied. From the analysis results it can be known that the DPS controlled PSFB DC-DC converter always operates in a multi-periodic state. The simulation reasults show that the proposed control technique has an advantage over the conventional PWM PSFB control technique in simple design, great robust and excellent transient performance.

An Active Soft Switched Phase-Shifted Full-Bridge DC–DC Converter: Analysis, Modeling, Design, and Implementation

A novel active soft switched phase-shifted full-bridge (PSFB) dc-dc converter is presented in this paper. An auxiliary circuit is added to the pulse width modulation counterpart to achieve the soft switching. The proposed circuit achieves soft switching for both main and auxiliary switches, without increasing the main device current/voltage rating. The auxiliary circuit is gated appropriately in order to achieve zero voltage switching for lagging leg. Tapping in the primary winding of power transformer is added for the purpose of commutation. The proposed circuit is capable of operating at elevated switching frequencies of several hundreds of kilohertz in a range of line and load variations. Steady-state analysis and evaluation of losses for the proposed circuit is presented. Analytical models valid for steady state and dynamic performance are proposed. A 350-W, 100-kHz active soft switched PSFB dc-dc converter prototype is implemented. The proposed analytical models are validated experimentally on 350-W prototype. Experimental results verifying steady state and dynamic models are presented.

넓은 충전 범위를 갖는 전기 자동차용 급속 충전기의 고효율 운전을 위한 손실 분석

Power losses of a 1-stage DC-DC converter and 2-stage DC-DC converter are compared in this paper. A phase-shift full-bridge DC-DC converter is considered as 1-stage topology. This topology has disadvantages in the stress of rectifier diodes because of the resonance between the leakage inductor of the transformer and the junction capacitor of the rectifier diode. 2-stage topology is composed of an LLC resonant full-bridge DC-DC converter and buck converter. The LLC resonant full-bridge DC-DC converter does not need an RC snubber circuit of the rectifier diode. However, there is the drawback that the switching loss of the buck converter is large due to the hard switching operation. To reduce the switching loss of the buck converter, SiC MOSFET is used. This paper analyzes and compares power losses of two topologies considering temperature condition. The validity of the power loss analysis and calculation is verified by a PSIM simulation model.

Hybrid phase shifted full bridge and LLC half bridge DC–DC converter for low‐voltage and high‐current output applications

A hybrid phase shifted full bridge (PSFB) and LLC half bridge (HB) DC-DC converter for low-voltage and high-current output applications is proposed in this study. The PSFB shares its lagging leg with the LLC-HB and their outputs are parallel connected. When the output current is small, the energy of LLC circuit in combination with the energy stored in the leakage inductance of PSFB's transformer can help the lagging leg switches to achieve zero voltage switching (ZVS) turn on, which can reduce voltage stress and avoid annoying voltage spikes over switches. For the power distribution at rated power, the PSFB converter undergoes most of the power whereas the LLC-HB converter working as an auxiliary part converts only a small portion of the total power. To improve the conversion efficiency, synchronous rectification technique for the PSFB DC-DC converter is implemented. The design principle is given in view of ZVS for lagging leg switches and low transconductance of LLC converter. The validity of the proposed converter has been verified by experimental results of a 2.5 kW prototype.

A Controller Design for a Stability Improvement of an On-Board Battery Charger

This paper proposes the controller design for a stability improvement of an on-board battery charger. The system is comprised of a power factor correction (PFC) circuit and phase shift full-bridge DC-DC converter. The PFC circuit performs the control of the DC-link voltage and the input power factor. The DC-DC converter regulates the voltage and the current in the battery using the DC-link voltage. This paper proposes the design method of PI controller for the PFC circuit using a small signal model. The analysis and design of a type-three controller for the DC-DC converter is also presented. A simulation and experiment has been performed on the on-board battery charger and their results are presented to verify the validity of the proposed system.

Hybrid-Switching Full-Bridge DC–DC Converter With Minimal Voltage Stress of Bridge Rectifier, Reduced Circulating Losses, and Filter Requirement for Electric Vehicle Battery Chargers

This paper first presents a hybrid-switching step-down dc-dc converter, and then, by introducing transformer isolation, a novel hybrid-switching phase-shift full-bridge dc-dc converter is derived for electric vehicle battery chargers. The proposed converter provides wide zero-voltage-switching range in the leading-leg switches, achieves zero-current-switching for lagging-leg switches, and uses a hybrid-switching method to avoid freewheeling circulating losses in the primary side. Because the resonant capacitor voltage of the hybrid-switching circuit is applied between the bridge rectifier and the output inductor for the duration of the freewheeling intervals, a smaller sized output inductor can be utilized. With the current rectifier diode of the hybrid-switching circuit providing a clamping path, the voltage overshoots that arise during the turn-off of the rectifier diodes are eliminated and the voltage stress of bridge rectifier is clamped to the minimal achievable value, which is equal to secondary-reflected input voltage of the transformer. The inductive energy stored in the output inductor and the capacitive energy stored in the resonant capacitor of the hybrid-switching circuit are transferred to the output simultaneously during the freewheeling intervals with only one diode in series in the current path, achieving more effective and efficient energy transfer. The effectiveness of the proposed converter was experimentally verified using a 3.6-kW prototype circuit designed for electric vehicle onboard chargers. Experimental results of the hardware prototype show that the converter achieves a peak efficiency of 98.1% and high system efficiencies over wide output voltage and power ranges.

Open-Circuit Fault Diagnosis and Fault-Tolerant Strategies for Full-Bridge DC–DC Converters

This paper proposes a four-step open-circuit fault diagnosis and fault-tolerant scheme for isolated phase-shifted full-bridge (PSFB) dc-dc converters to improve the reliability. The fault diagnostic method utilizes the primary voltage of the transformer as the diagnostic criterion, which can be obtained easily by adding an auxiliary winding. When an open-circuit fault occurs in any switch of the PSFB converter, the proposed fault detection method can generate an indication of the abnormal state and trigger an active-phase-shifted in the control system. Under the APS state, it is very easy to locate the exact position of faulty switch because the voltage waveform of the primary winding heavily depends on the location of the faulty switch. After locating the position of the faulty switch, the PSFB converter is reconfigured into an asymmetrical half-bridge (AHB) converter by turning ON the normal switch in the faulty leg and adding a redundant winding to the secondary side. Therefore, the rebuilt AHB converter can keep the output voltage constant under a reduced power rating after the open-circuit fault. The operational principle, design consideration, and implementation are discussed in this paper. The experimental results are given to verify the validity of theoretical analysis. The proposed strategies outperform the traditional schemes in terms of cost, reliability, and power density.