DC–DC converters with voltage boost capability are widely used in a large number of power conversion applications, from fraction-of-volt to tens of thousands of volts at power levels from milliwatts to megawatts. The literature has reported on various voltage-boosting techniques, in which fundamental energy storing elements (inductors and capacitors) and/or transformers in conjunction with switch(es) and diode(s) are utilized in the circuit. These techniques include switched capacitor (charge pump), voltage multiplier, switched inductor/voltage lift, magnetic coupling, and multistage/-level, and each has its own merits and demerits depending on application, in terms of cost, complexity, power density, reliability, and efficiency. To meet the growing demand for such applications, new power converter topologies that use the above voltage-boosting techniques, as well as some active and passive components, are continuously being proposed. The permutations and combinations of the various voltage-boosting techniques with additional components in a circuit allow for numerous new topologies and configurations, which are often confusing and difficult to follow. Therefore, to present a clear picture on the general law and framework of the development of next-generation step-up dc–dc converters, this paper aims to comprehensively review and classify various step-up dc–dc converters based on their characteristics and voltage-boosting techniques. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of these voltage-boosting techniques and associated converters are discussed in detail. Finally, broad applications of dc–dc converters are presented and summarized with comparative study of different voltage-boosting techniques.

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Step-Up DC–DC Converters: A Comprehensive Review of Voltage-Boosting Techniques, Topologies, and Applications

High-step-up, high-efficiency, and cost-effective dc–dc converters, serving as an interfacing cell to boost the low-voltage output of renewable sources to the utility voltage level, are an important part in renewable energy systems. Over the past few years, there has been a substantial amount of studies devoted to high-step-up dc–dc converters. Among them, the category of coupled-inductor boost converters is widely researched and considered to be a promising solution for high-step-up applications. In this paper, these converters are categorized into five groups according to the major topological features. The derivation process, advantages, and disadvantages of these converters are systematically discussed, compared, and scrutinized. This paper aims to provide an introduction, review, and framework for the category of high-step-up coupled-inductor boost converters. General structures for the topologies are proposed to clarify the topological derivation process and to show potential gaps. Furthermore, challenges or directions are presented in this paper for deriving new topologies in this field.

Overview of High-Step-Up Coupled-Inductor Boost Converters

The high-voltage gain converter is widely employed in many industry applications, such as photovoltaic systems, fuel cell systems, electric vehicles, and high-intensity discharge lamps. This paper presents a novel single-switch high step-up nonisolated dc-dc converter integrating coupled inductor with extended voltage doubler cell and diode-capacitor techniques. The proposed converter achieves extremely large voltage conversion ratio with appropriate duty cycle and reduction of voltage stress on the power devices. Moreover, the energy stored in leakage inductance of coupled inductor is efficiently recycled to the output, and the voltage doubler cell also operates as a regenerative clamping circuit, alleviating the problem of potential resonance between the leakage inductance and the junction capacitor of output diode. These characteristics make it possible to design a compact circuit with high static gain and high efficiency for industry applications. In addition, the unexpected high-pulsed input current in the converter with coupled inductor is decreased. The operating principles and the steady-state analyses of the proposed converter are discussed in detail. Finally, a prototype circuit is implemented in the laboratory to verify the performance of the proposed converter.

A High Voltage Gain DC–DC Converter Integrating Coupled-Inductor and Diode–Capacitor Techniques

Piezoelectric actuators have been used successfully to enable locomotion in aerial and ambulatory microrobotic platforms. However, the use of piezoelectric actuators presents two major challenges for power electronic design: generating high-voltage drive signals in systems typically powered by low-voltage energy sources, and recovering unused energy from the actuators. Due to these challenges, conventional drive circuits become too bulky or inefficient in low mass applications. This work describes electrical characteristics and drive requirements of low mass piezoelectric actuators, the design and optimization of suitable drive circuit topologies, aspects of the physical instantiation of these topologies, including the fabrication of extremely lightweight magnetic components, and a custom, ultra low power integrated circuit that implements control functionality for the drive circuits. The principles and building blocks presented here enable efficient high-voltage drive circuits that can satisfy the stringent weight and power requirements of microrobotic applications.

Driving high voltage piezoelectric actuators in microrobotic applications

A new multi-input non-isolated DC/DC converter with high-voltage transfer gain is proposed in this study. The presented converter consists of the conventional buck–boost and boost converters. All the stages except the last stage are buck–boost converters. The last stage is the conventional boost converter. The proposed multi-input high-voltage gain converter benefits from various advantages such as reduced semiconductor current stress, no limitation for switching duty cycle and wide control range of different input powers. The presented converter can even operate when one or some power input fail to provide energy to the load. The steady-state operation and dynamic modelling of the suggested converter are analysed thoroughly. Experimental results are also provided to verify the feasibility of the presented converter.

https://ietresearch.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1049/iet-pel.2013.0977

Non-isolated multi-input–single-output DC/DC converter for photovoltaic power generation systems

In many emerging applications it is required a high boosting gain; in the literature has been proposed many topologies to make this possible, since the traditional dc-dc boost converter can not make the very high boosting function by itself. In this paper a different approach to obtain the high boosting gain is proposed: the tapped-inductor boost converter. This converter has few components and high efficiency, and also operates in a simple way. Analysis and experimental results are presented.

The Tapped-Inductor Boost Converter

A DC-UPS is proposed in this paper, the converter is applicable to photovoltaic/wind systems. The power can be demanded to a photovoltaic/wind system and from the battery set simultaneously or to each one independently. The operation of the converter is presented in detail. Simulation and experimental results are presented.

E. Rodriguez

Papers

The Tapped-Inductor Boost Converter

A DC-UPS applicable in photovoltaic/wind systems