An improved calculation of ferrite core loss for nonsinusoidal waveforms separates a flux trajectory into major and minor loops via a new recursive algorithm. It is highly accurate and outperforms two previous methods for our measured data. The only characteristics of the material required are the standard Steinmetz-equation parameters.

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Accurate prediction of ferrite core loss with nonsinusoidal waveforms using only Steinmetz parameters

It is well known that single-phase pulse width modulation rectifiers have second-order harmonic currents and corresponding ripple voltages on the dc bus. The low-frequency harmonic current is normally filtered using a bulk capacitor in the bus, which results in low power density. However, pursuing high power density in converter design is a very important goal in the aerospace applications. This paper studies methods for reducing the energy storage capacitor for single-phase rectifiers. The minimum ripple energy storage requirement is derived independently of a specific topology. Based on the minimum ripple energy requirement, the feasibility of the active capacitor's reduction schemes is verified. Then, we propose a bidirectional buck-boost converter as the ripple energy storage circuit, which can effectively reduce the energy storage capacitance. The analysis and design are validated by simulation and experimental results.

A High Power Density Single-Phase PWM Rectifier With Active Ripple Energy Storage

This paper describes the design and performance of a 6-kW, full-bridge, bidirectional isolated dc-dc converter using a 20-kHz transformer for a 53.2-V, 2-kWh lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery energy storage system. The dc voltage at the high-voltage side is controlled from 305 to 355 V, as the battery voltage at the low-voltage side (LVS) varies from 50 to 59 V. The maximal efficiency of the dc-dc converter is measured to be 96.0% during battery charging, and 96.9% during battery discharging. Moreover, this paper analyzes the effect of unavoidable dc-bias currents on the magnetic-flux saturation of the transformer. Finally, it provides the dc-dc converter loss breakdown with more focus on the LVS converter.

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Design and Performance of a Bidirectional Isolated DC–DC Converter for a Battery Energy Storage System

In this paper, resonant tank design procedure and practical design considerations are presented for a high performance LLC multiresonant dc-dc converter in a two-stage smart battery charger for neighborhood electric vehicle applications. The multiresonant converter has been analyzed and its performance characteristics are presented. It eliminates both low- and high-frequency current ripple on the battery, thus maximizing battery life without penalizing the volume of the charger. Simulation and experimental results are presented for a prototype unit converting 390 V from the input dc link to an output voltage range of 48-72 V dc at 650 W. The prototype achieves a peak efficiency of 96%.

An LLC Resonant DC–DC Converter for Wide Output Voltage Range Battery Charging Applications

It is expected that in the near future the use of high-voltage dc (HVDC) transmission and medium-voltage dc (MVDC) distribution technology will expand. This development is driven by the growing share of electrical power generation by renewable energy sources that are located far from load centers and the increased use of distributed power generators in the distribution grid. Power converters that transfer the electric energy between voltage levels and control the power flow in dc grids will be key components in these systems. The recently presented modular multilevel dc converter (M2DC) and the three-phase dual-active bridge converter (DAB) are benchmarked for this task. Three scenarios are examined: a 15 MW converter for power conversion from an HVDC grid to an MVDC grid of a university campus, a gigawatt converter for feeding the energy from an MVDC collector grid of a wind farm into the HVDC grid, and a converter that acts as a power controller between two HVDC grids with the same nominal voltage level. The operation and degrees of freedom of the M2DC are investigated in detail aiming for an optimal design of this converter. The M2DC and the DAB converter are thoroughly compared for the given scenarios in terms of efficiency, amount of semiconductor devices, and expense on capacitive storage and magnetic components.

Comparison of the Modular Multilevel DC Converter and the Dual-Active Bridge Converter for Power Conversion in HVDC and MVDC Grids

An extension to the Steinmetz equation is proposed, to enable estimation of hysteresis losses in magnetic core materials with nonsinusoidal flux waveforms The new formulation is shown to avoid anomalies present in previous modified-Steinmetz-equation calculations of loss with nonsinusoidal waveforms Comparison with experimental measurements in MnZn ferrite shows improved accuracy The result may be optionally formulated in terms of an effective frequency and an effective amplitude, and options for defining these are discussed

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Improved calculation of core loss with nonsinusoidal waveforms

The largest loss in an example litz-wire flyback transformer is found during current commutation between windings. In order to reduce this loss, a new optimization method is introduced. The new method optimizes strand size and number in litz wire considering cost and loss. Unlike previous methods, it is valid with two- or three-dimensional field geometry and with different nonsinusoidal waveforms in any number of windings. The result of applying this method to the example flyback transformer is less expensive designs with lower loss, as confirmed by experimental measurements.

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Optimization of a flyback transformer winding considering two-dimensional field effects, cost and loss

Existing advanced and powerful techniques for optimizing litz-wire winding designs are complex and usually require using multiple expensive software packages. A new CAD tool has been created to make advanced litz-wire design methods available to any designer through an easy-to-use web interface. The software performs two-dimensional field simulations and returns designs optimized considering cost and loss. It is shown that simple full-bobbin designs, compared to optimized choices, can result in much higher loss with almost no cost advantage or much higher cost with almost no loss advantage, whereas the optimization results provide a full range of choices providing the lowest loss at any given cost or the lowest cost at any given loss.

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T. Abdallah

Papers

Accurate prediction of ferrite core loss with nonsinusoidal waveforms using only Steinmetz parameters

Improved calculation of core loss with nonsinusoidal waveforms

Optimization of a flyback transformer winding considering two-dimensional field effects, cost and loss

Easy-to-use CAD tools for litz-wire winding optimization