Reliability and Characteristic Analysis Considering the Circuit Structure and Operation Risk of Forward Converters

The forward converter is divided into two circuit topologies depending on the method of resetting the energy stored in the magnetizing inductance of the transformer: a single-ended structure using a reset circuit and a double-ended structure called a two-switch forward converter and, accordingly, a difference occurs in the operational mode. Generally, forward converters are designed with low power of less than 500 W and are sold at low prices, so it is common to replace them in case of failure. However, in terms of environmental conservation through resource saving, it is desirable to design with as high reliability as possible. In this paper, reliability is analyzed for the two representative circuit topologies of forward converters. The conventional PCA (part count failure analysis) method determines the failure rate only by the number of circuit components constituting the converter and the correlation between the components, but the FTA (fault-tree analysis) method can additionally consider the operation risk of the converter according to the circuit configuration and operation. Therefore, it is possible to analyze the failure rate according to the operating characteristics of the two converters from the difference in the failure rate obtained by the two methods. In addition, the two converters were manufactured as a 300 W prototype, respectively, and the volume, weight, and power loss were compared, and the economic feasibility was analyzed based on the cost model.

A Comparative Study of GaN HEMT and Si MOSFET-Based Active Clamp Forward Converters

Compared with conventional forward converters, active clamp forward (ACF) converters have many advantages, including lower voltage stress on the primary power devices, the ability to switch at zero voltage, reduced EMI and duty cycle operation above 50%. Thus, it has been the most popular solution for the low bus voltage applications, such as 48 V and 28 V. However, because of the poor performance of Si MOSFETs, the efficiency of active clamp forward converters is difficult to further improved. Focusing on the bus voltage of 28 V with 18~36 V voltage range application, the Gallium Nitride high electron-mobility transistors (GaN HEMT) with ultralow on-resistance, low parasitic capacitances, and no reverse recovery, is incorporated into active clamp forward converters for achieving higher efficiency and power density, in this paper. Meanwhile, the comparative analysis is performed for Si MOSFET and GaN HEMT. In order to demonstrate the feasibility and validity of the proposed solution and comparative analysis, two 18~36 V input, 120 W/12 V output, synchronous rectification prototype with different power devices are built and compared in the lab. The experimental results show the GaN version can achieve the efficiency of 95.45%, which is around 1% higher than its counterpart under the whole load condition and the same power density of 2.2 W/cm3.

Radiated Emission Due to Common Mode Current in Smps

The high frequency switching of semiconductor switches in Switched Mode Power Supplies (SMPS) cause high dV/dt and dI/dt resulting in differential mode (DM) and common mode (CM) conducted and radiated Electromagnetic Interference (EMI). The CM noise current circulating through the ground path is the major contributor for radiated EMI in the frequency range of 30 MHz to 1 GHz which will usually be above the stipulated international standards and are addressed here. The high dV/dt and dI/dt are major sources of EMI producing noise currents which will get coupled to ground through parasitic capacitances. The prominent parasitic capacitors are present in high frequency transformer and the semiconductor’s coupling to ground. They provide path for both DM and CM noise currents. The CM currents flowing in the different prominent parasitic capacitors are obtained by simulation for the four different topologies namely, non-isolated Buck, non-isolated Boost, Flyback and Forward converters. The radiated Emissions are calculated for each of the topologies and are presented. All the four converters are operated at same switching frequencies with same values of parasitic capacitances. The non-isolated Boost converter is found to generate higher radiated emissions due to CM current than the non-isolated buck converter and Forward converter has higher radiated emissions than Flyback converter. The results presented here can be used to decide on the topology of SMPS for a given application when EMI mitigation is a priority.

Implementation of Three and Two Switch Inter-Leaved Forward Converters

In this work the DC-DC forward converter is proposed. The forward converter system nonlinear dynamic performance is present, as it works in switch-mode. Besides, it is revealed to significant inequality which may take this system during the nominal conditions, due to fluctuations on the load or on the line voltage at the input. Traditional converters like, boost converters, switched- inductor converters, switched -capacitor converters etc. are restricted because of at most duty cycle (unity). Fundamentally transformer is introduced to improve the voltage and also it gives the benefits of supplying power to various loads, therefore it is further acceptable for different DC power applications. Examination at open control of the suggested converters are described in this work and we investigate the equations of a forward converter and propose a design for components and also simulated two and three switches forward converter. The suggested converter (FC) has been verified theoretically by simulating it in MATLAB Simulink.

Fuzzy-logic-control of two-switch & three-switch-serial-input interleaved-forward-converters

<p><span>This manuscript manages F-L-C of “two-switch&amp; three-switch-interleaved-forward- -converters” with DC-engine-load”. Numerous modern applications require DC-power. This forward-converter convert's unregulated DC-capacity to controlled DC-control. It contains high recurrence transformer which is additionally called ‘isolation-transformer’. This gives disconnection among load&amp; fundamental-circuit. The AC- control is amended utilizing half-wave-rectifier. The swell in the yield is separated utilizing pi- filter. FLC is intended for two-switch and three-switch forward-converter-systems. The simulation is completed by utilizing MATLAB-simulink. The controller execution is considered for different estimations of load-torque for both two-switch&amp; three-switch forward-converter -frameworks.</span></p>

Forward Converter Current Fed Equalizer for Lithium Based Batteries in Ultralight Electrical Vehicles

In this paper, the concept of a forward balancing technique fed by a buck converter for lithium-based batteries in Electrical Vehicle (EV) applications is investigated. The proposed active topology equalizes eight cells in a series in a battery pack, by using a forward converter for each battery pack and the whole battery packs, using a buck converter. The battery bank consists of four battery packs, which are in series. Therefore, the proposed system will equalize 32 cells in series. In this paper, the proposed circuit employs a single transistor used in a Zero Voltage Switch (ZVS) for the forward converter. In practice, this means a capacitor in parallel with the switch at the same time a demagnetizing of the transformer is obtained. The circuit realizes a low Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) and reduces ringing. To overcome the problem of many pins on a coil former, the transformer secondary windings are made by using hairpin winding, on a ring core. It permits, e.g., having eight secondaries and uniform output voltages. Each secondary winding is made by two hairpin turns using two zero-Ohm resistors in series. The proposed topology has less components and circuitry, and it can equalize multiple battery packs by using a single buck converter and several forward converters for each battery pack. Experimental and simulation results are performed to verify the viability of the proposed topology.