Three-Port Triple-Half-Bridge Bidirectional Converter With Zero-Voltage Switching

• Published in: IEEE transactions on power electronics 2008-03, Vol.23 (2), p.782-792
• Main Authors: Haimin Tao, Duarte, J.L., Hendrix, M.A.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Bidirectional dc-dc converters; Circuit properties; Circuits; Converters; Convertors; DC-DC power converters; Electric currents; Electric potential; Electric, optical and optoelectronic circuits; Electrical engineering. Electrical power engineering; Electrical machines; Electronic circuits; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; Flow control; Galvanizing; Load flow control; multiport converters; Phase modulation; Phase shift; Ports; Power electronics, power supplies; Prototypes; Pulse duration modulation; Pulse transformers; Pulse width modulation; Pulse width modulation converters; Signal convertors; soft-switching; Switching converters; three-port converters; Topology; Transformers; Transformers and inductors; triple-half-bridge (THB); Voltage; Zero voltage switching
• ISSN: 0885-8993; 1941-0107
• DOI: 10.1109/TPEL.2007.915023

A three-port triple-half-bridge bidirectional dc-dc converter topology is proposed in this paper. The topology comprises a high-frequency three-winding transformer and three half-bridges, one of which is a boost half-bridge interfacing a power port with a wide operating voltage. The three half-bridges are coupled by the transformer, thereby providing galvanic isolation for all the power ports. The converter is controlled by phase shift, which achieves the primary power flow control, in combination with pulsewidth modulation (PWM). Because of the particular structure of the boost half-bridge, voltage variations at the port can be compensated for by operating the boost half-bridge, together with the other two half-bridges, at an appropriate duty cycle to keep a constant voltage across the half-bridge. The resulting waveforms applied to the transformer windings are asymmetrical due to the automatic volt-seconds balancing of the half-bridges. With the PWM control it is possible to reduce the rms loss and to extend the zero-voltage switching operating range to the entire phase shift region. A fuel cell and supercapacitor generation system is presented as an embodiment of the proposed multiport topology. The theoretical considerations are verified by simulation and with experimental results from a 1 kW prototype.