A Family of Ultrahigh Efficiency Fractional dc-dc Topologies for High Power Energy Storage Device

The application of a nonisolated bidirectional fractional dc-dc topology is proposed for high power energy storage device in this article. The proposed topology has the benefits of ultrahigh efficiency, simple structure, and low cost because it processes only a fractional of the total power. With the existence of an extra-low voltage (LV) power source, the converter voltage stress is only the difference between the dc bus and high voltage (HV) power source, therefore, low-cost LV transistors can be used in HV high power applications. Since a majority of the power is transferred directly between the energy storage device and dc bus, ultrahigh system efficiency can be achieved. Converter operating principle and design considerations such as battery capacity calculation methodologies and over voltage protection (OVP) are presented. A GaN transistor-based prototype is fabricated. Experimental results of a 1.2-kW battery energy storage prototype are presented to validate the analysis. The system efficiency is higher than 99% when a wide input-output voltage range is achieved. The fractional converter is convincing in achieving high efficiency and high conversion power with reduced cost for energy storage devices.

Automated summary

The paper proposes a nonisolated bidirectional fractional DC-DC topology for high power energy storage devices, which offers ultrahigh efficiency and low cost. By utilizing an extra-low voltage power source, it is possible to achieve low-cost high-power applications, leading to high system efficiency.