Comparison of Isolated Bidirectional DC/DC Converters Using WBG Devices for More Electric Aircraft

With the aim towards lighter and more efficient electrical systems in future aircraft, design of DC/DC converters with high efficiency, power density and improved thermal management becomes necessary. This paper investigates the detailed design of isolated bidirectional DC/DC converters for more electric aircraft (MEA). Use of wide bandgap (WBG) devices to enhance system efficiency is considered. A transformer optimization technique based on switching frequency for different converter topologies is investigated. The control strategy of the discussed configurations are verified in the PLECS simulation environment. Dual active bridge (DAB), input-series output-parallel (ISOP), neutral point clamped (NPC) and active neutral point clamped (ANPC) converters are considered to exploit benefits offered by WBG devices for MEA. A comparison is performed in terms of efficiency, thermal management, power density and electromagnetic interference (EMI). The results indicate that the ANPC converter is better for efficiency, thermal management and power density. The DAB converter showed similar results to the ISOP with the DAB yielding higher efficiency. The NPC and ANPC configurations resulted in the best EMI performance. The NPC converter proved to be the least effective solution with regard to efficiency, thermal management and power density.