Analysis of Fault-Tolerant Operation Capabilities of an Isolated Bidirectional Current-Source DC–DC Converter

摘要

Reliable and predictable operation of power electronics is of increasing importance due to continuously growing penetration of such systems in industrial applications. This article focuses on the fault-tolerant operation of the bidirectional secondary-modulated current-source DC–DC converter. The study analyzes possible topology reconfigurations in case an open- or short-circuit condition occurs in one of the semiconductor devices. In addition, multi-mode operation based on topology-morphing is evaluated to extend the operating range of the case study topology. The influence of post-failure modes on the functionality and performance is analyzed with a 300 W converter prototype. It is demonstrated that failure of one transistor in the current-source side can be mitigated without dramatic loss in the efficiency at maximum power, while preserving bidirectional operation capability.