Multi-Channel Phase-Shifted Resonant Converter for Fuel Cell Application
and Effect of Constant Power on its Characteristics
- Denys Zaikin ,
- Martin Kolding Andersen ,
- Mark Rugholt ,
- Thomas Kjeldsen
Abstract
This paper presents a multi-channel phase-shift LLC resonant converter
that was specially optimized for fuel-cell applications and has a wide
input and output voltage range. The worst-case minimum stack voltage and
the battery voltage range were used to find the optimal parameters of
the LLC converter. The voltage gain of the converter operating at a
constant power was considered, and the algorithm for such a calculation
was proposed. Current balancing was implemented using channel
temperature measurements instead of expensive current measurements. A
natural self-balancing mechanism was investigated for converters
operating at high frequencies above the series resonance of a resonant
converter. Recommendations for the converter's transformer turn ratio
were illustrated for efficiency optimization. The multi-object
optimization is implemented to reach the optimized design so the minimum
and maximum voltage gains can be reached and, at the same time, the
transformer turn ratio is kept at the minimum to reach high efficiency.
An experimental prototype of a four-channel converter was presented and
tested at a 5 kW power level. Active content and C-language code files
for converter calculations are provided as well with this work.