Highly Efficient and Reliable SiC-Based DC-DC Converter for Smart Transformer

The series-resonant converter (SRC) has been used in several application and it recently became popular for smart transformers (STs). In this application, the efficiency and reliability are of paramount importance. Although many papers have addressed the design challenges to improve the converter efficiency, discussions about the reliability are still missing in the literature. In this context, this paper presents a design procedure focusing on the efficiency and reliability improvement of the SRC for ST application. High efficiency is achieved through the use of silicon-carbide MOSFETs, reducing conduction and switching losses, and the detail design procedure based on accurate losses modeling. High reliability is achieved through a fault-tolerant topology and reliability-oriented design of the resonant circuit passive components. Experimental results obtained for the optimized 10 kW SRC has shown an efficiency of 98.61%.