High Power Full-Bridge DC-DC Converter using a Center-Tapped Transformer and a Full-Wave Type Rectifier

Abstract

This paper proposes a high power full-bridge DC-DC converter, using a center-tapped transformer and a full-wave type rectifier. The proposed converter realizes unipolar primary voltage switching, using the unipolar pulse-width modulation (PWM) technique. Also, the proposed converter reduces the freewheeling conduction loss, using the unipolar PWM technique and a resonant circuit, composed of a clamp capacitor and resonant inductor in the primary, and thus achieves high efficiency. However, because the proposed converter uses only a full-bridge circuit, center-tapped transformer, and full-wave type rectifier, the structure of the proposed converter is simple. In this paper, the operational principle of the proposed converter is described in detail, and a design example of a proposed converter prototype is shown. Finally, experimental results of the prototype are shown, to verify the feasibility of the proposed converter. © 2014 SERSC.