High-Frequency Transformer With Integrated SiC Devices for an Auxiliary Inductor-Free Dual Active Bridge DC/DC Converter

This paper presents a comprehensive study on the design of a novel structured high-frequency (HF) transformer for an auxiliary inductor-free dual active bridge (DAB) DC/DC converter. DAB converters with phase-shift control are widely used in various applications due to their advantages of galvanic isolation and simplicity of control. However, conventional converters need auxiliary inductors because existing HF transformers cannot provide sufficient leakage inductance while maintaining high efficiency, leading to increased cost and volume. To address these challenges, an HF transformer in a novel structure that eliminates the need for auxiliary inductors in DAB converters with phase-shift control is proposed in this paper. The proposed structure is simple but capable of high-power rating. The novel structure can accommodate silicon carbide (SiC) devices inside the transformer package that will reduce the volume of the whole converter. By leveraging this novel HF transformer design, the cost and volume of DAB converters can be significantly reduced without compromising their performance. The effectiveness of the proposed transformer design is validated through simulations and experimental testing. The results demonstrate its suitability for DAB converters with phase-shift control, offering high efficiency and high reliabi