DOI: 10.67047/tepes.1892878 ISSN: 2791-6049

Analysis of the Electrical and Thermal Effects of Different Charging Methods on Forward Converters for Electric Mobility Applications

Murat Akkuş, Erdem Akboy, Ali Rıfat Boynueğri
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The proliferation of low-power electric mobility vehicles, such as electric scooters, highlights the requirement for high efficiency, low thermal stress, and extended system lifetime in battery charging systems. In such applications, the performance of power electronic converters is directly dependent on the converter topology and the applied charging strategy. In this context, conventional forward and active-clamp forward DC–DC converter topologies are comparatively analyzed under constant-current (CC) and pulse current (PC) charging methods. Realistic charging conditions are obtained by utilizing a LiFePO₄ (LFP) battery model that incorporates SOC–OCV characteristics. CC and PC charging methods are applied to forward and active-clamp forward converters by using PLECS software. Simulation results demonstrate that power losses of MOSFET are reduced in active clamp forward converters by approximately 12% in CC charging and about 18% in PC charging, owing to soft-switching mechanisms. Moreover, reduction in maximum junction temperature varying from 1.37 °C to 11.67 °C is achieved, while an improvement in temperature swing values within the 15–24% range is obtained. The results reveal that the active-clamp forward topology is more advantageous in terms of service life and reliability for low-power mobility charging systems.

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