Real‐Time Performance Analysis of Five‐Level Dual Active Bridge DC‐DC Converter for Battery‐Based Energy Storage Systems

Nowadays, the full bridge‐based dual active bridge (FB‐DAB) converters are used in various applications. However, these converters suffer from higher switching losses and increased harmonic distortion, thus limiting their overall performance. Keeping these drawbacks of conventional FB‐DAB converters in view, this paper presents a five‐level dual active bridge (5L‐DAB) converter as an advanced solution to enhance efficiency while reducing the total harmonic distortion (THD) during DC‐DC power conversion. The 5L‐DAB converter has 5L voltage waveforms at both ends of the converter. This research focuses on modeling and analyzing the performance of the 5L‐DAB converter. For this, firstly, the model of the 5L‐DAB converter has been developed under MATLAB/Simulink, and then its performance has been analyzed. To realize the efficacy of the presented 5L‐DAB converter, its performance has been compared with the conventional FB‐DAB converter. Detailed simulations and comparative studies with the FB‐DAB converter demonstrate that the 5L‐DAB converter achieves a marked reduction in THD while maintaining improved power conversion efficiency. Furthermore, a real‐time Typhoon Hardware‐in‐the‐Loop (HIL) emulator confirms the practical feasibility of the design. The real‐time HIL‐based analysis further validates the converter’s effectiveness across different phase‐shift operating points in both forward and backward power‐flow modes, demonstrating its applicability for battery‐based energy storage system, next‐generation electric vehicle charging, and renewable energy integration.