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The emergence of wide-bandgap devices, e.g., silicon carbide (SiC), has the potential to enable very high-density power converter design with high-switching frequency operation capability. A comprehensive design tool with a holistic design approach is critical to maximize the overall system power density, e.g, by identifying the optimal switching frequency. This paper presents a system level design tool that optimizes the power density (volume or mass) of a three-phase, two-level dc–ac converter. The design tool optimizes the selection of the devices, heatsink and passive components (including the design of the line, electromagnetic interference (EMI), and dc-link filters) to maximize the power density. The structure of the optimization algorithm has been organized to reduce the number of potential design combinations by over 99%, and thus, produces fast simulation times. The design tool predicts that when SiC devices are used instead of Si ones, the power density is increased by 159.4%. A 5 kW, 600-V dc-link, three-phase, two-level dc–ac converter was experimentally evaluated in order to confirm the accuracy of the design tool. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To provide a basis for controller design in interleaved dc–dc converters, an improved small-signal averaged model is presented. Sampler decomposition techniques are used to represent the interleaved operation of the individual control loops within the converter. The resultant model reveals interaction effects and instability phenomena that are not predicted by a simple noninterleaved model, and which impose significant restrictions on the selection of control parameters. The model is validated by detailed simulations and experimental results from a digitally controlled dual-interleaved boost converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]