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This paper presents a multilevel step-up dc/dc converter for dc-grid-based offshore wind energy conversion applications. The main features of the proposed multilevel converter are as follows: 1) the voltage stress of the power devices can be reduced, making it suitable for high-voltage applications; 2) the boost inductor can be reduced significantly, leading to the outstanding dynamic performance; and 3) high-voltage gain can be obtained and thus is well-suited for high-gain applications. Theoretical analysis was carried out for a four-level step-up converter, based on which, the converter can be extended to any arbitrary number of levels. The proposed four-level converter was verified by a simulation and evaluated by comparing with a conventional multilevel dc/dc converter in terms of the component stress and power device count. The developed topology was implemented on a 2-kW prototype converter to evaluate its feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the interest in offshore wind farms has been significantly increased because of the stronger and more stable winds at sea, which will lead to a higher power production. DC/DC power conversion solutions are becoming more popular for fulfilling the growing challenges in the high-voltage (HV) dc-connected offshore wind power industry. This paper presents several multilevel modular dc/dc conversion systems based on the capacitor-clamped (CC) module concept for high-power offshore wind energy applications. Two types of the CC modules, namely, the double-switch (DS) module and the switchless (SL) module, are discussed. A soft-switching technique is adopted to achieve minimal switching losses and the maximum system efficiency. Theoretical analysis is carried out for the $2n+1$-level cascaded configurations based on the CC modules. The inherent interleaving property of the proposed configurations effectively reduces the output voltage ripple without adding extra components. A cascaded hybrid topology is developed by the combination of DS and SL modules. The proposed hybrid topology achieves higher efficiency and lower component count. The cascaded hybrid approach is evaluated in terms of the power device count, reliability, and efficiency against other HV dc/dc topologies to demonstrate its advantage for HVDC-connected offshore wind farms. The experimental results of two 5-kW prototype CC converters are presented to validate the theoretical analysis and principles as well as attest the feasibility of the proposed topologies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

With the increasing integration of renewable energy generation into high-power grids, transmission at the dc level is becoming increasingly more useful than ac transmission. In this regard, emerging applications, such as offshore wind farms, require a high voltage gain dc/dc conversion system to interface with high-power transmission networks. This paper presents a new high-voltage gain resonant switched-capacitor dc/dc converter for high-power offshore wind energy systems. The proposed dc/dc converter is characterized by the resonant switching transitions to achieve minimal switching losses and maximum system efficiency. Therefore, a higher switching frequency is conceivable to attain a higher power density. The double stage output voltage of the proposed converter operates at seven times as high as the input voltage with a small device count. The output capacitors are charged and discharged continuously by a 180° phase shift with respect to each other to eliminate the output voltage ripples with the low capacitance requirements. The proposed series-modular and cascade configurations show the intrinsic advantage of being readily applicable to multistage power switching converters. The developed topology has been implemented on a 5-kW prototype converter to test its feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]