Power Electronics






Lecture 6: DC-DC Converters 1

Erasmus Mundus Master Course in

Sustainable Transportation
and Electrical Power Systems
Dr. Giulio De Donato
Basic Linear Regulator

• In a linear regulator, the output voltage is controlled by adjusting the

transistor base current.
• The transistor operates in the linear region, thus behaving as as a
variable resistance.
• low efficiency!!

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Basic Switching Converter

• In this circuit, the transistor operates

in the saturation (IGBT) or ohmic
(MOSFET) and cutoff regions.
• The circuit is known as a dc chopper.
• The average component of the output
voltage is:
Z Z
1 T 1 DT
V0 = v0 (t)dt = Vs dt = Vs D
T 0 T 0
• D is the duty cycle defined as:
ton ton
D= = = ton f
ton + tof f T

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The Step-Down (Buck) Converter (1/8)

• Periodic inductor current: iL (t + T ) = iL (t)

Z t+T
1
• Average inductor voltage: VL = vL ( )d = 0
T t
Z t+T
1
• Average capacitor current: IC = iC ( )d = 0
T t

• Ideal components, no power loss in diode and transistor.

• Inductor current is considered always positive (continuous conduction mode)
• A very large capacitor is initially assumed.

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The Step-Down (Buck) Converter (2/8)
-

• Closed switch circuit configuration.

• voltage across the inductor:
diL
VL = Vs V 0 = L
dt
• rate of change of the inductor current:
diL iL iL Vs V 0
= = =
dt t DT L
• change in current while the switch is closed:
✓ ◆
V s V0
( iL )closed = DT
L

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The Step-Down (Buck) Converter (3/8)
-

• Open switch configuration.

• Voltage across the inductor:
diL
VL = V 0 = L
dt
• rate of change of inductor current:
iL iL V0
= =
t (1 D)T L
• change in current while the switch is open:
V0
( iL )open = (1 D)T
L

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The Step-Down (Buck) Converter (4/8)

• Steady state operation:

( iL )closed + ( iL )open = 0

• ✓substituting:
◆
V s V0 V0
(DT ) (1 D)T = 0
L L
• Solving for V0 results in the voltage
relationship:
V 0 = Vs D

• Since the input power must equal the

output power:
Ps = P 0
Vs I s = V0 I 0
V0 Is
=
Vs I0

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The Step-Down (Buck) Converter (5/8)
• In steady state, the average capacitor current must be zero, therefore:
V0
IL = IR =
R
• The maximum value of the inductor current can be calculated as:
 ✓ ◆
iL V0 1 V0 1 1 D
Imax = IL + = + (1 D)T = V0 +
2 R 2 L R 2Lf
• The minimum value of the inductor current can be calculated as:
 ✓ ◆
iL V0 1 V0 1 1 D
Imin = IL = (1 D)T = V0
2 R 2 L R 2Lf
• Continuous current in the inductor must be verified for the preceding analysis to
be valid!! Imin = 0 is the boundary between continuous and discontinuous
conduction: ✓ ◆
1 1 D
Imin = 0 = V0
R 2Lf
• If the desired switching frequency is established, then the minimum inductance
for continuous current is:
(1 D)R
Lmin =
2f

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The Step-Down (Buck) Converter (6/8)

• In the design of a step down converter, the peak-to-peak variation in the

inductor current is often used as a design criterion.
• The peak-to-peak inductor current, in continuous conduction, is:
✓ ◆
V s V0 V0 (1 D)
iL = DT =
L Lf
• Therefore the inductance can be expressed as a function of the peak-to-
peak current:
✓ ◆
Vs V 0 V0 (1 D)
L= D=
iL f iL f

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The Step-Down (Buck) Converter (7/8)
• In practice, the capacitor cannot eliminate all of
the output voltage ripple. 2

• The current in the capacitor is: iC = iL iR

• From the definition of capacitance the following
expressions are obtained:
Q = CV0
Q = C V0
Q
V0 =
C
T iL
• The change in charge is equal to: Q=
8
T iL
• The resulting output voltage ripple is: V0 =
8C
T iL T V0 V0 (1 D)
• This can also be expressed as: V0 = = (1 D)T =
8C 8CL 8LCf 2

• In design it is useful to express the required capacitance in terms of the specified

voltage ripple:
1 D
C=
8L( V0 /V0 )f 2

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Exercise n°1:

• A step down converter has the following parameters:

– Vs = 50 V
– D = 0.4
– L = 400 µH
– C = 100 µF
– f = 20 kHz
– R = 20 Ω
Assuming ideal components calculate the output voltage V0, the maximum and
minimum inductor current and the output voltage ripple.

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The Step-Down (Buck) Converter (8/8)

• A real capacitor can be modeled as a

capacitance with an equivalent series
resistance (ESR) and equivalent series
inductance (ESL).
• The ESL is usually not a significant factor at
normal switching frequencies.
• The ripple due to ESR can be approximated
as: V0,ESR = iC rC = iL rC
• The worst case condition occurs if the ripple
voltage due to the ESR adds up to the ripple
due to the capacitance:
V0 < V0,C + V0,ESR
• The ripple voltage due to the ESR can be much
larger than that due to the capacitance; in this
case, the output capacitor is chosen on the
basis of the ESR: V0 ⇡ V0,ESR = iC rC
• Capacitor ESR is inversely proportional to the
capacitance value.

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Exercise n°2:

• Design a buck converter to produce an output voltage of 18 V across a 10 Ω

load resistor. The output voltage ripple must not exceed 0.5 %. The dc supply is
48 V. Design for continuous inductor current. Specify the duty ratio, the
switching frequency, the values of the inductor and capacitor, the peak voltage
rating of each device and the rms current in the inductor and capacitor. Assume
ideal components.

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