Comparative analysis between integrated full-bridge-forward and dual active bridge DC-DC converters

The dual active bridge (DAB) is the mostly used DC-DC converter in bidirectional power flow applications. It has several advantages such as high-power density, galvanic isolation, robustness, among others. However, in applications in which direct and reverse power flow have great difference, the converter efficiency can be penalised. A recent proposed isolated converter known as integrated full-bridge-forward DC-DC converter is specifically designed to this application and has low number of active devices compared to DAB converter. In order to evaluate the features of both converters, this Letter proposes a comparative analysis between these two topologies. Besides theoretical details about the converters, this Letter focuses on the comparison of experimental results, including efficiency and zero voltage switching range.