A comparison of module shutdown methods in an input-series and output-parallel connected modular DC-DC converter

In an input-series and output-parallel (ISOP) connected modular DC-DC converter, module shutdown and reactivation are required to increase system efficiency, input voltage range and reliability. Methods are introduced to implement these capabilities in the ISOP DC-DC converter system using additional external IGBTs and existing internal IGBTs. Comparisons of the shutdown speeds and thermal stresses are made for these methods over a range of input capacitance and experimental results are obtained to verify these predicted results. Finally, conclusions are drawn on the advantages and disadvantages of each method.