Soft-switching PWM forward power converter with auxiliary active clamped capacitor for solar energy-driven boat

This paper presents a novel prototype of active voltage clamped quasiresonant ZVS-PWM forward DC-DC converter designed for specific low voltage high current application. We establish the soft-switching forward converter with a high frequency isolated link which can efficiency operate over wide load ranges under conditions of zero voltage soft-switching and active voltage clamped switching. In addition, the specially-designed transformer linked forward converter using power MOSFETs is introduced for low supply voltage high source current applications. In practice, this type of forward PWM DC-DC converter using power MOSFETs with low resistance is applied for solar photovoltaic power conditioner-driven boat. Moreover, the simulation operating analysis of this forward PWM DC-DC converter is carried out and its performance evaluations are illustrated on the basis of computer simulation results and experimental ones, along with zero voltage soft-switching operating ranges. And an important feature of this soft-switching converter is the function of active voltage clamped capacitor without reset winding. Loading characteristics are stable at wide range of switching duty factor under effecting ZVS, that is the reset voltage is produced by active clamped capacitor in proposition to duty.