Dynamic virtual test of power electronics converters

The exigency of a rapid prototyping of power converters represents an important issue for the power electronics market and pushes the designer toward the search of software tools able to depict the static and dynamic behavior of the electrical circuits. The availability of reliable analysis tools open the possibility to their use not only for the design but also for the test of the converters in circumstances not easily replicable in laboratory (f.i. possible disruptive condition like short circuit or interconnection with other not easily available systems) or for the forecast of their behavior in operating conditions far from the nominal ones. The paper discusses the methodology used for the dynamic modelization of constant frequency switching DC-DC converters. The automatic software tool, FREDOMSIM, makes use of a state space discrete time approach to provide a complete dynamic description of power cells. Examples of tests of different phase-shifted DC-DC converters, made by means of the virtual dynamic performance environment, are presented.