Fault-Tolerant Performance Enhancement of DC-DC Converters with High-Speed Fault Clearing-unit based Redundant Power Switch Configurations

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simple, fast fault-clearing switch configuration for DC-DC converters that automatically isolates faults using diodes and fuses, improving reliability without complex control systems.

Contribution

A novel redundant-switch design using diodes and fuses is proposed, enabling instant fault clearing without complex fault management units.

Findings

Instant open-circuit fault detection and clearing.

Effective short-circuit fault handling as open-circuit fault.

Validation through MATLAB/Simulink simulations and laboratory prototype.

Abstract

Fault detection and reconfiguration in fault-tolerant converters may complicated and necessitate using all-purpose microprocessors and high-speed sensors to guarantee the satisfactory performance of power converters. Therefore, providing fault-clearing feature without increasing the processing and sensing burdens and reducing the transition time between faulty to normal state are of great importance. This research proposes a new redundant-switch configuration to address the mentioned challenges. The proposed configuration uses one diode and two fuses to eliminate the faulty switch and replace the reserve one, spontaneously. Open-circuit fault in the proposed configuration is clarified instantly. Moreover, the short-circuit fault is dealt as an open-circuit fault by using a fuse. Thus, the fault-tolerant feature of the proposed switch configuration is achieved without using a complex, versatile and multifaceted fault managing unit. Resultant behaviors of the case studies are derived using MATLAB/SIMULINK. Also, steady-state thermal distribution of power switches which are implemented on a monolith heat sink, analyzed in COMSOL Multi-physics environment. Finally, the viability of the proposed configuration is demonstrated by a laboratory-scaled prototype.