Multi-objective Design Optimization and Selection of Bidirectional DC-DC Converters for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

This paper presents a multi-objective design and optimization approach to find the optimal design for DC-DC converters used to interface a 16 kW bidirectional solid oxide fuel-cells (SOFCs). Both charging and discharging cycles of the fuel cells were considered in the optimization strategy. Three candidate topologies, including buck-boost converter, two-channel and three-channel interleaved buck converters were evaluated based on the achieved power density and efficiency. The optimization strategy was automated in MATLAB using prebuilt libraries of various semiconductor and passive components. The optimization process generated three two-dimensional Pareto fronts, comparing efficiency and weight, for the three compared topologies. The optimization concluded the superior performance of the two-channel interleaved buck converter used as a bidirectional interface converter for SOFCs.