GaN-based triple active bridge for avionic application

Abstract

In this paper, a three-port, galvanic isolated, bidirectional power converter is proposed to control the power flow between the main dc buses, low voltage loads and energy storage unit on a generic airplane. A simplified model of the converter is presented to explain the control strategies design procedure. Simulations of the developed closed-loop controller that manages the energy exchange in different operating conditions are provided. Finally, a laboratory prototype based on GaN power devices is described and basic experimental results are presented.