A novel multiport converter with an auxiliary voltage pumping circuit for fuel-cell/battery hybrid energy sources

This paper proposes the implementation of a novel multiport converter, which uses an auxiliary voltage-pumping technology and can provide high-voltage direct-current (DC) output with inputs from two different energy sources, such as fuel cells (FCs) and batteries. The proposed converter switches to the charge or discharge mode based on the energy storage status of the battery. In the charge mode, the FC charges the battery and provides power to the load simultaneously. In the discharge mode, the FC and the battery provide energy to the load simultaneously. To verify its feasibility, we designed and built a prototype platform of the converter, which takes a 36-V FC and a 48-V battery as dual inputs, and is capable of raising the output voltage to 165V. The experimental results demonstrate that the maximum efficiency of the converter achieves 98.3% and 97.8% in the charge and discharge modes, respectively.