Multilevel boost DC-DC converter derived from basic double-boost converter

This paper presents a nonisolated multilevel step-up dc-dc converter suitable for high power and high output voltage application. The main features of proposed converter are: reduced voltage across the semiconductors; low switching losses; and reduced volume of input inductor. This paper focuses on the five-level structure of the proposed converter, in which the theoretical analysis is carried out and discussed. The five-level proposed dc-dc converter has four capacitors and their voltages should be balanced for its correct operation. Therefore, a capacitor voltage balancing active control is presented and analyzed in detail herein. In order to demonstrate the performance of this converter, experimental results were obtained for an output power of 5kW. The results attest the advantages of the proposed dc-dc topology and it is reported herein.