Design of a high voltage bidirectional DC-DC converter for driving capacitive incremental actuators usable in electric vehicles (EVs)

This paper presents the design of a low input (24 V) and variable high output voltage (0-2.5 kV) bidirectional dc-dc converter for driving a capacitive actuator. The topology is a digitally controlled bidirectional flyback converter with a variable frequency control. The objective is, to design the converter for efficiently charging and discharging the capacitive actuator from 0 V to 2.5 kV and vice versa, respectively. The converter is used to drive a dielectric electro active polymer (DEAP) based capacitive incremental actuator, which has the potential to be used in automotive (e.g., EVs), space and medical industries. The design of the bidirectional flyback converter to charge and discharge a 400 nF capacitive actuator is presented, when 4 kV and 4.5 kV high voltage MOSFETs are used on the secondary high voltage side. The experimental results and efficiency measurements of the converter with the proposed design are provided.