Dual active bridge converter operation at optimal dual phase shift modulation

Dual active bridge (DAB) converters are becoming a very commonly adopted solution for a broad range of electric mobility applications. Therefore, the exploitation of this converter structure depends, among other aspects, on the inherent specifications of the semiconductor switching patterns imposed. Therefore, to optimize the power flow across this structure, it is necessary to understand the power losses generated by the converter at all operating points. In this vision, this work provides the methodology to model the DAB and analyze the power losses generated by its semiconductors. Consequently, using the presented methodology, it is concluded that using a specific constant ratio among the phase shifts (on a dual-phase-shift modulation scheme) does retrieve power losses close to the minimum values, while ensuring a simple control strategy implementation.