Unified Framework for the Passive Volume Comparison of Power Converter Topologies

There are many different power converter topologies, each utilizing various components and control techniques. It is difficult, in practice, to compare disparate topologies on a fair and useful theoretical basis. One standard technique for analyzing hybrid switched capacitor converters is the use of a passive volume metric. This approach allows for general topology comparisons, but neglects transformers entirely, and does not adequately consider the scaling trends of inductors. In this work, an extension to existing passive volume metrics is introduced, which incorporates
$\mathbf{K}_{\mathrm{g}}$
and
$\mathbf{K}_{\text{gfe}}$
methods for magnetic component sizing. A unified framework is then developed, which includes winding and core loss, as well as capacitor charge sharing loss. This enables comparison between all types of converters, including ones with transformers.