Performance Limits of Differential Power Processing

Abstract: This paper investigates the performance limits of differential power processing (DPP) and presents quantitative and systematic design guidelines for the selection and comparison of DPP topologies. A stochastic model is developed to evaluate the expected power losses of a variety of DPP topologies with probabilistic load distribution. The expected losses of several DPP topologies are derived and compared against traditional dc-dc converters to reveal their performance limits. The impacts of the load distribution and load scale on the expected losses are investigated. The theoretical models are verified with SPICE simulations and experimental results.