Study of a piezoelectric transformer-based DC/DC converter with a cooling system and current-doubler rectifier

The objective of this study was to increase the output current and power in a piezoelectric transformer (PT)-based DC/DC converter by using a cooling system. It is known that the output current of a PT is limited by temperature build-up because of losses, especially when driving at high vibration velocity. Although connecting different inductive circuits at the PT secondary terminal can increase the output current, the root cause of the temperature build-up problem has not yet been solved. This paper presents a study of a PT with cooling system in a DC/DC converter with a commonly used full-bridge rectifier and current-doubler rectifier. The advantages and disadvantages of the proposed technique were investigated. A theoretical-phenomenological model was developed to explain the relationship between the losses and the temperature rise. It will be shown that the vibration velocity as well as heat generation increases the losses. In our design, the maximum output current capacity can increase by 100% when the temperature of operation of the PT is kept below 55 degrees C. The study comprises a theoretical part and experimental proof-of-concept demonstration of the proposed design method.