An Assessment of some Power Converter Topology Evaluation Metrics

Many different power electronics topologies can fulfil the same conversion function. However, there are no systematic topology evaluation methods. Compared to competing topologies, assessment metrics supplied with new topologies are normally chosen to show the new ones in the best light. This paper assesses several different topology performance metrics to establish a systematic approach to topology evaluation. Four different single-switch DC-DC buck topologies are used to illustrate their use. Comparative plots are presented and discussed to help interpret the metrics. A new unified metric is proposed for simplified topology evaluation.