Electronic – Does output voltage of a boost converter depend on load current in CCM

boostdc/dc converterpower electronicsswitch-mode-power-supplyswitching-regulator

In the thread below, there are different opinions whether output voltage of a boost converter operating in continuous conduction mode (CCM) depends on load current or not.

Boost Converter Output Voltage dependence

Opinion 1: output voltage only depends on input voltage and duty cycle

Vout = Vin/(1-D)

Opinion 2: output voltage depends on input voltage, duty cycle and load current.

For example, as load current increases the duty cycle should also increase to make up the extra energy delivered to load.

So which one is right?
If output voltage doesn't depend on load current, then why do we need controller?

When the load current increases, the averaged inductor current should also increases. So how do we do that?

Best Answer

With a boost converter you need to transfer energy to the load by charging an inductor with energy and then releasing that stored energy. In CCM, inductor current never falls to zero so the energy transferred is dependant on the peak current and the min current.

What the current peaks at during charging represents the maximum inductor stored energy and, what the current drops to (during load replenishment) represents the energy left in the inductor just as the cycle repeats.

The difference in energy is what is "given" to the load.

For a fixed value inductor and input power supply voltage, the rate at which current linearly rises (di/dt) is constant and depends entirely on V = L di/dt, that well-known formula. I'm assuming perfect lossless components of course!

So, Imax, for a given operating frequency will always end-up at some fixed-value above Iaverage and, Imin will be the same fixed-value below Iaverage. We could call that fixed value Ipeak.

So, energy given to the load, W is: -

\$\dfrac{L}{2}[I_{MAX}^2-I_{MIN}^2]\$

Re-arranging using \$I_A\$ and \$I_P\$

W = \$\dfrac{L}{2}[(I_A+I_P)^2-(I_A-I_P)^2]\$

where \$I_A\$ is average current and \$I_P\$ is the peak above (or below) \$I_A\$. You also might be able to get to this formula (hopefully): -

W = \$2L\cdot I_A\cdot I_P\$

This means that both the average current and the peak current determines the energy transfered to the load. But, for a given input supply voltage, operating frequency, duty cycle and inductor value you cannot control \$I_P\$.

So, if the load resistance increases in value BUT you wanted to keep the average output voltage the same, the only option (other than D) is to increase operating frequency to reduce the peak current attained by the inductor during charging. This of course reduces average current gradually over a few cycles and what you find, in some controllers, is that the average current becomes lower and the frequency slews back to the original value.

More load current means lower frequency, less load current means higher frequency.

At the end of the day, I believe you still need a "clever" controller (to alter frequency) so I'm not sure that this question and the optional answers have much bearing on the practical world.

That's the way I see it anyway. Good (but flawed) question!!