Use of a Partially Saturating Inductor in a Boost Converter with Model Predictive Control

Increasing the power density in switched mode power supplies is one of the main goals in power electronics. This aim can be achieved by using smaller inductors operating at partial magnetic saturation. In this work, a partially saturating ferrite core inductor is exploited in a switching DC-DC boost converter, regulated through nonlinear model predictive control. A nonlinear behavioral inductor model, identified through experimental measurements, accounts for both magnetic saturation and losses. The simulation results show that the converter output voltage is correctly regulated and the imposed current constraints are fulfilled, even when partial magnetic saturation occurs. Comparisons with traditional control techniques are also presented.