OBC PFC Boost Inductor

OBC PFC Boost Inductor Selection for 800V EV On-Board Charger

Key finding: The 11kW totem-pole and 22kW Vienna PFC stages need different boost inductor trade-offs; inductance should be selected from ripple current and DC bias together, not by using the largest possible value.

This application note reviews how powder core behavior, flat-wire winding, insulation and thermal validation affect OBC PFC boost inductor selection for 800V EV platforms.

OBC PFC boost inductor selection for 800V EV on-board charger

1. Where the PFC Boost Inductor Sits

The on-board charger rectifies grid AC into high-voltage DC for the battery. The PFC stage shapes the input current and boosts it to the DC bus. The boost inductor is the energy-storage and filtering element that directly affects efficiency, temperature rise and EMI behavior.

2. Topology Changes the Inductor Requirement

11kW totem-pole PFC
Single-phase design, one boost inductor, high single-phase current, fewer power legs and a cost-sensitive structure.
22kW Vienna PFC
Three-phase design, one inductor per phase, balanced current sharing, lower ripple per phase and a better fit for higher power.
Typical switching range
The supplied note lists 65-140kHz for GaN/SiC totem-pole operation and 65-100kHz for SiC Vienna operation.
800V platform boundary
Higher bus voltage raises insulation, creepage and partial-discharge review requirements.

3. Inductance Knee and DC Bias

PFC inductance is set by ripple current. Too little inductance raises ripple, peak current, EMI and core loss. Too much inductance adds turns, DCR, size and temperature rise. The practical point is the inductance knee, where ripple, copper loss, core loss and package size are balanced.

DC bias matters because the inductance rolls off with current. Powder cores provide soft saturation and usually hold inductance over a wider PFC current range, while hard-saturating gapped ferrite can drop sharply near the knee. The final route still depends on waveform, thermal limit, package and validation data.

4. Engineering Boundary

The figures and topology notes are public engineering reference data from the supplied ProMagTech material. Efficiency and temperature-rise values are design targets and must be confirmed through sample test data for each project.

Download the PDF Application Note

Download the English OBC PFC boost inductor application note for engineering review and supplier discussion.

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