With increasing calls of electrification for trans-portation (e.g, electric vehicles, hybrid or electric aircraft), the need for systematic guidelines that gauge passive component specific energy density for weight-optimized converter design has be-come apparent. Observing a lack of data sets and corresponding modeling process for passive components that usually dominate a converter's weight, this work proposes a transformation that estimates the specific energy density of passive components from comprehensively surveyed volumetric energy density data and empirical specific density models, and thus forms a convenient guideline for converter weight optimization. The proposed model is then applied to a converter designed for electric aircraft applications to showcase the component mass estimation and selection process along with estimation accuracy.

High performance power electronics design requires a firm characterization of active and passive components. This work presents a framework for quantifying passive component performance by reviewing both existing methods and robust de- vice figures-of-merit. A comprehensive survey yields aggregated data for nearly 700,000 commercial capacitors and inductors of all types. To supplement deficiencies in this data, this work proposes and validates several empirical expressions to estimate passive component energy storage and mass. Estimation of volu- metric mass density per component type allows the approxima- tion of component mass from accessible box volume. Estimation of energy-equivalent capacitance in nonlinear Class II ceramic capacitors facilitates the evaluation of stored energy and related energy density figures-of-merit. A phenomenological analysis of the comprehensive component data produces several conclusory determinations about peak energy density capabilities—with respect to volume, mass, and cost—across capacitor and inductor technologies.