This paper presents the application of three intelligent optimization techniques for optimal design and analysis of a dc-dc converter with synchronous rectification which is often used in battery charge/discharge circuits in dc uninterruptible power supply systems. Converter models for simulation are designed for the forward and backup modes of operation. The results are analyzed and compared with the expected ideal operation to confirm the validity of the models. An objective function of the converter efficiency in the forward mode operation is derived and a constrained optimization on the objective function is performed. The design and analysis of the converter with the Genetic Algorithm are performed using software tools within the MATLAB/ SIMULINK environment. The analysis with Simulated Annealing and Scatter Search methods are performed using codes written in C. The derived optimal parameters of the converter from Genetic Algorithm method are compared with those obtained using the other two intelligent techniques.