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Luo, Fang

Publications and source records attributed to Luo, Fang.

9 records
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DOE OSTI2026

World’s First Vertical GaN based High Power (200 kW) Multi-level Traction Electric Drive Design

Vertical GaN (vGaN) technology leverages a fully conductive 3D semiconductor structure, enabling superior power density compared to GaN-on-Si and other wide bandgap devices. It offers a pathway to surpass cost and efficiency limitations of Si and SiC devices in traction applications. However, scaling for high-voltage, high-power systems remains challenging. This paper presents the design of an 800V, 200kW traction inverter utilizing vertical GaN devices. The inverter achieves ultra-high efficiency (> 99.5%) through advanced power module integration and employs multilevel neutral-point-less X-type (NPL.X) inverter topology to ensure optimal traction drive system performance. These innovations demonstrate the potential of vGaN for next￾generation electric propulsion systems.

Alam, Khorshed [General Motors LLC, Detroit, MI (U↗
DOE OSTI2024

Foreword: Special Section on Multiphysics Aspects of Power Electronics Packaging - Power Die, Power Module, and Converter Level - Part 1

Power electronics are increasingly being used to condition electricity for a wide array of applications, such as transportation (on land, air, and water), data centers, radio frequency, directed energy, wind, solar, and grid-tied applications. To increase power density, performance, efficiency, and reliability and reduce cost, innovations and developments are needed in the multiphysics packaging of power electronics at a die, module, and converter level. This includes fundamental research and development related to emerging high-voltage, high-temperature, and high-switching-frequency power electronics; packaging materials; thermal materials and interfaces; fluid-based thermal management technologies; reliability; condition monitoring; and prognostics. To address these important aspects, this Special Section on Multiphysics Aspects of Power Electronics Packaging includes several articles to be published in two parts. More details are given below on the articles included in the first part.

condition monitoring↗
DOE OSTI2024

State-of-the-Art Medium- and High-Voltage Silicon Carbide Power Modules, Challenges and Mitigation Techniques: A Review

Silicon carbide (SiC) power modules have been demonstrated potential for improving power density and efficiency for low-voltage power electronics systems. This has resulted in a paradigm shift toward development of medium-voltage and high-voltage (MV/HV) SiC power modules to revolutionize the future power grid and transportation systems. However, designing MV/HV SiC power modules involves significant design challenges due to higher blocking voltage and exacerbation of side effects due to high switching dv/dt and di/dt of SiC devices-concerns that may not be as critical as in low-voltage module development. This article reviews the development of state-of-the-art MV/HV SiC power modules, ranging from 3.3 kV to 40 kV, from both industry and academia. First, a discussion on SiC modules based on voltage level is presented. This is followed by a discussion of challenges associated with designing and testing MV/HV modules- including parasitic controls, electromagnetic interference (EMI), partial discharge, and thermal management-and the corresponding mitigation approaches from various perspectives. We conclude with a summary of major findings and future directions for the development of MV/HV modules.

EMI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Chemical Kinetic Method for Active-Site Quantification in Fe-N-C Catalysts and Correlation with Molecular Probe and Spectroscopic Site-Counting Methods

Mononuclear Fe ions ligated by nitrogen (FeN x ) dispersed on nitrogen-doped carbon (Fe-N-C) serve as active centers for electrocatalytic O 2 reduction and thermocatalytic aerobic oxidations. Despite their promise as replacements for precious metals in a variety of practical applications, such as fuel cells, the discovery of new Fe-N-C catalysts has relied primarily on empirical approaches. In this context, the development of quantitative structure–reactivity relationships and benchmarking of catalysts prepared by different synthetic routes and by different laboratories would be facilitated by the broader adoption of methods to quantify atomically dispersed FeN x active centers. In the present study, we develop a kinetic probe reaction method that uses the aerobic oxidation of a model hydroquinone substrate to quantify the density of FeN x centers in Fe- N-C catalysts. The kinetic method is compared with low-temperature Mössbauer spectroscopy, CO pulse chemisorption, and electrochemical reductive stripping of NO derived from NO 2 – on a suite of Fe-N-C catalysts prepared by diverse routes and featuring either the exclusive presence of Fe as FeN x sites or the coexistence of aggregated Fe species in addition to FeN x . The FeN x site densities derived from the kinetic method correlate well with those obtained from CO pulse chemisorption and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The broad survey of Fe-N-C materials also reveals the presence of outliers and challenges associated with each site quantification approach. Furthermore, the kinetic method developed here does not require pretreatments that may alter active-site distributions nor specialized equipment beyond reaction vessels and analytical instrumentation (e.g., NMR).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Optimization of Marine Energy Conversion Systems Through Modeling, Optimization, and CHIL Validation

The work aims to achieve optimal tidal energy conversion through a comprehensive approach of modeling, optimization, and control hardware-in-the-loop (CHIL) validation. By developing accurate models and employing optimization techniques, it seeks to identify efficient system configurations and control strategies. HIL validation will ensure the performance and reliability of the optimized tidal energy conversion system. The preparation of the present manual has been supported by the U.S. Department of Energy.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2023

Structural and Reactivity Effects of Secondary Metal Doping into Iron-Nitrogen-Carbon Catalysts for Oxygen Electroreduction

While improved activity was recently reported for bimetallic iron-metal-nitrogen-carbon (FeMNC) catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acid medium, the nature of active sites and interactions between the two metals are poorly understood. Here, FeSnNC and FeCoNC catalysts were structurally and catalytically compared to their parent FeNC and SnNC catalysts. While CO cryo-chemisorption revealed a twice lower site density of M-N x sites for FeSnNC and FeCoNC relative to FeNC and SnNC, the mass activity of both bimetallic catalysts is 50–100% higher than that of FeNC due to a larger turnover frequency in the bimetallic catalysts. Electron microscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy identified the coexistence of Fe-N x and Sn-N x or Co-N x sites, while no evidence was found for binuclear Fe-M-N x sites. 57 Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy revealed that the bimetallic catalysts feature a higher D 1 /D 2 ratio of the spectral signatures assigned to two distinct Fe-N x sites, relative to the FeNC parent catalyst. Furthermore, the addition of the secondary metal favored the formation of D 1 sites, associated with the higher turnover frequency.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗