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At least 73 records · Page 4

A Single-Stage Multilevel AC-DC Bidirectional Converter With Natural Grid Harmonic Elimination

Generally, AC-DC converters have an AC-DC stage followed by a DC-DC stage. In these two stage approaches, the AC-DC stage is hard-switched, whereas the DC-DC stage is soft-switched. Therefore, the devices in the AC-DC stage can be switched only at tens of kHz to avoid excessive switching losses, thus limiting the bandwidth of the current control loop. Hence, the control of these converters with distorted grid voltages requires multiple harmonic compensation loops or other complex control algorithms in order for the grid currents to comply with IEEE standards. By integrating both the stages, the devices in the AC-DC stage can also be soft-switched, thus facilitating higher switching frequency, and thereby higher current control bandwidth. This paper proposes an integrated multilevel bidirectional AC-DC converter with improved control bandwidth and disturbance rejection. It is shown experimentally that the high bandwidth current control loop of the converter can reject grid harmonic current disturbances, without the need for any compensation loops or complex control techniques, and comply with IEEE standards.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

Characterization of two MMIC GaAs switch matrices at microwave frequencies

Monolithic GaAs microwave switch matrices for use in satellite switched, time division multiple access communication systems were developed. Two monolithic GaAs MESFET switch matrices were fabricated; one for switching operation at intermediate frequencies, 3.5 to 6.0 GHz, and another for switching at radio frequencies, 17.7 to 20.2 GHz. Key switch parameters were measured for both switch matrices.

Fujikawa, Gene↗

Characterization of two MMIC GaAs switch matrices at microwave frequencies

Monolithic GaAs microwave switch matrices for use in satellite switched, time division multiple access communication systems were developed. Two monolithic GaAs MESFET switch matrices were fabricated; one for switching operation at intermediate frequencies, 3.5 to 6.0 GHz, and another for switching at radio frequencies, 17.7 to 20.2 GHz. Key switch parameters were measured for both switch matrices.

Fujikawa, Gene↗

Precision and Fast Wavelength Tuning of a Dynamically Phase-Locked Widely-Tunable Laser

We report a precision and fast wavelength tuning technique demonstrated for a digital-supermode distributed Bragg reflector laser. The laser was dynamically offset-locked to a frequency-stabilized master laser using an optical phase-locked loop, enabling precision fast tuning to and from any frequencies within a ~40-GHz tuning range. The offset frequency noise was suppressed to the statically offset-locked level in less than ~40 s upon each frequency switch, allowing the laser to retain the absolute frequency stability of the master laser. This technique satisfies stringent requirements for gas sensing lidars and enables other applications that require such well-controlled precision fast tuning.

Numata, Kenji↗

Communication using VCSEL laser array

Ultrafast directional beam switching, using coupled vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) is combined with a light modulator to provide information transfer at bit rates of tens of GHz. This approach is demonstrated to achieve beam switching frequencies of 32-50 GHz in some embodiments and directional beam switching with angular differences of about eight degrees. This switching scheme is likely to be useful for ultrafast optical networks at frequencies much higher than achievable with other approaches. A Mach-Zehnder interferometer, a Fabry-Perot etalon, or a semiconductor-based electro-absorption transmission channel, among others, can be used as a light modulator.

Goorjian, Peter M.↗

Comparison of converter topologies for charging capacitors used in pulsed load applications

The authors present a qualitative comparison of different power converter topologies which may be utilized for charging capacitors in pulsed power applications requiring voltages greater than 1 kV. The operation of the converters in capacitor charging applications is described, and relevant advantages are presented. All of the converters except one may be classified in the high-frequency switching category. One of the benefits from high-frequency operation is a reduction in size and weight. The other converter discussed is a member of the command resonant changing category. The authors first describe a boost circuit which functions as a command resonant charging circuit and utilizes a single pulse of current to charge the capacitor. The discussion of high-frequency converters begins with the flyback and Ward converters. Then, the series, parallel, and series/parallel resonant converters are examined.

Nelms, R. M.↗

A PWM Strategy for Cascaded H-bridges to Reduce the Loss Caused by Parasitic Capacitances of Medium Voltage Dual Active Bridge Transformers

In this paper, to reduce the power loss caused by the parasitic capacitances of medium voltage medium frequency transformers in a two-stage dc/ac converter, including a dual active bridge (DAB)-based dc/dc stage and a cascaded H-bridge (CHB)-based dc/ac stage, a PWM strategy is proposed for the dc/ac stage. For each H-bridge, by shifting the high switching frequency to one half-bridge and having the other half-bridge switching at the fundamental frequency of the ac voltage, equivalent frequencies of transformer terminal-to-ground voltages are reduced. As a result, the frequencies of charging and discharging current to the parasitic capacitance are reduced, and therefore the loss caused by the parasitic capacitances is reduced. Compared to the conventional phase-shift PWM, the proposed PWM strategy can reduce the parasitic capacitance loss by about 75%. Experimental test results of one phase in the 13.8 kV/ 100 kW converter prototype are provided to validate the approach.

Li, Haiguo↗

Sensitivity Enhancement in Photoconductive Light Field Sampling

Abstract The emerging field of lightwave electronics is driving optoelectronic information processing beyond current classical limitations and has the potential to eventually reach petahertz frequencies. One of the major obstacles in reaching not only higher switching frequencies but also higher repetition rates with low‐power light sources is the efficiency of related devices. A device is presented based on a multilayered material that shows a 13‐fold enhancement in terms of converting light to electric current compared to bulk solids. Furthermore, the device exhibits an almost flat intensity response within its working range. The outstanding properties of engineered multilayered devices promise to push technology for lightwave electronics applications.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

EMI Mitigation of a Ćuk-Based Power-Electronic System Using Switching-Sequence-Based Control

Switching-sequence-based control (SBC) laws when designed based on topological switching behavior can have positive effects on slow- and fast-scale dynamics of a power-electronic system (PES). The slow-scale control can encompass fast PES state regulation and tracking, based on predefined objective, while fastscale control can address differential-mode (DM) and commonmode (CM) spectral-peak energy associated with PES switching operation. Such control laws may offer enhanced programmability to conventional PES design where bulky electromagnetic interference (EMI) filters have been traditionally used to reduce EMI of switching power converters to meet EMI regulatory standards. An EMI filter is always a less programmable solution since it is usually designed for the worst-case EMI mitigation and usually overkill for a PES operating under reduced load condition. The control scheme outlined in this article offers EMI mitigation across wide operating regions without compromising PES regulation. Moreover, it does so by use of switching sequences that guarantee the reachability of the PES dynamics using an advanced Lyapunov-function-based approach. SBC is a powerful tool to generate control actions for a PES based on multivariate PES state constraints. Hence, contemporary EMI regulatory standards are used as constraints in the SBC formulation to operate the PES under wide operating regime while autonomously mitigating the EMI levels. The work may be of paramount importance for operating the ultra-fast-transition recent wide-bandgap semiconductor devices like GaN–FET and SiC MOSFET under higher power with increasing switching frequencies, which is usually desirable for increased power density and reduced switching losses. Here, a hardware Cuk–PES operated ´ with GaN–FETs is fabricated and is used for case illustration. It is shown by experimental results how SBC mitigate DM and CM EMI noise of the PES while maintaining regulation even for the higher order nonminimum phase PES, while reducing sensor requirements using state observer derived from the switching model of the PES.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Input current shaped ac-to-dc converters

Input current shaping techniques for ac-to-dc converters were investigated. Input frequencies much higher than normal, up to 20 kHz were emphasized. Several methods of shaping the input current waveform in ac-to-dc converters were reviewed. The simplest method is the LC filter following the rectifier. The next simplest method is the resistor emulation approach in which the inductor size is determined by the converter switching frequency and not by the line input frequency. Other methods require complicated switch drive algorithms to construct the input current waveshape. For a high-frequency line input, on the order of 20 kHz, the simple LC cannot be discarded so peremptorily, since the inductor size can be compared with that for the resistor emulation method. In fact, since a dc regulator will normally be required after the filter anyway, the total component count is almost the same as for the resistor emulation method, in which the filter is effectively incorporated into the regulator.

Source record↗

The 77 K operation of a multi-resonant power converter

The liquid-nitrogen temperature (77 K) operation of a 55 W, 200 kHz, 48/28 V zero-voltage switching multi-resonant dc/dc converter designed with commercially available components is reported. Upon dipping the complete converter (power and control circuits) into liquid-nitrogen, the converter performance improved as compared to the room-temperature operation. The switching frequency, resonant frequency, and the characteristic impedance did not change significantly. Accordingly, the zero-voltage switching was maintained from no-load to full-load for the specified line variations. Cryoelectronics can provide high density power converters, especially for high power applications.

Ray, Biswajit↗

CMOS-Compatible SOI MESFETS for Radiation-Hardened DC-to-DC Converters

A radiation-tolerant transistor switch has been developed that can operate between 196 and +150 C for DC-to-DC power conversion applications. A prototype buck regulator component was demonstrated to be performing well after a total ionizing dose of 300 krad(Si). The prototype buck converters showed good efficiencies at ultra-high switching speeds in the range of 1 to 10 MHz. Such high switching frequency will enable smaller, lighter buck converters to be developed as part of the next project. Switching regulators are widely used in commercial applications including portable consumer electronics.

Thornton, Trevor↗

Recovering Energy From A Rapidly Switched Gate

Circuit proposed to recover energy usually lost in charging and discharging internal gate capacitance of field-effect transistor during high-frequency switching. Scheme includes pulse-forming circuit generating rectangular waveform with zero-level notches near beginning and end of "on" period. Inductor resonates internal gate capacitance so energy recovered during notches.

Rippel, Wally E.↗

A Battery Charger and State of Charge Indicator

A battery charger which has a full wave rectifier in series with a transformer isolated 20 kHz dc-dc converter with high frequency switches, which are programmed to actively shape the input dc line current to be a mirror image of the ac line voltage is discussed. The power circuit operates at 2 kW peak and 1 kW average power. The BC/SCI has two major subsystems: (1) the battery charger power electronics with its controls; and (2) a microcomputer subsystem which is used to acquire battery terminal data and exercise the state of charge software programs. The state of charge definition employed is the energy remaining in the battery when extracted at a 10 kW rate divided by the energy capacity of a fully charged new battery. The battery charger circuit is an isolated boost converter operating at an internal frequency of 20 kHz. The switches selected for the battery charger are the single most important item in determining its efficiency. The combination of voltage and current requirements dictate the use of high power NPN Darlington switching transistors. The power circuit topology is a three switch design which utilizes a power FET on the center tap of the isolation transformer and the power Darlingtons on each of the two ends. An analog control system is employed to accomplish active input current waveshaping as well as the necessary regulation.

Latos, T. S.↗

Hybrid model to evaluate the frequency-dependent leakage inductance of partially-filled transformers

The leakage inductance of a transformer designed for a power electronic converter can drop significantly as the switching frequency is increased due to skin and proximity effects. Although the magnetic image method-based double-2-D model can predict the low-frequency leakage inductance of a partially-filled transformer with sufficient accuracy, it is inherently a frequency-independent model. While Dowell’s 1-D model uses frequency-dependent relations to account for both skin and proximity effects, its accuracy is severely affected by the assumed winding geometry. In this paper, a semianalytical hybrid model is proposed that uses superposition to combine a modified Dowell’s model with the double-2-D model to predict the true leakage inductance of partially-filled transformers at any given frequency. All three conductor types—round, foil, and litz wire—are modeled and analyzed. The quasi-2-D model is further investigated on a variable inductance transformer (VIT) whose winding geometry can be modified mechanically to vary its leakage inductance. With less than 5 % error throughout, the semi-analytically evaluated leakage inductances are in excellent agreement with the finite element method (FEM) simulated and experimentally measured leakage inductances.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Amorphous Metal Ribbon (AMR) and Metal Amorphous Nanocomposite (MANC) Materials Enabled High Power Density Vehicle Motor Applications (Final Technical Report)

A collaborative team from Carnegie Mellon Univ. (CMU), North Carolina State Univ. (NCSU) and Metglas, South Carolina have studied new high speed motors (HSMs) with high-power density for traction motor applications. These are enabled by hybrid designs, including Flux Switching with Permanent Magnets (FSWPM) motors, exploiting permanent magnets without heavy rare earths (RE-lean) and high induction/high resistivity soft magnetic materials that allow for high switching frequencies needed to increase power densities. Team members include Michael E. McHenry, Prof. Materials Science & Eng., CMU, with > 30 years experience in magnetic materials development; Subashish Bhattacharya, Prof. Electrical Eng. and Freedom Center Director at NCSU with > 30 years experience in development of power electronic components and systems and Eric Theisen, Director of Research at Metglas, the only US located supplier of AMR and MANC materials. The team offers novel axial motor architectures exploiting soft magnetic materials (SMMs) that switch with low loss at high frequencies and heavy rare earth free permanent magnets that address materials criticality issues, supply chain risks, and high costs for traction motors. Axial-flux permanent magnet motors (APFM), offer efficiency improvements reducing rotor losses and also significantly higher power density. Axial-flux construction requires less core material, high torque-to-weight ratio. Since AFPM machines have thin magnets, they are smaller than radial flux motors making them attractive in space-limited applications. Noise and vibration are less and planar air gaps are easily adjusted. Flexibility in air-gap direction allows many topologies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Development Status of a Power Processing Unit for Low Power Ion Thrusters

An advanced breadboard Power Processing Unit (PPU) for a low power ion propulsion system incorporating mass reduction techniques was designed and fabricated. As a result of similar output current requirements, the discharge supply was also used to provide the neutralizer heater and discharge heater functions by using three relays to switch the output connections. This multi-function supply reduces to four the number of power converters needed to produce the required six electrical outputs. Switching frequencies of 20 and 50 kHz were chosen as a compromise between the size of the magnetic components and switching losses. The advanced breadboard PPU is capable of a maximum total output power of 0.47 kW. Its component mass is 0.65 kg and its total mass 1.9 kg. The total efficiency at full power is 0.89.

Pinero, Luis R.↗