Control method of impedance network in SiC power converters for HEV/EV

Silicon carbide (SiC) devices provide significant performance improvements in many aspects, including lower power dissipation, higher operating temperatures, and faster switching, compared to conventional Si devices. All these features helped increase the interest in the applications of these devices for electric drive systems. The inclusion of an impedance network to elevate DC voltage would improve performance of an electric-traction system, because the topologies of impedances networks can eliminate the need of a DC-DC converter. However, it is important to know control methods that applicable to this type of topologies to systems that are more efficient. This paper presents the analysis of a control method in a power converter topology using SiC devices with an impedance network to elevate DC voltage for electric traction applications. The proposed analisys includes the implementation of a control method in Current Fed Quasi-Z topology, with 100 kHz switching frequency, and its analysis using the simulation of the control method, the power losses in SiC devices and the stress on passive components in the impedance network. Finally, the obtained results are compared with a conventional Current Fed Quasi-Z topology built with silicon devices at a low switching frequency (2 KHz).Postprint (author's final draft

Design and Application of Hybrid Multilevel Inverter for Voltage Boost

Today many efforts are made to research and use new energy sources because the potential for an energy crisis is increasing. Multilevel converters have gained much attention in the area of energy distribution and control due to its advantages in high power applications with low harmonics. They not only achieve high power ratings, but also enable the use of renewable energy sources. The general function of the multilevel converter is to synthesize a desired high voltage from several levels of dc voltages that can be batteries, fuel cells, etc. This dissertation presents a new hybrid multilevel inverter for voltage boost. The inverter consists of a standard 3-leg inverter (one leg for each phase) and H-bridge in series with each inverter leg. It can use only a single DC power source to supply a standard 3-leg inverter along with three full H-bridges supplied by capacitors or batteries. The proposed inverter could be applied in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and fuel cell based hybrid electric vehicles (FCVs). It is of voltage boosting capability and eliminates the magnetics. This feature makes it suitable for the motor running from low to high power mode. In addition to hybrid electric vehicle applications, this paper also presents an application where the hybrid multilevel inverter acts as a renewable energy utility interface. In this dissertation, the structure, operation principle, and modulation control schemes of the proposed hybrid multilevel inverter are introduced. Simulation models and results are described and analyzed. An experimental 5 kW prototype inverter is built and tested

A Comprehensive Review of DC-DC Converters for EV Applications

DC-DC converters in Electric vehicles (EVs) have the role of interfacing power sources to the DC-link and the DC-link to the required voltage levels for usage of different systems in EVs like DC drive, electric traction, entertainment, safety and etc. Improvement of gain and performance in these converters has a huge impact on the overall performance and future of EVs. So, different configurations have been suggested by many researches. In this paper, bidirectional DC-DC converters (BDCs) are divided into four categories as isolated-soft, isolated-hard, non-isolated-soft and non-isolated-hard depending on the isolation and type of switching. Moreover, the control strategies, comparative factors, selection for a specific application and recent trends are reviewed completely. As a matter of fact, over than 200 papers have been categorized and considered to help the researchers who work on BDCs for EV application

Optimization of a CSI inverter and DC/DC elevator with silicon carbide devices, for applications in electric traction systems

The applications of electric traction systems currently focus on developing technologies with greater energy efficiency and lower environmental impact. Manufacturers of hybrid and electric vehicles are looking for ways to improve and optimize the efficiency of their models. Manufacturers are looking for more efficient and more compact converter topologies. The use of new band gap materials in the construction of these topologies has generated many debates and new lines of research especially in the optimization of these topologies. The silicon carbide (SiC) based switching devices provide significant performance improvements in many aspects, including lower power dissipation, higher operating temperatures, and faster switching, compared with conventional Si devices, all these features make that these devices generate interest in applications for electric traction systems. This work presents a method for improving total harmonic distortion (THD) in the currents of output and efficiency in SiC current source inverter for future application in an electric traction system. The method proposed consists in improving the coupling of a bidirectional converter topology V-I and CSI. The V-I converter serves as a current regulator for the CSI and allows the recovery of energy. The method involves an effective selection of the switching frequencies and phase angles for the carriers signals present in each converter topology. With this method, it is expected to have a reduction of the total harmonic distortion THD in the output currents. In addition, an analysis of the losses in the motor and topologies of power converters is developed considering the optimization method previously analyzed. The weighted average efficiency of the whole system (power converters + motor) in differents conditions of operations is presented.Las aplicaciones de los sistemas de tracción eléctrica actualmente se centran en el desarrollo de tecnologías con mayor eficiencia energética y menor impacto ambiental. Los fabricantes de vehículos híbridos y eléctricos están buscando formas de mejorar y optimizar la eficiencia de sus modelos. Los fabricantes buscan topologías de convertidores más eficientes y más compactas. El uso de nuevos materiales de banda prohibida en la construcción de estas topologías ha generado muchos debates y nuevas líneas de investigación, especialmente en la optimización energética de las mismas. Los dispositivos de conmutación basados en carburo de silicio (SiC) proporcionan mejoras significativas en la eficiencia en muchos aspectos, incluida una menor disipación de potencia, temperaturas de funcionamiento más altas y una conmutación más rápida, en comparación con los dispositivos de Si convencionales. Todas estas características hacen que estos dispositivos generen interés en las aplicaciones de sistemas tracción eléctrica. Este trabajo presenta un método para mejorar la distorsión armónica total (THD) en las corrientes de salida y eficiencia en el inversor de fuente de corriente SiC para aplicaciones futuras en un sistema de tracción eléctrica. El método propuesto consiste en mejorar el acoplamiento de una topología de convertidor bidireccional V-I y CSI. El convertidor V-I sirve como un regulador de corriente para el CSI y permite la recuperación de energía. El método implica una selección efectiva de las frecuencias de conmutación y los ángulos de fase para las señales portadoras presentes en cada topología del convertidor. Con este método, se espera una reducción de la distorsión armónica total THD en las corrientes de salida. Además, se desarrolla un análisis de las pérdidas en el motor y las topologías de los convertidores de potencia considerando el método de optimización analizado previamente. Se presenta la eficiencia promedio ponderada de todo el sistema (convertidores de potencia + motor) en diferentes condiciones de operaciónPostprint (published version

The rebirth of the current source inverter: advantages for aerospace motor design

It is well known and widely accepted that the voltage source inverter (VSI) now dominates the world of electrical drives. Its success is probably due to its simplicity, high efficiency, and the widespread availability of VSs. This popularity has, in turn, influenced the evolution of the semiconductor industry, which has focused in recent years on devices tailored for VSIs. Thus, products such as depletion devices (normally off) and those without reverse voltage blocking have been widely marketed and used

Digital Control of Power Converters and Drives for Hybrid Traction and Wireless Charging

In the last years environmental issues and constant increase of fuel and energy cost have been incentivizing the development of low emission and high efficiency systems, either in traction field or in distributed generation systems from renewable energy sources. In the automotive industry, alternative solutions to the standard internal combustion engine (ICE) adopted in the conventional vehicles have been developed, i.e. fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) or pure electric vehicles (EVs), also referred as battery powered electric vehicles (BEV). Both academic and industry researchers all over the world are still facing several technical development areas concerning HEV components, system topologies, power converters and control strategies. Efficiency, lifetime, stability and volume issues have moved the attention on a number of bidirectional conversion solutions, both for the energy transfer to/from the storage element and to/from the electric machine side. Moreover, along with the fast growing interest in EVs and PHEVs, wireless charging, as a new way of charging batteries, has drawn the attention of researchers, car manufacturers, and customers recently. Compared to conductive power transfer (usually plug-in), wireless power transfer (WPT) is more convenient, weather proof, and electric shock protected. However, there is still more research work needs to be done to optimize efficiency, cost, increase misalignment tolerance, and reduce size of the WPT chargers. The proposed dissertation describes the work from 2012 to 2014, during the PhD course at the Electric Drives Laboratory of the University of Udine and during my six months visiting scholarship at the University of Michigan in Dearborn. The topics studied are related to power conversion and digital control of converters and drives suitable for hybrid/electric traction, generation from renewable energy sources and wireless charging applications. From the theoretical point of view, multilevel and multiphase DC/AC and DC/DC converters are discussed here, focusing on design issues, optimization (especially from the efficiency point-of-view) and advantages. Some novel modulation algorithms for the neutral-point clamped three-level inverter are presented here as well as a new multiphase proposal for a three-level buck converter. In addition, a new active torque damping technique in order to reduce torque oscillations in internal combustion engines is proposed here. Mainly, two practical implementations are considered in this dissertation, i.e. an original two-stage bi-directional converter for mild hybrid traction and a wireless charger for electric vehicles fast charge

Flux-Weakening Control for Permanent-Magnet Synchronous Motors Based on Z-Source Inverters

Permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) have high efficiency, high power density, high torque-to-inertia ratio, and fast dynamic response. These features make this kind of machines very attractive for electric vehicle (EV) applications. However, because of their nature, i.e., constant magnet flux provided by magnets, these machines have a narrow constant power speed range (CPSR). This limitation is a strong drawback for application of PMSMs in electric vehicles, where high speed is the top requirement. Two different approaches can extend the maximum speed under constant power: (1) Increasing a drive\u27s output voltage, and (2) implementing flux-weakening (FW) control methods. However, a conventional drive\u27s output voltage is limited by its dc bus. Furthermore, FW control methods are constrained by the maximum output voltage of a drive. In this work, a new approach is demonstrated to obtain a wider CPSR range by implementing a Z-source inverter as a motor-drive. Such a Z-source inverter can provide highly boosted voltage and is immune to dead time and shoot through issues. In addition, in this thesis, a constant power FW control algorithm is developed and simulated for this new approach