Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationMicroelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonators on Si have the potential to replace the discrete passive components in a power converter. The main intention of this dissertation is to present a ring-shaped aluminum nitride (AlN) piezoelectric microreson

Ferrite-based micro-inductors for power systems on chip : from material elaboration to inductor optimisation

Les composants passifs intégrés sont des éléments clés pour les futures alimentations sur puce, compactes et présentant des performances améliorées: haut rendement et forte densité de puissance. L'objectif de ce travail de thèse est d'étudier les matériaux et la technologie pour réaliser de bobines à base de ferrite, intégrées sur silicium, avec des faibles empreintes (<4 mm ²) et de faible épaisseur (<250 µm). Ces bobines, dédiées à la conversion de puissance (˜ 1 W) doivent présenter une forte inductance spécifique et un facteur de qualité élevé dans la gamme de fréquence visée (5-10 MHz). Des ferrites de NiZn ont été sélectionnées comme matériaux magnétiques pour le noyau des bobines en raison de leur forte résistivité et de leur perméabilité stable dans la gamme de fréquence visée. Deux techniques sont développées pour les noyaux de ferrite: la sérigraphie d'une poudre synthétisée au laboratoire et la découpe automatique de films de ferrite commerciaux, suivi dans chaque cas du frittage et le placement sur les conducteurs pour former une bobine rectangulaire. Des bobines tests ont été réalisées dans un premier temps afin que la caractérisation puisse être effectuée : les propriétés magnétiques du noyau de ferrite notamment les pertes volumiques dans le noyau sont ainsi extraites. L'équation de Steinmetz a permis de corréler les courbes de pertes mesurées avec des expressions analytiques en fonction de la fréquence et de l'induction. La deuxième phase de la thèse est l'optimisation de la conception de la micro-bobine à base de ferrite, en tenant compte des pertes attendues. L'algorithme générique est utilisé pour optimiser les dimensions de la bobine avec pour objectif ; la minimisation des pertes et l'obtention de la valeur d'inductance spécifique souhaitée, sous faible polarisation en courant. La méthode des éléments finis pour le magnétisme FEMM est utilisée pour modéliser le comportement électromagnétique du composant. La deuxième série de prototypes a été réalisée afin de valider la méthode d'optimisation. En perspective, les procédés de photolithographie de résine épaisse et le dépôt électrolytique sont en cours de développement pour réaliser les enroulements de cuivre épais autour des noyaux de ferrite optimisés et ainsi former le composant complet.On-chip inductors are key passive elements for future power supplies on chip (PwrSoC), which are expected to be compact and show enhanced performance: high efficiency and high power density. The objective of this thesis work is to study the material and technology to realize small size (<4 mm²) and low profile (< 250 µm) ferrite-based on-chip inductor. This component is dedicated to low power conversion (˜ 1 W) and should provide high inductance density and high quality factor at medium frequency range (5-10 MHz). Fully sintered NiZn ferrites are selected as soft magnetic materials for the inductor core because of their high resistivity and moderate permeability stable in the frequencies range of interest. Two techniques are developed for the ferrite cores: screen printing of in-house made ferrite powder and cutting of commercial ferrite films, followed in each case by sintering and pick-and place assembling to form the rectangular toroid inductor. Test inductors were realized first so that the characterization could be carried out to study the magnetic properties of the ferrite core and the volumetric core losses. The core losses were fit from the measured curve with Steinmetz equation to obtain analytical expressions of losses versus frequency and induction. The second phase of the thesis is the design optimization for the on-chip ferrite based inductor, taking into account the expected losses. Genetic algorithm is employed to optimize the inductor design with the objective function as minimum losses and satisfying the specification on the inductance values under weak current-bias condition. Finite element method for magnetics FEMM is used as a tool to calculate inductance and losses. The second run of prototypes was done to validate the optimization method. In perspective, processes of thick-photoresist photolithography and electroplating are being developed to realize the completed thick copper windings surrounding ferrite cores

A Novel Variable Geometry based Planar Inductor Design for Wireless Charging Application

In this thesis, the performance, modelling and application of a planar electromagnetic coil are discussed. Due to the small size profiles and their non‐contact nature, planar coils are widely used due to their simple and basic design. The uncertain parameters have been identified and simulated using ANSYS that has been run utilising a newly developed MATLAB code. This code has made it possible to run thousands of trials without the need to manually input the various parameters for each run. This has facilitated the process of obtaining all the probable solutions within the defined range of properties. The optimum and robust design properties were then determined. The thesis discusses the experimentation and the finite element modelling (FEM) performed for developing the design of planar coils and used in wireless chargers. In addition, the thesis investigates the performance of various topologies of planar coils when they are used in wireless chargers. The ANSYS Maxwell FEM package has been used to analyse the models while varying the topologies of the coils. For this purpose, different models in FEM were constructed and then tested with topologies such as circular, square and hexagon coil configurations. The described methodology is considered as an effective way for obtaining maximum Power transfer efficiency (PTE) with a certain distance on planar coils with better performance. The explored designs studies are, namely: (1) Optimization of Planar Coil Using Multi-core, (2) planar coil with an Orthogonal Flux Guide, (3) Using the Variable Geometry in a Planar coil for an Optimised Performance by using the robust design method, (4) Design and Integration of Planar coil on wireless charger. In the first design study, the aim is to present the behaviour of a newly developed planar coil, built from a Mu-metal, via simulation. The structure consists of an excitation coil, sensing coils and three ferromagnetic cores 2 located on the top, middle and bottom sections of the coil in order to concentrate the field using the iterative optimisation technique. Magnetic materials have characteristics which allows them to influence the magnetic field in its environment. The second design study presents the optimal geometry and material selection for the planar with an Orthogonal Flux Guide. The study demonstrates the optimising of the materials and geometry of the coil that provides savings in terms of material usage as well as the employed electric current to produce an equivalent magnetic field. The third design study presents the variable geometry in a planar inductor to obtain the optimised performance. The study has provided the optimum and robust design parameters in terms of different topologies such as circular, square and hexagon coil configurations and then tested, Once the best topology is chosen based on performance. The originality of the work is evident through the randomisation of the parameters using the developed MATLAB code and the optimisation of the joint performance under defined conditions. Finally, the fourth design study presents the development of the planar coil applications. Three shapes of coils are designed and experimented to calculate the inductance and the maximum power transfer efficiency (PTW) over various spacing distances and frequency

Physics-Based Modeling of Power System Components for the Evaluation of Low-Frequency Radiated Electromagnetic Fields

The low-frequency electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is an increasingly important aspect in the design of practical systems to ensure the functional safety and reliability of complex products. The opportunities for using numerical techniques to predict and analyze system’s EMC are therefore of considerable interest in many industries. As the first phase of study, a proper model, including all the details of the component, was required. Therefore, the advances in EMC modeling were studied with classifying analytical and numerical models. The selected model was finite element (FE) modeling, coupled with the distributed network method, to generate the model of the converter’s components and obtain the frequency behavioral model of the converter. The method has the ability to reveal the behavior of parasitic elements and higher resonances, which have critical impacts in studying EMI problems. For the EMC and signature studies of the machine drives, the equivalent source modeling was studied. Considering the details of the multi-machine environment, including actual models, some innovation in equivalent source modeling was performed to decrease the simulation time dramatically. Several models were designed in this study and the voltage current cube model and wire model have the best result. The GA-based PSO method is used as the optimization process. Superposition and suppression of the fields in coupling the components were also studied and verified. The simulation time of the equivalent model is 80-100 times lower than the detailed model. All tests were verified experimentally. As the application of EMC and signature study, the fault diagnosis and condition monitoring of an induction motor drive was developed using radiated fields. In addition to experimental tests, the 3DFE analysis was coupled with circuit-based software to implement the incipient fault cases. The identification was implemented using ANN for seventy various faulty cases. The simulation results were verified experimentally. Finally, the identification of the types of power components were implemented. The results show that it is possible to identify the type of components, as well as the faulty components, by comparing the amplitudes of their stray field harmonics. The identification using the stray fields is nondestructive and can be used for the setups that cannot go offline and be dismantle

Advances and Technologies in High Voltage Power Systems Operation, Control, Protection and Security

The electrical demands in several countries around the world are increasing due to the huge energy requirements of prosperous economies and the human activities of modern life. In order to economically transfer electrical powers from the generation side to the demand side, these powers need to be transferred at high-voltage levels through suitable transmission systems and power substations. To this end, high-voltage transmission systems and power substations are in demand. Actually, they are at the heart of interconnected power systems, in which any faults might lead to unsuitable consequences, abnormal operation situations, security issues, and even power cuts and blackouts. In order to cope with the ever-increasing operation and control complexity and security in interconnected high-voltage power systems, new architectures, concepts, algorithms, and procedures are essential. This book aims to encourage researchers to address the technical issues and research gaps in high-voltage transmission systems and power substations in modern energy systems

Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical engineering is currently relatively wide scientific area which has been constantly bringing innovations with an objective to support and improve all areas of medicine such as therapy, diagnostics and rehabilitation. It holds a strong position also in natural and biological sciences. In the terms of application, biomedical engineering is present at almost all technical universities where some of them are targeted for the research and development in this area. The presented book brings chosen outputs and results of research and development tasks, often supported by important world or European framework programs or grant agencies. The knowledge and findings from the area of biomaterials, bioelectronics, bioinformatics, biomedical devices and tools or computer support in the processes of diagnostics and therapy are defined in a way that they bring both basic information to a reader and also specific outputs with a possible further use in research and development

Analysis and solutions of power harmonics in medium voltage distribution networks

The transition toward more sustainable energy systems is driven mainly by greenhouse gas emissions reduction schemes and the growing demand for energy worldwide. Consequently, more Distributed Energy Resources (DER) based power sources and their enabling technologies such as Medium Voltage Direct Current (MVDC) systems are being integrated into the existing distribution networksto help meet such challenges. However, due to the presence of the Power Electronics (PE) based power converters interfacing these systems with the main power network, concerns related to power harmonics in today’s distribution networks must be addressed. To investigate the severity of power harmonics in the distribution networks with the presence of the MVDC converters, a detailed model of an MVDC converter including the switching behaviour of the semiconductor devices with a suitable control system and an interleaved Pulse-width Modulation (PWM) scheme was developed in this study. The key finding is that the proposed harmonic mitigation technique, the interleaved SPWM technique, has significantly reduced the Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) to 2% at the rated system capacity with no significant even-order harmonic components. The real data obtained from the power network of Albaha was also modelled and simulated in the frequency domain using the established harmonic models of the power system components to conductthe harmonic propagations study of the MVDC converter into the AC network. The MVDC converter harmonic performance in the Albaha power system revealed that the THDs at different voltage levels comply with the standard limits. Moreover, applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially the optimization algorithms for power harmonic solutions have received considerable attention over recent years. Thus, in this research, the recently developed Manta Ray Foraging Optimization (MRFO) algorithm has been implemented for the optimal parameters design of a high-pass Passive Power Filter (PPF). An analytical harmonic analysis approach based on the Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) was also proposed for PPF harmonic performance evaluation including uncertainties at the power network level. For the superiority validation of the MRFO algorithm, different optimizersthat have quite similar hunting and modelling strategies have been adopted. The MRFO algorithm has shown better solution-finding capability but relatively higher computational effort. By including uncertainties at the power network level, the harmonic performance of the optimally designed PPF proposed by the MRFO algorithm was investigated using a proposed MCS-based method, which has shown the significance of the PPF in terms of voltage distortions, system performance parameters, and the network’s hosting capacity for more renewable systems. The results imply that the optimally designed PPF can effectively attenuate the high-order harmonics and improved the system performance parameters over different operating conditions to continually comply with the standard limits. The proposed MCS method showed that the optimally designed PPF reduced the voltage and current distortions by roughly 54% and 30%, respectively, and improved the network hosting capacity by 10% for the worst-case scenario.Furthermore, DER-based power sources are predicted to cause significant harmonic distortions in today’s power networks due to the utilisation of power conversion systems, which are widely recognized as harmonic sources. Identifying the actual contribution of an offending harmonic source can be a challenging task, especially with multiple harmonic sources connected, changes in the system’s characteristic impedance, and the intermittent nature of renewable resources. Hence, a method based on an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) system including the location-specific data was proposed in this thesis to estimate the actual harmonic distortions of a harmonic source. The proposed method would help model the admittance of the harmonic source under the estimation, capture its harmonic performance over different operating conditions, and provide accurate harmonic distortions estimations. For this purpose, a simple power system was modelled and simulated, and the harmonic performance of a solar Photovoltaics (PV) system was used to train the ANN system and improve its prediction performance. Additionally, the expert ANN-based harmonic distortion estimator was validated in the IEEE 34-bus test feeder with different established harmonic sources, and it has estimated the individual harmonic components with a maximum error of less than 10% and a maximum median of 5.4

Power Converters in Power Electronics

In recent years, power converters have played an important role in power electronics technology for different applications, such as renewable energy systems, electric vehicles, pulsed power generation, and biomedical sciences. Power converters, in the realm of power electronics, are becoming essential for generating electrical power energy in various ways. This Special Issue focuses on the development of novel power converter topologies in power electronics. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Z-source converters; multilevel power converter topologies; switched-capacitor-based power converters; power converters for battery management systems; power converters in wireless power transfer techniques; the reliability of power conversion systems; and modulation techniques for advanced power converters