Implementation of SiC Power Electronics for Green Energy Based Electrification of Transportation

Increase in greenhouse gas emission poses a threat to the quality of air thus threatening the future of living beings on earth. A large part of the emission is produced by transport vehicles. Electric vehicles (EVs) are a great solution to this threat. They will completely replace the high usage of hydrocarbons in the transport sector. Energy efficiency and reduced local pollution can also be expected with full implementation of electrification of transportation. However, the current grid is not prepared to take the power load of EV charging if it were to happen readily. Moreover, critics are doubtful about the long-term sustainability of EVs in terms of different supply chain issues. The first step for tackling this problem from a research perspective was to do a thorough review of the details of charging in modern day grid. The downsides and lack of futuristic vision. Findings showed that implementing end to end DC based on green energy aided by SiC power electronics. To prove the findings analysis and modelling was done for SiC based charging network. A similar approach was implemented in EV powertrain development. The implementation of SiC power electronics in charging network showed lesser losses, higher thermal conductivity, lesser charging time. The effect on long term battery health and additional circuit was also observed. The cost of production can be reduced by volume manufacturing that has been discussed. In powertrain analysis and simulation the loss and heat reduction one shown on a component-by-component basis. Therefore, this research proposes a Silicon Carbide based end to end DC infrastructure based completely on solar and wind power. The pollution will further be reduced, and energy demands will be met

Reliability Analysis of Electrotechnical Devices

This is a book on the practical approaches of reliability to electrotechnical devices and systems. It includes the electromagnetic effect, radiation effect, environmental effect, and the impact of the manufacturing process on electronic materials, devices, and boards

Bidirectional Neural Interface Circuits with On-Chip Stimulation Artifact Reduction Schemes

Bidirectional neural interfaces are tools designed to “communicate” with the brain via recording and modulation of neuronal activity. The bidirectional interface systems have been adopted for many applications. Neuroscientists employ them to map neuronal circuits through precise stimulation and recording. Medical doctors deploy them as adaptable medical devices which control therapeutic stimulation parameters based on monitoring real-time neural activity. Brain-machine-interface (BMI) researchers use neural interfaces to bypass the nervous system and directly control neuroprosthetics or brain-computer-interface (BCI) spellers. In bidirectional interfaces, the implantable transducers as well as the corresponding electronic circuits and systems face several challenges. A high channel count, low power consumption, and reduced system size are desirable for potential chronic deployment and wider applicability. Moreover, a neural interface designed for robust closed-loop operation requires the mitigation of stimulation artifacts which corrupt the recorded signals. This dissertation introduces several techniques targeting low power consumption, small size, and reduction of stimulation artifacts. These techniques are implemented for extracellular electrophysiological recording and two stimulation modalities: direct current stimulation for closed-loop control of seizure detection/quench and optical stimulation for optogenetic studies. While the two modalities differ in their mechanisms, hardware implementation, and applications, they share many crucial system-level challenges. The first method aims at solving the critical issue of stimulation artifacts saturating the preamplifier in the recording front-end. To prevent saturation, a novel mixed-signal stimulation artifact cancellation circuit is devised to subtract the artifact before amplification and maintain the standard input range of a power-hungry preamplifier. Additional novel techniques have been also implemented to lower the noise and power consumption. A common average referencing (CAR) front-end circuit eliminates the cross-channel common mode noise by averaging and subtracting it in analog domain. A range-adapting SAR ADC saves additional power by eliminating unnecessary conversion cycles when the input signal is small. Measurements of an integrated circuit (IC) prototype demonstrate the attenuation of stimulation artifacts by up to 42 dB and cross-channel noise suppression by up to 39.8 dB. The power consumption per channel is maintained at 330 nW, while the area per channel is only 0.17 mm2. The second system implements a compact headstage for closed-loop optogenetic stimulation and electrophysiological recording. This design targets a miniaturized form factor, high channel count, and high-precision stimulation control suitable for rodent in-vivo optogenetic studies. Monolithically integrated optoelectrodes (which include 12 µLEDs for optical stimulation and 12 electrical recording sites) are combined with an off-the-shelf recording IC and a custom-designed high-precision LED driver. 32 recording and 12 stimulation channels can be individually accessed and controlled on a small headstage with dimensions of 2.16 x 2.38 x 0.35 cm and mass of 1.9 g. A third system prototype improves the optogenetic headstage prototype by furthering system integration and improving power efficiency facilitating wireless operation. The custom application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) combines recording and stimulation channels with a power management unit, allowing the system to be powered by an ultra-light Li-ion battery. Additionally, the µLED drivers include a high-resolution arbitrary waveform generation mode for shaping of µLED current pulses to preemptively reduce artifacts. A prototype IC occupies 7.66 mm2, consumes 3.04 mW under typical operating conditions, and the optical pulse shaping scheme can attenuate stimulation artifacts by up to 3x with a Gaussian-rise pulse rise time under 1 ms.PHDElectrical EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147674/1/mendrela_1.pd

Electrostatic Discharge

As we enter the nanoelectronics era, electrostatic discharge (ESD) phenomena is an important issue for everything from micro-electronics to nanostructures. This book provides insight into the operation and design of micro-gaps and nanogenerators with chapters on low capacitance ESD design in advanced technologies, electrical breakdown in micro-gaps, nanogenerators from ESD, and theoretical prediction and optimization of triboelectric nanogenerators. The information contained herein will prove useful for for engineers and scientists that have an interest in ESD physics and design

Resilient and Real-time Control for the Optimum Management of Hybrid Energy Storage Systems with Distributed Dynamic Demands

A continuous increase in demands from the utility grid and traction applications have steered public attention toward the integration of energy storage (ES) and hybrid ES (HESS) solutions. Modern technologies are no longer limited to batteries, but can include supercapacitors (SC) and flywheel electromechanical ES well. However, insufficient control and algorithms to monitor these devices can result in a wide range of operational issues. A modern day control platform must have a deep understanding of the source. In this dissertation, specialized modular Energy Storage Management Controllers (ESMC) were developed to interface with a variety of ES devices. The EMSC provides the capability to individually monitor and control a wide range of different ES, enabling the extraction of an ES module within a series array to charge or conduct maintenance, while remaining storage can still function to serve a demand. Enhancements and testing of the ESMC are explored in not only interfacing of multiple ES and HESS, but also as a platform to improve management algorithms. There is an imperative need to provide a bridge between the depth of the electrochemical physics of the battery and the power engineering sector, a feat which was accomplished over the course of this work. First, the ESMC was tested on a lead acid battery array to verify its capabilities. Next, physics-based models of lead acid and lithium ion batteries lead to the improvement of both online battery management and established multiple metrics to assess their lifetime, or state of health. Three unique HESS were then tested and evaluated for different applications and purposes. First, a hybrid battery and SC HESS was designed and tested for shipboard power systems. Next, a lithium ion battery and SC HESS was utilized for an electric vehicle application, with the goal to reduce cycling on the battery. Finally, a lead acid battery and flywheel ES HESS was analyzed for how the inclusion of a battery can provide a dramatic improvement in the power quality versus flywheel ES alone