Engineering Commons^™

Design Of Dc-Link Vscf Ac Electrical Power System For The Embraer 190/195 Aircraft, Eduardo Francis Carvalho Freitas, Nihad E. Daidzic

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

A proposed novel DC-Link VSCF AC-DC-AC electrical power system converter for Embraer 190/195 transport category airplane is presented. The proposed converter could replace the existing conventional system based on the CSCF IDGs. Several contemporary production airplanes already have VSCF as a major or backup source of electrical power. Problems existed with the older VSCF systems in the past; however, the switched power electronics and digital controllers have matured and can be now, in our opinion, safely integrated and replace existing constant-speed hydraulic transmissions powering CSCF AC generators. IGBT power transistors for medium-level power conversion and relatively fast efficient switching are …

Thermal Characterization Of Magnetic Components, Jiazhou Zhong, Veda Samhitha Duppalli, Scott D. Sudhoff Professor

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Thermal limits are crucial constraints in the design of power magnetic components. As the power density of magnetic components continues to increase, cooling becomes more critical. Our research focuses on solving for the amount of cooling needed for a particular magnetic component. During the research process, a low-velocity wind tunnel designed and built from the ground up is used to form uniform and controlled conditions for the test components. Thermal Equivalent Circuit (TEC) and parameter identification techniques are used in conjunction to yield temperature distribution results. The expected result is temperature data on various areas of the component under different …

Battery Energy Storage Emulation For Power System Applications, Jessica Danielle Boles

Masters Theses

The concept of energy storage for power systems has received increasingly more attention in recent decades, and the growing penetration of renewable energy sources has only escalated demand for it. Energy storage systems are excellent for balancing generation and load, for suppressing power fluctuations, and for providing other ancillary services to the grid. The Hardware Testbed (HTB) is a novel converter-based grid emulator created for studying the needs associated with high renewable penetration, but the system currently lacks a battery storage emulator. Thus, this work documents the development of a battery energy storage system (BESS) emulator for the HTB.

The …

High-Current Integrated Battery Chargers For Mobile Applications, Gabriel Alejo Gabian

Masters Theses

Battery charging circuits for mobile applications, such as smart phones and tablets, require both small area and low losses. In addition, to reduce the charging time, high current is needed through the converter. In this work, exploration of the Buck, the 3-Level Buck and the Hybrid Buck converter is performed over the input voltage, the total FET area and the load current. An analytical loss model for each topology is constructed and constrated by experimental results. In addition, packaging and bond wire impact on on-chip losses is analyzed by 3D modeling. Finally, a comparison between the topologies is presented determining …

Motherbrain Swarm Robots, Tam Van, Mytch Johnson, Matthew Ng, Darius Holmgren

Computer Engineering

A trial in small-scale, cheap fleet autonomy with computer vision as the feedback controls system.

Automatic Standby Power-Saving Power Strip, Trung Nguyen

Electrical Engineering

The Standby Power Saving Power Strip improves on common power strip functionality. The project reduces the power loss from most electrical devices’ standby power mode, while retaining the convenience of leaving the devices plugged-in. The surge protector automatically recognizes when the plugged-in devices enter standby power mode. Then, it shuts off power to that device and automatically provides power back to the plugged-in devices, when turned on.

Design And Construction Of 1800w Modular Multiple Input Single Output Non-Isolated Dc-Dc Converters, Angelo Miguel Asuncion Gallardo

Master's Theses

This thesis report details the design and construction of non-isolated DC-DC converters to create a Multiple Input Single Output (MISO) converter for combining multiple renewable energy sources into one single output. This MISO uses the four-switch buck-boost topology to output a single 48V from multiple nominal 24V inputs. The MISO converter implements a modular approach to deliver 1800W output power. Each module in the MISO is rated at 600W and they share the output power equally. Hardware results show that the converter produces 1800W of output power from three sources with 96.4% efficiency. Each module also demonstrates equal sharing feature …

Minimum Time Control Of Paralleled Boost Converters, Shishir Patel

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Demand for electrification is booming in both, traditional and upcoming generations of technological advancements. One of the constituent blocks of these electrified systems is Power conversion. Power conversion systems are often constructed by paralleling multiple power converter blocks for high performance and reliability of overall system. An advanced control technique is developed with an aim to optimize system states of heterogeneous power converters within minimum time while maintaining feasible stress level on individual power converter blocks. Practical implementation of real-time controller and performance improvement strategies are addressed. Experimental results validating high performance control scheme, and sensitivity analysis of system states …

Simulation, Measurement, And Emulation Of Photovoltaic Modules Using High Frequency And High Power Density Power Electronic Circuits, Yunas Erkaya

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The number of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations is growing exponentially, and to improve the energy yield and the efficiency of PV systems, it is necessary to have correct methods for simulation, measurement, and emulation. PV systems can be simulated using PV models for different configurations and technologies of PV modules. Additionally, different environmental conditions of solar irradiance, temperature, and partial shading can be incorporated in the model to accurately simulate PV systems for any given condition.

The electrical measurement of PV systems both prior to and after making electrical connections is important for attaining high efficiency and reliability. Measuring PV …

Pure Fuzzy Hall Effect Sensors For Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor, İbrahi̇m Alişkan, Rüstem Yilmazel

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

An investigation about Hall effect sensors' efficiency is confirmed in permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drive systems. A fuzzy control algorithm is used as an artificial intelligence controller. Large scale and low slopes are used for creating membership functions and a sensitive controller is obtained. Speed is wanted to be taken under control and a minimum error value is aimed. PMSM drive systems are established using MATLAB-Simulink/SimPower. Simulations are realized with real-time parameters in discrete mode. A fuzzy logic controller is designed by using the MATLAB/Fuzzy Logic Toolbox. A normalization technique and high resolution output of the fuzzy logic controller …

Students Compete In 2nd Annual Electric Bike Race | Utah State University Power Electronics Lab, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Students in the Electric Vehicle Lab course (ECE 6930) competed in the second annual Electric Bike Race. The students designed and built the bikes as a part of the course, and then had a race at the end of the year to see whose bike was the fastest. The Electric Vehicle Lab is the final course in a sequence of courses on Power Electronics at USU.

Experimental Verification And Integration Of A Next Generation Smart Power Management System, Tavis Clemmer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the increase in energy demand by the residential community in this country and the diminishing fossil fuel resources being used for electric energy production there is a need for a system to efficiently manage power within a residence. The Smart Green Power Node (SGPN) is a next generation energy management system that automates on-site energy production, storage, consumption, and grid usage to yield the most savings for both the utility and the consumer. Such a system automatically manages on-site distributed generation sources such as a PhotoVoltaic (PV) input and battery storage to curtail grid energy usage when the price …

Hybrid Power System Intelligent Operation And Protection Involving Plug-In Electric Vehicles, Tan Ma

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two key solutions to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and increase the overall energy efficiency are to maximize the utilization of renewable energy resources (RERs) to generate energy for load consumption and to shift to low or zero emission plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) for transportation. The present U.S. aging and overburdened power grid infrastructure is under a tremendous pressure to handle the issues involved in penetration of RERS and PEVs. The future power grid should be designed with for the effective utilization of distributed RERs and distributed generations to intelligently respond to varying customer demand including PEVs with high level …

A Low-Cost Loop Measurement Tool For Dc-Dc Converters, Shouee B. Lin

Master's Theses

Loop measurements are very important in evaluating dynamic performance of DC-DC converters. In this thesis, a small loop measurement tool as a low-cost alternative to a network analyzer is proposed. The tool is particularly useful when a network analyzer is not always available for use, for example when engineers are working on-site with customers or when a network analyzer is not affordable due to their relatively high cost. The design, simulation, and hardware implementation of the inexpensive loop measurement tool will be presented in this thesis. Results from computer simulation and hardware prototype demonstrate the ability of the proposed tool …

Stargrazer One: A New Architecture For Distributed Maximum Power Point Tracking Of Solar Photovoltaic Sources, Edgard Munoz-Coreas

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

The yield from a solar photovoltaic (PV) source is dependent on factors such as light and temperature. A control system called a maximum power point tracker (MPPT) ensures that the yield from a solar PV source is maximized in spite of these factors. This thesis presents a novel implementation of a perturb and observe (PO) MPPT.

The implementation uses a switched capacitor step down converter and a custom digital circuit implementation of the PO algorithm. Working in tandem, the switched capacitor step down converter and the custom digital circuit implementation were able to successfully track the maximum power point of …

Indirect Matrix Converter As Standard Power Electronic Interface, Andrés Escobar-Mejía

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The increase in the penetration levels of distributed generation in the modern power grid and its importance in future energy systems have accelerated the interest of developing new power electronic interfaces for the energy conversion process. The feasibility of applying the indirect matrix converter as the standard power electronic interface for applications with power ratings from several kW to few MW is addressed in this dissertation. Special attention is given to those applications where space dominates the power electronic requirements. The main motivation for using the indirect matrix converter is that eliminates the energy storage component in the way of …

Students Compete In 1st Annual Electric Bike Race | Utah State University Power Electronics Lab, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Students in the Electric Vehicle Lab course (ECE 6930) competed in the first annual Electric Bike Race. The students designed and built the bikes as a part of the course, and then had a race at the end of the year to see whose bike was the fastest. The Electric Vehicle Lab is the final course in a sequence of courses on Power Electronics at USU.

Control Based Soft Switching Three-Phase Micro-Inverter: Efficiency And Power Density Optimization, Ahmadreza Amirahmadi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the field of renewable energy, solar photovoltaic is growing exponentially. Grid-tied PV micro-inverters have become the trend for future PV system development because of their remarkable advantages such as enhanced energy production due to MPPT implementation for each PV panel, high reliability due to redundant and distributed system architecture, and simple design, installation, and management due to its plug-and-play feature. Conventional approaches for the PV micro-inverters are mainly in the form of single-phase grid connected and they aim at the residential and commercial rooftop applications. It would be advantageous to extend the micro-inverter concept to large size PV installations …

Multi-Domain, Multi-Objective-Optimization-Based Approach To The Design Of Controllers For Power Electronics, Jing Shang

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Power converter has played a very important role in modern electric power systems. The control of power converters is necessary to achieve high performance. In this study, a dc-dc buck converter is studied. The parameters of a notional proportional-integral controller are to be selected. Genetic algorithms (GAs), which have been widely used to solve multi-objective optimization problems, is used in order to locate appropriate controller design. The control metrics are specified as phase margin in frequency domain and voltage error in time-domain. GAs presented the optimal tradeoffs between these two objectives. Three candidate control designs are studied in simulation and …

Conditions For Capacitor Voltage Regulation In A Five-Level Cascade Multilevel Inverter: Application To Voltage-Boost In A Pm Drive, John Chiasson, Burak Ozpineci, Zhong Du, Leon Tolbert

Burak Ozpineci

A cascade multilevel inverter is a power electronic device built to synthesize a desired AC voltage from several levels of DC voltages. Such inverters have been the subject of research in the last several years, where the DC levels were considered to be identical in that all of them were either batteries, solar cells, etc. Similar to previous results in the literature, the work here shows how a cascade multilevel inverter can be used to obtain a voltage boost at higher speeds for a three-phase PM drive using only a single DC voltage source. The input of a standard three-leg …

Development Of Si Device Based Power Converters For High Temperature Operation In Hev Applications, Zhuxian Xu

Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, the feasibility of operating Si devices at 200 ˚C [degree Celsius] is investigated and the guidelines on the development of a high temperature Si converter for operating with 105 ˚C high temperature liquid coolant in hybrid electrical vehicle (HEV) applications are provided.

First, the characterization of a Si IGBT operating at 200 ˚C junction temperatures is presented. It is shown that the commercial 175 ˚C Si IGBT under test can be successfully switched at an elevated junction temperature of 200 ˚C with increased but acceptable losses.

Second, a comprehensive evaluation of Si IGBT ruggedness at high temperature …

A Wide Bandgap Silicon Carbide (Sic) Gate Driver For High Temperature, High Voltage, And High Frequency Applications, Ranjan Raj Lamichhane

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The potential of silicon carbide (SiC) for modern power electronics applications is revolutionary because of its superior material properties including substantially better breakdown voltage, power density, device leakage, thermal conductivity, and switching speed. Integration of gate driver circuitry on the same chip, or in the same package, as the power device would significantly reduce the parasitic inductance, require far less thermal management paraphernalia, reduce cost and size of the system, and result in more efficient and reliable electrical and thermal performance of the system.

The design of a gate driver circuit with good performance parameters in this completely new under-development …

Single Stage Flyback Micro-Inverter For Solar Energy Systems, Aniruddha Mukherjee

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

ABSTRACT

Solar energy systems based on photovoltaic (PV) cells have attracted considerable interest in recent years due to their promise of clear and seemingly limitless generated energy. Solar energy systems based on micro-inverter architectures are gaining in popularity as they are less prone to shading and PV cell malfunction since each solar panel in a system has its own low power inverter.

A number of micro-inverters are single stage flyback inverters that are based on the DC-DC flyback topologies. There have been numerous papers on the topic of how to improve the efficiency of dc-dc flyback converters but as far …

Electrical Design Considerations And Packaging Of Power Electronic Modules, Shijie Wang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A modern power electronic module can save significant energy usage in the power electronic systems by improving their switching efficiencies. One way to improve the efficiency of the power electronic module is to reduce its parasitic circuit elements. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the mitigation of parasitic circuit elements in power electronic modules. General methods of mitigating parasitic inductances were analyzed by the Q3D Extractor and verified by the time-domain reflectometry (TDR) measurements. In most cases, the TDR measurement results closely matched those predicted by the Q3D Extractor. These methods were applied to design and analyze a …

High Voltage Direct Current Energy Transmission Using Modular Multilevel Converters, David Alejandro Guzman Pinzon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focus on high voltage direct current (HVdc) energy transmission using modular multilevel converter (MMC) based terminals. It provides a brief comparison between different HVdc technologies, focusing on voltage source converters (HVdc-VSC) with the MMC-based terminal emerging as the topology of choice for ratings less than 1 GW. The controllers for a two-terminal HVdc-link are analyzed and Matlab/Simulink^TM simulation models are presented. The simplified models and full Matlab/Simulink^TM based model are used to select the gains for the MMC controllers. Simulation results carried out on the full model validated the proposed methodologies. A new control technique that …

Microelectronics Seminar Series | Utah State University Power Electronics Lab, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

A seminar series is being held in the lab on the topic of microelectronics with application to Power Electronics. The seminar will be held over a period of four weeks before the fall semester starts.

The Development And Packaging Of A High-Density, Three-Phase, Silicon Carbide (Sic) Motor Drive, Jared Hornberger

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Technology advances within the power electronics field are resulting in systems characterized by higher operating efficiencies, reduced footprint, minimal form factor, and decreasing mass. In particular, these attributes and characteristics are being inserted into numerous consumer applications, such as light-emitting diode lighting, compact fluorescent lighting, smart phones, and tablet PCs, to industrial applications that include hybrid, electric, and plug-in electric vehicles and more electric aircraft. To achieve the increase in energy efficiency and significant reduction in size and mass of these systems, power semiconductor device manufacturers are developing silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor technology.

In this dissertation, the author discusses the …

Modeling And Control Of A Doubly-Fed Induction Generator For Wind Turbine-Generator Systems, Xin Jing

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Wind energy plays an increasingly important role in the world because it is friendly to the environment. During the last decades, the concept of a variable-speed wind turbine (WT) has been receiving increasing attention due to the fact that it is more controllable and efficient, and has good power quality. As the demand of controllability of variable speed WTs increases, it is therefore important and necessary to investigate the modeling for wind turbine-generator systems (WTGS) that are capable of accurately simulating the behavior of each component in the WTGS. Therefore, this thesis will provide detailed models of a grid-connected wind …

High Performance Low Voltage Power Mosfet For High-Frequency Synchronous Buck Converters, Boyi Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Power management solutions such as voltage regulator (VR) mandate DC-DC converters with high power density, high switching frequency and high efficiency to meet the needs of future computers and telecom equipment. The trend towards DC-DC converters with higher switching frequency presents significant challenges to power MOSFET technology. Optimization of the MOSFETs plays an important role in improving low-voltage DC-DC converter performance. This dissertation focuses on developing and optimizing high performance low voltage power MOSFETs for high frequency applications. With an inherently large gate charge, the trench MOSFET suffers significant switching power losses and cannot continue to provide sufficient performance in …

Modeling And Characterization Of P-Type Silicon Carbide Gate Turn Off Thyristors, Osama Shihadeh Saadeh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor devices have emerged in the past decade as the most promising technology for next generation power electronic applications ranging for electric vehicles to grid-connected power routing and conversion interfaces. Several devices have been developed, and even some have been released commercially, including diodes, MOSFETs, JFETs, thyristors, gate turn-off thyristors, and IGBTs. The model development, characterization and experimental validation of SiC p-type Gate Turn-off Thyristors (GTO) is presented in this work. The GTO device in this work is being used as part of a SiC-based solid-state fault current limiter under development at the University of Arkansas' …