INDUSTRY MEMBERS
CPES High Power Consortium (WBG-HPCS)
The High Power Consortium (HPC) at CPES provides the power industry with a highly technical and engaging forum to explore leading-edge and emerging power conversion technologies and applications, with a vertically integrated approach covering power semiconductors, ancillary circuitry, controls, power converters, and the integration of power electronics into electrical power grids. Over the past years it has consolidated its expertise in high-power medium-voltage (MV) power conversion, while continuing to expand its breadth and reach into high-voltage (HV) power conversion and power systems.
Current WBG-HPCS Members (7):
ABB, Inc.Delta ElectronicsGE VernovaHitachi EnergySchneider Electric IT CorporationSiemens Corporate TechnologyTMEIC
A Window Into The Miniconsortium
Background
The program is strongly leveraged by CPES’ vast expertise and knowledge on wide-bandgap (WBG) based power conversion spanning more than two decades, and its in-depth knowledge of electrical power systems accrued by working closely with the space, transportation, IT, and power industries, as well transmission and distribution utilities. HPC relies too on the strong industrial experience of its faculty, boasting more than 30 years of combined R&D and business development experience. In addition, CPES has been able to continue supporting its research activities within HPC by securing funding from several government agencies, including the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E), and several national laboratories.The above agencies have been instrumental in developing key enabling technology presently used in WBG-based high power electronics applications, and as such represent ideal partners for HPC. Their collaboration over the past years has generated invaluable synergy that has undoubtedly aided in the pursuit of the mini-consortium goals. From a funding standpoint, CPES has been able to effectively quadruple the research activity in this area thanks to their support, ultimately quadrupling too the results and technological advancement that are shared with its members. Newly secured programs by CPES faculty foretell a continuous future collaboration with these agencies and the HPC industry members.
Work Scope
- High-Power Power Conversion Technology
- Design and development of high-power density SiC-based multilevel power converters based on 1.7 kV, 3.3 kV, and 10 kV devices.
- Design and development of Si-based modular multi-level power converters for medium-voltage and high-voltage applications.
- High-frequency PWM and control of modular multilevel converters in ac-dc and dc-dc mode.
- Development of EMI containment and suppression strategies for power converters, modular converters, and electronic distribution systems.
- Formulation of electric-field constrained design methodologies for power components subject to high-frequency excitation, fast dv/dt transients, and high-altitude operation.
- Development of enhanced gate drivers, auxiliary power supplies and sensors for harsh dv/dt and EMI environments.
- Development of digital communication and control networks for power electronics with sub-nanosecond synchronization capacity.
- Electrified Green Infrastructure Power Conversion
- Renewable energy integration to the grid, including grid forming control under grid-connected and islanded conditions.
- Electric Vehicle fast-charging infrastructure.
- Utility-scale energy storage integration.
- HVDC and MVDC power converters and systems for transmission and distribution.
- Intelligent energy router and microgrids.
- Data center power solutions and their impact on power systems.
- DC solid state circuit breakers.
- Stability and Dynamic Interactions
- Grid-forming inverter based black start operation of power systems.
- Stability impact of grid-forming inverter and grid-supporting rectifier control schemes.
- Stability assessment and interactions in MV distribution systems in the presence of utility-scale grid-tied inverters.
- Stability analysis in three-phase unbalanced and single-phase distribution grids, including generator-fed systems.
- WBG-based impedance measurement unit (IMU) for ac and dc LV and MV distributions systems.
