Power Hardware In-the-Loop validation of DC-DC power converter for offshore wind energy

2021-08-11T16:52:15+02:00September 2nd, 2019|Electronique de puissance & convertisseurs, Publications|

he paper describes the development of a power converter small scale mock-up and a real time model of an off-shore wind farm. A Power Hardware In-the-Loop validation is proposed for a demonstration of grid architecture and control principles. The paper presents the design methodology of the PHIL test bench and underlines the contribution of PHIL in the design flow of power converter development for DC grid application. Experimental results of preliminary PHIL tests are presented.

SuperGrid Institute PhD student awarded Fulbright scholarship to work at Virginia Tech

2023-06-07T15:18:46+02:00August 8th, 2019|Electronique de puissance & convertisseurs|

SuperGrid Institute is going global! Next week, Arthur Boutry will be crossing the Atlantic to collaborate with the Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES), a laboratory at Virginia Tech (listed by The Times as one of the top 300 universities in the world in 2019!). During his time in the USA, Arthur will continue his work on designing MMC sub-modules for HVDC applications as part of his PhD which he began in 2018 at SuperGrid Institute, in collaboration with the Laboratoire Ampère. Arthur received a grant from the American government for his exchange year in the form of a Fulbright scholarship, one of the most prestigious and competitive fellowship programs in the world. An impressive accomplishment!

Study of convective condensation in a thermosiphon loop

2021-08-11T16:52:56+02:00July 24th, 2019|Electronique de puissance & convertisseurs, Publications|

In this article, we focus on the condenser of a loop thermosiphon designed to cool power electronic component. The objective here is to condense Novec 649, our chosen working fluid for this loop. It is a fluid recently developed by 3M, which is known for having low environmental impact and non-flammable. We first present a theoretical analysis with the calculation and the hypotheses leading to the design of the multi-tubular condenser. Then we present a full size thermosiphon built for experimental validation. A discussion then addresses some of the design hypotheses. Three main parameters are studied : the tilting angle of the condenser (from horizontal to vertical orientations), the temperature of the coolant and finally the mass flow effect at different saturation temperatures. In our setup, we dissipate up to 2.4 kW at the evaporator level. The produced vapor is then condensed in the heat exchanger using cold water flowing at countercurrent. A number of measurements are made via thermocouples and pressure sensors located at both ends of the condenser to measure the average heat exchange coefficient.

Michel MERMET-GUYENNET’s keynote speech at the 13th IEEE International Conference on Power Electronics and Drive Systems (PEDS 2019)

2021-08-11T17:37:37+02:00July 12th, 2019|Conference, Electronique de puissance & convertisseurs|

This Tuesday the 10th of July, Michel MERMET-GUYENNET presented a keynote speech at the 13th IEEE International Conference on Power Electronics and Drive Systems (PEDS 2019) in Toulouse, following the invitation of Bernado COGO from the Antoine de Saint Exupéry Institute of Technology (IRT Saint Exupéry). In his paper, Michel MERMET-GUYENNET presented power electronics technologies for MV and HV grids.

Case Study of Non-Isolated MMC DC-DC Converter in HVDC Grids

2021-08-11T16:54:28+02:00June 7th, 2019|Electronique de puissance & convertisseurs, Publications|

This article presents the topology for non-isolated MMC-based DC-DC converter. The initial design study illustrates that such DC/DC converter will have overall semiconductor count comparable to a MMC AC-DC (used with HVDC transmission) converter of similar rating. A full controller schematic is presented and operating principles are discussed.

Power electronic traction transformers in 25 kV / 50 Hz systems: Optimisation of DC/DC Isolated Converters with 3.3 kV SiC MOSFETs

2021-08-11T16:54:55+02:00May 9th, 2019|Electronique de puissance & convertisseurs, Publications|

In AC electric trains, power electronic traction transformers (PETT) are multilevel single phase AC/DC converters connected to the AC medium voltage overhead line. For indirect topologies, DC/DC isolated converters are key elements of PETTs. This paper shows a method to design such DC/DC converters, and several variants are considered. Finally, the comparison results, in the case of a 25 kV / 50 Hz power supply and 3.3 kV SiC MOSFETs, show that the variant with a resonant AC link, with only one controlled bridge and a switching frequency lower than the resonant frequency, offers the best efficiency at rated power for a given volume.

Packaging Solution for SiC Power Modules with a Fail-to-Short Capability

2021-08-11T16:55:16+02:00March 16th, 2019|Electronique de puissance & convertisseurs, Publications|

Fail-to-short packages, which can still carry current after the failure of their semiconductor devices, are required for HVDC applications. However, all existing solutions are dedicated to silicon components. Here, a fail-to-short package is proposed for SiC devices. Its manufacturing process is described. 4 modules are built and submitted to intense short circuit currents (up to 2000 A). It is found that they offer a stable short-circuit failure mode, providing that the modules are mechanically clamped to prevent separation during the surge current test.

Go to Top