SCALIBUR

Power Electronics is a fundamental technology in several areas, and particularly in industrial systems. Advances in power electronics will play a fundamental role in achieving the technological objectives that society pursues in terms of energy and sustainable transport. Indeed, the performance and energy efficiency of many industrial applications (e.g., electric motor drives), the use of renewable energy sources (wind, solar photovoltaic), the development of electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, the implementation of distributed generation and smart grids, etc., rely heavily on power electronics technology, which is typically the technology that enables these applications. One promising path to search for advances in power electronics is to develop power processing techniques where voltage, current and time are all three broken down into the smallest amounts possible, in what could be referred to as quantum power electronics. This, in principle, may offer substantial benefits in terms of modularity, scalability, versatility, flexibility, economies of scale, cost, efficiency, harmonic distortion, power density, reliability, and fault tolerance. One competitive path to implement these power processing techniques is through the use of switching cell arrays (SCAs), which enables breaking down voltage, current and time into small portions and it also enables configuring power conversion systems where switching components are not mixed with energy storing components, potentially leading to high levels of integration. The basic element is the switching cell, formed by a single switching power transistor together with appropriate ancillary circuitry. Switching cells can be interconnected in different ways to produce converter legs at a wide voltage and current rating range and, then, these converter legs can be combined to implement any desired type of power conversion (dc-dc, dc-ac, ac-ac). Overall, switching-cell-array technology enables a modular and scalable power converter design approach from modules at three hierarchical levels: the switching cell, the converter leg and the converter. SCA technology is still an emerging technology. There are many pending aspects to be analyzed and developed to unleash the full potential of this technology. The aim of this project is to create new knowledge to contribute to fill this gap. Scientific and technical contributions are expected in SCA-based power conversion systems at the switching cell, converter leg and converter levels, regarding main circuitry, auxiliary circuitry, modulations, and controls to allow the full potential of this technology to be exploited and, therefore, make it more competitive and attractive. It is expected that the results of this project will contribute to a paradigm shift in power converter design, favoring a transition to a model in which all conversion configurations in a wide range of applications can be implemented using very few highly-optimized and inexpensive devices (thanks to economies of scale). It is estimated that this new paradigm may have an economic impact in reducing power converter costs, improving their performance, and extending the use of power electronic conversion systems, widening the range of available product specifications and enabling new applications.

Project Overview