Passive high-power-density grid interface device
| DWPI Title: Hybrid switched capacitor power converter for high-power applications such as electrical grid interface device, has switched input-stage boost converter that is connected to capacitor-and-diode ladder circuit through ac transformer |
| Abstract: A hybrid switched capacitor power converter for high-power applications is provided. The converter has a transistor-switched input-stage boost converter followed by a capacitor-and-diode ladder circuit. The converter is adapted to produce an output voltage of at least 5 kV at a power level of at least 0.5 kW. The ladder circuit includes one or more multi-stage rails. |
| Use: Hybrid switched capacitor power converter for high-power applications such as electrical grid interface device. Can also be used in photovoltaic arrays, offshore wind power distribution, electric automobiles, electric aircraft, capacitor bank charging in pulsed power applications, electric ships, hand-held Tasers, electromagnetic accelerators, pulsed loads, and electrostatic speakers. |
| Advantage: The passive element DC transformer increases converter voltage gain by using the inductor of the boost converter section in place of the input diode or transistor switch of the conventional SC converter. The system requires only low cost than an SC converter, since it uses fewer transistor or diode. The key structural change of eliminating the input series switch used in an SC converter is enabled instead allowing the boost converter's inductor to serve the function otherwise performed by that switch. A converter that greatly exceeds the voltage and power ratings for the individual capacitors or diodes used in the rails is built by stacking rails. The input power is controlled by controlling the pulse width of the drive signal to the gates of the two input transistors. The use of wide bandgap switching devices in power converters potentially reduces the converter's footprint by increasing the switching frequency and reducing passive component sizes while permitting high-voltage operation with high efficiency. |
| Novelty: The hybrid switched capacitor power converter has a switched input-stage boost converter followed by a capacitor-and-diode ladder circuit, The switched input-stage boost converter is connected to the capacitor-and-diode ladder circuit through an ac transformer (720). The ladder circuit is with a stack of rail pairs in each of which a negative rail is paired with a corresponding positive rail. Each said rail is provided with several stages. Each of the rail pairs has a current return line that serves as a floating ground. The output voltage is provided with a voltage drop between a positive rail output and a corresponding negative rail output. The rail pairs are stacked in series such that the output voltage of the power converter is obtained by summing the voltage drops between the positive and negative outputs of the respective rail pairs. |
| Filed: 4/15/2019 |
| Application Number: US16384107A |
| Tech ID: SD 14666.1 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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