Engineered Systems Thrust: IPEMs-based Power Conversion Systems (IPEM-PCS)

Leader: Dushan Boroyevich, Virginia Tech

The goal of this thrust is to develop an integrated system design approach to the electric energy processing systems based on IPEM and to explore the broader impact of the CPES-developed technologies on the electrical energy usage in our society. The IPEM-PCS thrust is formulated to validate the system integration concept by implementing a complex electronic power distribution test bed using IPEM and IPEM-related technologies developed in other thrusts. The two main focuses are: 1) Develop demonstrative converters and system test beds encompassing advanced component, module, and integration technologies from CPES and elsewhere. 2) Develop integrated and generalized methodology and tools for converter system modeling, analysis, design, and optimization. The figures below show an integrated telecom Distributed Power System (DPS) test bed based on an integrated active switching module (active IPEM), an integrated energy storage passive module (passive IPEM), and an integrated EMI filter (filter IPEM). The integrated converter exhibits a simplified system design and assembly effort, and resulted in significant improvement in performances and power density. Other significant accomplishments include the development of an integrated converter design and synthesis methodology combining together the software tools of circuit analysis, circuit and structural layout, electromagnetic analysis and parameter extractions, thermal analysis, and optimization. Currently, an electronics power distribution system test bed is being developed that is representative of wide range of applications, from server farm and data center, to vehicular and alternative energy systems.

A state-of-the-art commercial 1kW 48V power converter. 1.5U (1U = 1.75in) profile, 5.8W/in3	CPES test bed prototype of the same converter, demonstrating six-fold decrease in the number of components and twofold decrease in size. 1U profile, 11.7W/in3