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Modular multilevel converters with non-sinusoidal ac voltage output can reduce cost and volume in medium-voltage-connected electric vehicle battery charging applications. The use of full-bridge submodules in such converters enables single-stage ac/ac voltage conversion, allowing a medium-voltage grid to be directly connected to a medium-frequency isolation transformer. The application of a square wave voltage at the medium-frequency transformer's single-phase port enhances the converter's efficiency and power density in comparison to a sinusoidal voltage. This paper presents the analysis and modelling of a modular multilevel converter, comparing its operation with sinusoidal and square wave output voltages. A single control scheme for both output voltage waveforms is proposed for the three-phase and single-phase ac currents, circulating currents, and the energy stored in the submodule capacitors. The control strategy of the three-phase and single-phase port currents is verified through simulation and experiments using a scaled-down prototype, thereby validating its suitability for high-power bidirectional battery chargers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents an active thermal management system (TMS) for building a safer module of lithium-ion capacitor (LiC) technology, in which 10 LiCs are connected in series. The proposed TMS is a forced air-cooled TMS (ACTMS) that uses four axial DC 12 V fans: two fans are responsible for blowing the air from the environment into the container while two other fans suck the air from the container to the environment. An experimental investigation is conducted to study the thermal behavior of the module, and numerical simulations are carried out to be validated against the experiments. The main aim of the model development is the optimization of the proposed design. Therefore, the ACTMS has been optimized by investigating the impact of inlet air velocity, inlet and outlet positions, module rotation by 90° towards the airflow direction, gap spacing between neighboring cells, and uneven gap spacing between neighboring cells. The 3D thermal model is accurate, so the validation error between the simulation and experimental results is less than 1%. It is proven that the ACTMS is an excellent solution to keep the temperature of the LiC module in the desired range by air inlet velocity of 3 m/s when all the fans are blowing the air from both sides, the outlet is designed on top of the module, the module is rotated, and uneven gap space between neighboring cells is set to 2 mm for the first distance between the cells (d1) and 3 mm for the second distance (d2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the noncontact structure of wireless power transfer (WPT) systems, foreign metal objects can easily enter into the coupling region—and often move under the action of electromagnetic force (EMF), instead of staying relatively static, which brings a difficult problem for foreign object detection technology. In this paper, we investigate the motion state of foreign metal objects with different properties under the action of electromagnetic force in the coupling space of WPT system. The equivalent model of the circuit parameters with the intervention of foreign metal objects and the differential equations for the motion of foreign metal objects are derived. Combined with finite-element simulation calculations, the motion characteristic of ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic metals under EMF was analyzed. The results show that, due to the size and properties of the metal, non-ferromagnetic foreign metal objects have four states: vibration, suspension, static and flying out. The ferromagnetic foreign metal objects will adsorb on the coil surface and rapidly heat up. By establishing an experimental prototype, the analysis uses high-speed acquisition equipment to obtain the movement of foreign metal objects which verified the correctness of the simulation. This research is also beneficial to the operational safety and reliability of the WPT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous application of high-power electronic equipment in aircraft, highly efficient heat transfer technology has been emphasized for airborne applications. In this paper, a thermal management system based on an antifreeze liquid cooling loop and a vapor compression refrigeration loop is presented for high-power airborne equipment in a helicopter. The simulation models of the thermal management system are built in order to study its control strategy for the changing flight conditions. The antifreeze-refrigerant evaporator and air-refrigerant condenser are specially validated with the experimental data. A dual feedforward proportion integration differentiation and expert control algorithm are adopted in the inlet temperature of the cold plate and sub-cooling control of the refrigerant by regulating the compressor speed and the fan speed, respectively. A preheating strategy for antifreeze is set up to decrease its flow resistance in cold day conditions. The control strategy for the thermal management system is finally built based on the above control methods. In this paper, two extreme conditions are discussed, including cold and hot days. Both the simulation results show that the superheated, sub-cooling and antifreeze inlet temperature of the cold plate can be controlled at 3 to8 °C, −10 to −3 °C and 18 to22 °C, respectively. Under the same changing flight envelope, the coefficient of performance of the vapor compression refrigeration loop is relatively stable on the cold day, which is about 6, while it has a range of 2.58–4.9 on the hot day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the penetration of distributed power sources in the power grid is getting higher and higher, the adverse effects are also increasing. It is necessary to adopt control technology to make the distributed power source participate in the power regulation of the power system. In this paper, a multifunctional high-power grid source simulator system is presented. For wider control bandwidth and better performance, a high-power, back-to-back converter and an auxiliary lower-power, back-to-back converter connected in cascade mode topology is proposed in this paper. The basic principle and implementation method of virtual synchronous generator (VSG) in the high-power, back-to-back converter are described to reflect the same power frequency characteristics and voltage regulation characteristics as synchronous generators. Amplitude closed-loop control is proposed to realize zero steady-state error in the lower-power, back-to-back converter, also with line impedance imitation. Meanwhile, a constant-impedance, constant-current, and constant-power (ZIP) load model is used to emulate static load in the grid simulator system. At last, a set of experimental results for a 2 MW grid simulator system is provided to verify the effectiveness and validity of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore the influence of the electromagnetic force (EMF) on the coupling mechanism in a high-power wireless power transfer (WPT) system, the characteristics of the EMF are investigated by theoretical calculation and simulation. The expressions of the EMF on the WPT structure with magnetic shielding are derived in time domain and frequency domain, respectively. The EMF is divided into Lorentz force and Kelvin force. The distribution and changing regularity of the EMF on the coil and the magnetic shield under different exciting currents are solved by the finite element model, and the harmonic of the EMF is analyzed in detail. The results show that the coil is subjected to the EMF in both radial and axial directions. The EMF on the magnetic shield is opposite to the EMF on the coil, and the force between the transmitting coil and the receiving coil is repulsive. The frequency of the EMF is twice that of the system resonant frequency. An experimental prototype is built to prove the correctness of the predicted characteristics. It is shown that the EMF should be carefully considered in the application of high-power WPT systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]