CAREER: SiC High-Frequency High-Voltage Power Converters with Partial-Discharge Mitigation and Electromagnetic Noise Containment

电动汽车（EV）、储能设备、分布式可再生能源的快速普及对最先进的交流电网提出了许多挑战。中压（MV）到高压（HV）直流电网被认为是实现高效、高可靠和低碳排放的能量传输和输送的有前途的解决方案。能够提供中高压输出的高密度电力电子系统是实现这种中高压直流网络的关键。然而，现有的系统仍然存在体积大、重量重、可靠性低的问题。这个NSF CAREER项目旨在解决几个基本挑战，并带来变革性的解决方案和技术，以提高中压和高压功率转换器的功率密度超过一个数量级。这将通过使用中压和高压宽带隙功率半导体器件以及多个小型化系统集成解决方案和工具来实现。该项目的智力价值包括许多新的驱动和保护高压宽带隙功率半导体开关单元的科学知识，高频电力电子高压绝缘系统的综合设计工具，预测局部放电（PD）行为的物理和数值模型。该项目的更广泛影响包括通过弥合新兴应用的行业知识差距，帮助推动中压和高压高频高密度功率转换的快速采用，推动能源生态系统实现零碳排放，促进美国在宽带隙功率半导体行业的主导地位，并获得市场领导地位。为了实现中压/高压功率转换器功率密度的数量级改进，该提案确定了三个关键领域和科学差距，作为PI长期职业生涯的起点：1）用于堆叠SiC半导体的全面实时动态电压平衡方法的表征、建模和研究，以实现中压/高压高速“超级开关”作为中压/高压转换器的基本构建模块。2)固体介质系统和电场整形设计方法的研究，用于内部/外部无PD的高密度电力电子集成; 3）MV传导EMI噪声抑制和EMI滤波器设计的研究。在该计划中，将探索MV SiC MOSFET串联的全面实时数字动态电压平衡解决方案。将开发考虑电场应力管理和局部放电缓解的高压转换器集成的表征和设计工具。最后，将开发用于高频转换器的具有集成EM屏蔽解决方案的高压馈通连接器的高压平面EMI滤波器。该计划将与在功率器件物理、固体和气体介电材料和高压绝缘以及EMI方面具有专业知识的研究人员合作，创造基础的跨领域知识、设计工具、创新解决方案和教育材料。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The fast penetration of electric vehicles (EV), energy storage devices, distributed renewable energy resources put many challenges on the state-of-art ac power grid. Medium-voltage (MV) to high-voltage (HV) dc power network is considered as a promising solution to enable high-efficient, high-reliable, and low-carbon-emission energy transmission and delivery. High-density power electronic systems which can provide MV/HV output are very critical to enabling such MV/HV dc network. However, the existing system still suffers the bulky volume, heavy weight, and low reliability. This NSF CAREER project aims to address several fundamental challenges and bring transformative solutions and technologies to improve the power-density of MV and HV power converters with over an order of magnitude. This will be achieved by use of MV and HV wide-band-gap power semiconductor devices and multiple miniaturized system integration solution and tools. The intellectual merits of the project include many new scientific knowledge of driving and protecting HV wide-band-gap power semiconductor switching unit, comprehensive design tools of HV insulation system for high-frequency power electronics, physics and numerical-based models for predicting partial-discharge (PD) behaviors. The broader impacts of the project include help drive the fast adoption of MV and HV high-frequency high-density power conversion by bridging the industry knowledge gaps for emerging applications and drive the energy eco-system toward zero-carbon emissions and promote the US dominance in wide-band-gap power semiconductor industry and gain the market leadership. To enable the order-of-magnitude power density improvement of MV/HV power converters, this proposal identifies three critical areas and scientific gaps as the starting point for the PI’s long-term career: 1) Characterization, modeling, and investigation of a comprehensive real-time dynamic voltage balancing approach for stacking SiC semiconductors to enable a MV/HV high-speed “super-switch” as the basic building block for MV/HV converters. 2) Investigation of solid dielectric system and electric-field (E-field) shaping design methodologies for internal/external PD-free high-density power electronics integration; 3) Investigation of MV conductive EMI noise containment and EMI filter design. In the program, comprehensive real-time digital dynamic voltage balancing solutions for MV SiC MOSFETs in series will be explored. Characterization and design tools of HV converter integration considering E-field stress Management and PD mitigation will be developed. In the end, HV planar EMI filter with HV feed-through connector for high-frequency converter with integrated EM shielding solution will be developed. The proposed program will collaborate with the researchers with the expertise on power device physics, solid and gaseous dielectric materials and HV insulation, and EMI to create fundamental cross-domain knowledge, design tools, innovative solutions, and education materials.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.