Power Integration by Multifunctional Molding

电感和变压器等磁性元件是商用电源不可缺少的部件。尽管它们经常被指责为阻碍了更高的功率密度，但实际上磁性体积可能比未使用的空间和产品外壳占用的体积小。如果通过将磁能存储或功能集成到外壳和未使用的空间中来消除离散的电感和变压器，则转换器的尺寸将显著缩小。由于外壳通常是通过在电源转换器上成型保护性的非磁性化合物来实现的，因此该项目将寻求采用具有磁性的成型材料的创新。在变流器上成型这种多功能材料，将形成保护壳和磁性部件，实现“多功能成型电力一体化”。学生对新材料和整合的亲和力将被用来与他人分享研究机会和成果。为实现上述愿景而建设的多学科工程套件预计将成为吸引新本科生进入电气和材料工程及科学领域的磁石，吸引大三和大四学生进入研究生院学习，并促进多样性。工程套件将作为校园测试设施，用于实验室实验，涵盖磁性材料、模塑树脂、耦合磁场、电力电子电路和顶石设计项目。“科学人”是弗吉尼亚理工大学科学工程专业的本科生，他们将与研究生研究助理合作，协助进行模拟和实验验证。研究的目标是将储能功能集成到电源模块的封装外壳中，从而减少材料消耗，并可能简化制造过程。预计将在材料和电气工程、教育和应用方面做出根本性贡献。集机械/化学(保护)和电气(储能)功能于一体的封装材料将利用低温和低压合成。具有未知电磁特性的多磁性模块(MMM)和设计方法将被设计出来，以利用这种材料。电力电子转换器的可设计性应在磁介质存在的情况下进行评估。要综合转换器拓扑以利用MMM内部的场耦合。所有基本的进步都是最终以更少的材料和成本制造多磁体模块的过程。除了上面提到的教育努力外，负载点转换器和电池充电器将被打包成半组装的模块，由加强工程多样性中心的高中生在夏季完成，这是弗吉尼亚理工大学招募和培训不同背景的工程师的努力的一部分。

Magnetic components such as inductors and transformers are indispensable parts of commercial power supplies. Although they are often blamed as a hindrance toward higher power density, the magnetic volumes could actually be less than those occupied by the unused spaces and the product's housing. Converter size will shrink significantly if the discrete inductors and transformers are eliminated by integrating magnetic energy storage or functionalities into the housing and unused spaces. Since the housing is often realized by molding a protective, non-magnetic compound over the power converter, this project will pursue the innovation of incorporating a molding material that has magnetic properties. Molding such multifunctional material over the converter will form both the protective housing and the magnetic components, realizing "power integration by multifunctional molding ". Students affinity to new materials and to integration will be leveraged to share research opportunities and results with others. Construction of a multi-disciplinary engineering suite to realize the visions outlined above is expected to be a magnet attracting new undergraduates into electrical and material engineering and science, enticing juniors and seniors to graduate school, and promoting diversity. The engineering suite will serve as a campus test facility for laboratory experiments covering magnetic materials, molding resins, coupled magnetic fields, power-electronic circuits, and capstone design projects. "Scieneers," undergraduates in Virginia Tech's Scieneering program, will team with graduate research assistants to assist in simulation and experimental validation.The objective of the research is to integrate energy-storage function into the encapsulating case of power module, thereby reducing material usage and possibly simplifying manufacturing process. Fundamental contributions are anticipated in materials and electrical engineering, education, and application. Encapsulation material that integrates mechanical/chemical (protective) and electrical (energy storage) functions are to be synthesized using low temperature and low pressure. Multi-magnetics module (MMM) with unexplored electromagnetic properties and design methodology are to be devised to take advantage of such material. Designability of power-electronic converters are to be assessed the presence of magnetic medium. Converter topologies are to be synthesized to leverage the field couplings inside an MMM. All fundamental advances are to culminate in a manufacturing process of multi-magnetics module with less materials and cost, possibly. In addition to the educational efforts noted above, point-of-load converters and battery chargers will be packaged into semi-assembled modules to be completed by the Center for Enhancement of Engineering Diversity's high school students in the summer as a part of Virginia Tech's effort to recruit and train engineers of diverse backgrounds.