Micro-Systems for Power Systems and Low Loss Conductors

拟议的研究是在该地区的微系统与应用智能电网，混合AC/DC电源技术，和微电网公用事业网络。智能电网是一个广泛的概念，它包括在整个配电网中集成传感器。电网的现代化有几个方面和目标，包括对电力流量和电网基础设施的智能监控，提高可靠性和降低成本。智能电网的努力有几个驱动力。最近的天气事件（热浪、冰暴）表明，公共安全需要紧急应变能力。停电和电力质量问题每年给北美企业造成超过1000亿美元的损失。由于能源需求不断增长和部署新基础设施的成本不断增加，现有电网基础设施的压力越来越大。正在增加替代能源，其中一些能源，如风能和太阳能，不具有连续输送能力。混合交流/直流电网是一个渐进的过渡，涉及在本地安装的组合交流和直流网络，以最大限度地提高效率，通过减少对有损交流/直流功率转换的需要。混合网络受到多种力量的推动，包括直流替代能源（光伏、高效风力涡轮机、电池和燃料电池存储）、固态LED照明、电动汽车和使用直流电源的消费电子产品。本地微电网公用事业网络提供对负载和发电机的精细控制，从而实现更高的可靠性，降低成本和能源多样化。固态变压器在kHz频率下运行时，可为微电网网络提供重要的性能优势和小尺寸。然而，高电流应用需要中间60 Hz级，以防止由导体上的集肤效应引起的电阻损耗增加，从而增加其成本。 智能电网和混合AC/DC网络需要能够测量DC参数的新型传感器，而不是AC参数。本研究将开发所需的微型传感器，重点是直流电场和磁场测量，以及远程电压和电流测量。微型传感器提供独特的解决方案，由于其体积小，功耗低，使其成为通常位于距离城市中心100公里的基础设施中长期运行的理想选择。还将对新型分层金属-电介质层压导体进行研究，以减轻趋肤效应，实现低电阻损耗kHz频率导体。重点将放在微电网电路，kHz传输线和多导体电缆的导体上。这些新的导体拓扑结构将是高功率公用电路和布线中的新概念。此外，它们还将成为MEMS行业的未来平台技术，应用于RF MEMS和传感器系统以及新兴的TeraHertz系统。

The proposed research is in the area of micro-systems with application to Smart Grid, hybrid ac/dc power technologies, and microgrid utility networks. The Smart Grid is a broad concept, which includes integration of sensors throughout the electrical distribution grid. This modernization of the electricity network has several aspects and goals, including intelligent monitoring of power flow and grid infrastructure, increased reliability, and reduced cost. The Smart Grid effort has several driving forces. Recent weather events (heat waves, ice storms) have demonstrated the public safety need for emergency resilience. Outages and power quality issues cost North American businesses more than $100 billion per year. Existing grid infrastructure is ever more stressed, due to increasing energy demand and increasing costs to deploy new infrastructure. Alternative energy sources are being added, with some sources such as wind and solar not having continuous delivery capability. The hybrid ac/dc power grid is an evolutionary transition, involving combined ac and dc networks in local installations, to maximize efficiency by reducing the need for lossy ac/dc power conversion. Hybrid networks are being driven by many forces, including dc alternative energy sources (photovoltaic, high efficiency wind turbines, battery and fuel cell storage), solid state LED lighting, electric vehicles, and consumer electronics which run on dc power. Local microgrid utility networks offer fine control of loads and generators, enabling greater reliability, cost reduction, and energy source diversification. Solid state transformers offer microgrid networks important performance benefits and small size when operating at kHz frequencies. However, high current applications require an intermediate 60 Hz stage to prevent increased resistive losses caused by skin effect on conductors, adding to their cost. Smart Grid and hybrid ac/dc networks require a new class of sensors capable of measuring dc parameters, as opposed to ac parameters. This research will develop needed micro-sensors, with focus on dc electric and magnetic field measurement, and remote voltage and current measurement. Micro-sensors offer unique solutions, due to their small size and low power needs, making them ideal for long term operation in infrastructure that is often located 100’s of km from urban centres. Research will also be undertaken on novel layered metal-dielectric laminate conductors, for skin effect mitigation to enable low resistive loss kHz frequency conductors. Focus will be on conductors for microgrid circuits, kHz transmission lines, and multi-conductor cables. These new conductor topologies would be a new concept in high power utility circuits and cabling. Furthermore, they offer to be a future platform technology for the MEMS industry, with application to RF MEMS and sensor systems, and emerging TeraHertz systems.