Micro-Systems for Power Systems and Low Loss Conductors

建议的研究领域是微系统在智能电网、交直流混合电源技术和微电网公用网络中的应用。智能电网是一个广泛的概念，它包括整个配电网中传感器的集成。电网的现代化有几个方面和目标，包括对潮流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）表明公共安全需要应急能力。停电和电力质量问题每年给北美企业造成的损失超过1000亿美元。由于不断增长的能源需求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。替代能源正在增加，一些能源如风能和太阳能不具备持续输送能力。混合交流/直流电网是一个渐进的过渡，涉及本地安装的交流和直流网络的组合，通过减少对有损耗的交流/直流功率转换的需求来最大化效率。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。固态变压器为微电网提供了重要的性能优势，并且在kHz频率下运行时体积小。然而，大电流应用需要中间60 Hz级，以防止导体上的趋肤效应引起的电阻损耗增加，从而增加其成本。***智能电网和混合交/直流网络需要一种新型的传感器能够测量直流参数，而不是交流参数。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。微型传感器提供了独特的解决方案，由于其体积小，功耗低，使其成为距离城市中心100公里的基础设施长期运行的理想选择。还将对新型层状金属介电层压导体进行研究，以减轻趋肤效应，从而实现低电阻损耗的千赫频率导体。重点将放在微电网电路、千赫传输线和多导体电缆的导体上。这些新的导体拓扑结构将成为大功率实用电路和电缆的新概念。此外，它们为MEMS行业提供了未来的平台技术，可应用于RF MEMS和传感器系统，以及新兴的太赫兹系统

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.**