51
Low
Cost, Modular Power Converter-Building Blocks--Airak,
Inc., 9058 Euclid Avenue, Manassas, VA 20110-5308;
703-330-4961, www.airak.com
Mr.
Paul Grems Duncan, Principal Investigator,
Mr.
Paul Grems Duncan, Business Official,
DOE
Grant No. DE-FG02-03ER83601
Amount:
$750,000
In the past, power converter/inverter designs (such as those used in
electric or hybrid electric vehicles) tended to be application-specific
engineering projects, which limited their utility because the low-volume
production of specialized power conversion equipment significantly increased
design risk and development cost. On
the other hand, today's power electronics technologies lend themselves well to
modularity, which will result in systems with decreased production costs and
greater reliability. This project
will develop standardized 100kW and 1MW power electronic modules for
converter/inverter applications. Modular
converters/inverters will be demonstrated in various configurations to prove the
viability of standardized power converter components for multiple and diverse
applications. Phase I developed
scaling rules for the implementation of power conversion technologies over 50
kW. Partitioning rules concerning
device technology, optical technologies, and scalability techniques with respect
to power level and reliability were considered.
A plan for cost-effectively developing reliable, modular 100 kW/phase and
1MW/phase power converters was produced. In
Phase II, power converter/inverter building blocks will be produced.
Six 100 kW/phase modules and six 1 MW/phase modules will be manufactured,
configured, and tested to prove the standardization approach.
System costs will be detailed and compared to known pricing structures.
Commercial
Applications and Other Benefits as
described by awardee: A
modular three-phase voltage source inverter should offer significant benefits
over current application-specific designs, including
flexibility for different power levels, high reliability of
optimized individual modules, and cost reduction through high volume manufacturing.
The modular approach should be applicable to various power
storage and generation technologies including fuel cells, fly wheels, solar
arrays, and wind generation.