PhD student Peter Xiao with Advisor K. Haran This project, supported by POETS and shown in Figure 1, aims to develop a superconducting rotor with low thermal leakage refrigerated by a rotating cryocooler. Risk reductions have been performed through experiments on both the low-leakage suspension system and rotating cryocooler. In the past year, the cryocooler […]
Portable, Low-field, Open-Bore MRI
MS student Yaokun Shi with Advisor K. Haran This research, funded by the Grainger CEME, discusses changes and advances in a portable MRI device. While maintaining the rotational spatial encodings as embedded gradients in the base magnetic field, the cylindrical magnets have been replaced by an array of cubic magnets to increase the field-of-view of […]
Dual-Use of Onboard Chargers to Achieve Controllable DC Bus Voltage for Variable-Pole Induction Motors in Traction Applications
PhD student Anuj Maheshwari with Advisor A. Banerjee Drive-train efficiency and power density are crucial for improving the range of electric vehicles. Variable-pole induction machines (VPIMs) have been shown to be a viable replacement for permanent magnet motors. They can achieve the torque-speed requirement of electric vehicles, even at high speeds, without oversizing the drivetrain […]
Contextual Evaluation of Alternatives to the Maximum-demand Charges for Electric Vehicle Charging
PhD student Talal Khalid with Advisor K. Haran Maximum-demand charges (MDCs) are a widely recognized barrier to the profitable operation of electric vehicle fast-charging facilities (EVFCFs) across the US. Under this structure, the sudden, massive peaks in power demand due to multiple EVs charging simultaneously, and the correspondingly high MDC, pose serious concerns to EVFCF’s […]
Smart Local Meter Design for Public EV Charging
MS student Raya Mahony with Advisor P. Krein Implementing convenient, cost-effective public charging infrastructure for passenger electric vehicles is critical to enable widespread adoption. We propose a simple smart-meter design for conventional 120V or 240V electrical receptacles to support sufficient energy transfer to meet the needs of 95% of daily driving. Generously funded by the […]
A 7-Level Interleaved Hybrid Active-Neutral-Point Clamped Converter for High-Frequency Low-Inductance Motors
MS student Arjit Bali with Advisor A. Stillwell Electric vehicle and electric aviation applications require lightweight electro-mechanical energy conversion, however, passive components in the drive system can constrain the power density. Slotless machine construction can attain high power density, but such designs result in very low per-phase machine inductances. The reduced inductance imposes additional filtering […]
Modeling and Dynamic Control of a Novel Converter for Data Center Power Delivery
MS student William Vavrik with Advisor A. Stillwell Modern processor loads place stringent power delivery demands on power density, efficiency, and dynamic performance. In previous work, a current-sourced hybrid switched-capacitor converter design was presented with all converter magnetics located at the input. However, to be able to regulate these loads and respond to dynamic situations, […]
Current-Sourced Hybrid Switched Capacitor Converter for Data Center Power Delivery
PhD student Aria Delmar with Advisor A. Stillwell Delivering power to processors in data centers presents the challenge of completing a high-conversion step-down to a low voltage (1 or 2V) for a given power demand (100-500W). As processor technology trends towards higher power levels with low processor voltage levels, an alternative method for delivering the […]
AC Loss Modeling and Active Shielding of Superconducting Machines
MS student Michael Stoens with Advisor K. Haran Superconducting technology stands poised to revolutionize the landscape of electric machines, promising unprecedented levels of efficiency and power density. This research is focused on two pivotal domains within ongoing superconducting machine advancement: AC loss modeling and active shielding. AC losses, stemming from the interaction of superconductors with […]
Assessing Reliability of a SiC MOSFET During Converter Operation
PhD student Furkan Karakaya with Advisor A. Banerjee Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFETs are being widely adopted in the industry as a viable substitute for conventianal power transistors, due to their superior figure-of-merit and compact, efficient power conversion. However, the relatively novel manufacturing technology of these devices raises questions regarding long-term reliability, as SiC devices have […]