Guest Editorial Special Issue on Capacitively Coupled Power Conversion Systems

Abstract

For nearly 200 years, magnetic induction has been the bedrock of electrical and electromechanical power conversion. During this time, systems largely comprised of copper coils and permeable cores have been used to facilitate power conversion whether electrical (e.g., transformers) or electromechanical (e.g., machines). While physics has long indicated that systems based on electrostatic fields (2-D capacitively coupled surfaces, rather than 3-D magnetic cores) are possible, the practical deployment of these approaches has been limited. The limitation manifests from an orders of magnitude deficiency in field energy density when compared to magnetic systems in the open air. However, this disparity is eroding with the rise of wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors, high dielectric constant materials and additive manufacturing, among other advances. Recent works have demonstrated that capacitively coupled wireless power transfer systems for personal electronics, small vehicles and industrial automation are possible and efficient. Electric machines have been shown to be 3-D printed entirely from plastic and robotic capacitive grippers can hold surfaces with little to no input power. These devices use WBG electronics and advanced passive components to support their high voltage nature.