Solid State Power Controller Research Articles

Constant Current Precharging Algorithm for Solid State Power Controllers

Constant Current Precharging Algorithm for Solid State Power Controllers

Design and Implementation of a Generalized Safety Fault Diagnosis System for China Space Station Scientific Experimental Rack.

As astronauts stay in the China Space Station for a long time during the operation phase, how to ensure the long-term safety of the scientific experimental rack (SER) in the field of space application is a problem that needs to be solved urgently. Each SER in the field of space station applications is a complex system that faces risks from different hazards. At present, there is no generalized monitoring and diagnosis system for the common risks faced by the SER. In this paper, a generalized safety fault diagnosis system is proposed to ensure the long-term safe and stable work of SERs in orbit, considering the actual risks faced by the SER. With the design of a generalized main control board, a measurement and control board, and an SSPC (solid-state power controller) board, the software and hardware cooperate to realize the acquisition of various physical quantities, data processing, power supply and distribution management, and other functions. Combined with relevant fault detection algorithms, the real-time detection and diagnosis of the relevant risks, abnormality warnings, and fault disposal operations are realized, which can effectively ensure the safety of the payloads in the field of space application, astronauts, and the space-station system.

Key technologies for airworthiness compliance verification of the solid-state power controller

Solid-state power distribution technology has advantages such as lightweight, automation, high power quality, and high fault tolerance, which has a very broad prospect. As the core device of solid-state power distribution technology, the application of the solid-state power controller (SSPP) is faced with the challenge that it is difficult to use the traditional compliance verification methods to demonstrate compliance with relevant airworthiness regulations in the application process. Based on the C919 aircraft power distribution system, this article proposed corresponding compliance verification methods, which combine explanation, analysis, and test verification, to confirm and validate the relevant functions, performance, and impact after the failure of SSPC. This may provide a reference for the development of related technologies in the future.

Design and modeling of an all-solid-state high power bidirectional DC switch

In order to improve the reliability of the aircraft ring network power distribution system for the future development needs of advanced multi-power and all-power aircraft, a design scheme of an all-solid-state high-power bidirectional DC switch is proposed to upgrade the aircraft power distribution system originally composed of traditional mechanical switches and some low-power solid-state power controllers to an all-solid-state aircraft power distribution system. The solid-state high-power bi-directional DC switch uses SiC MOSFETs as switching elements is modeled and simulated by Saber simulation software and uses reverse time overcurrent protection and short circuit protection design to realize high voltage control distribution, circuit protection, and fault isolation functions. The simulation verifies that the designed all-solid-state high-power bidirectional DC switch has short-circuit protection and overcurrent protection intelligent protection functions. Applying the design to the aircraft distribution loop network greatly enhances the reliability of the aircraft distribution system drives the development of aircraft multi-electricity-all-electricity technology, and also promotes the application of digital solid-state series modular switches in civil transportation and high-voltage power supply fields.

Thermal analysis for SSPC based on a novel hybrid cooling design embedded with automatic access of PCM under different currents

In this work, a novel series thermal design scheme based on an automatic control hybrid cooling system is proposed for sudden high-current thermal shocks on SSPC (Solid State Power Controller) modules under steady-state operation. Since the hybrid cooling system combines the liquid cooling (LC) layer and PCM layer through the costal columns, it is called LC - PCM hybrid cooling system, providing the cooperation scheme of active and passive cooling to cool the high heating area of SSPC effectively when subjected to high current impacts. The thermal management behavior of the hybrid cooling system is compared numerically with that of employing LC for three thermal management strategies, including pure liquid cooling under one-time current (1C), triggered PCM hybrid cooling under twice the current (2C), and complete PCM hybrid cooling under triple the current (3C). The conclusions indicate that with the automatic and sequential access of PCM under 2C and 3C, using a hybrid cooling system leads to a reduction in Tmax rise by 21.8% and 18.1%, respectively. Moreover, the maximum temperature difference of each chip decreases by 4.4 K under the impact of 3C. Furthermore, some key operation conditions on the thermal control performance are also discussed. The costal columns play a crucial role in the integrated hybrid cooling system with PCM automatic access, enabling the cooling system to activate and regulate automatically under different currents.

Real-Time Extraction of SiC mosfets’ Degradation Features Under Improved Accelerated Power Cycling Tests for DC-SSPC Application

The SiC MOSFET is a key component of the DC Solid-State Power Controller (DC-SSPC). The reliability of DC SSPCs can be improved by real-time online monitoring the degradation of SiC MOSFETs. At present, the degradation of SiC MOSFETs can be indirectly monitored using thermo-sensitive electrical parameters(TSEPs), however, their degradation can cause non-negligible measurement errors. Another limitation is that one type TSEPs can only reflect a certain form of degradation processs. Basis on this, in this paper, the real-time extraction method of SiC MOSFETs' degradation features under improved accelerated power cycling tests for DC SSPC application (i.e., average and standard deviation of on-resistance change rate ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">avgk</i> , <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">stdk</i> ) of the improved accelerated power cycling test) is proposed. The <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">avgk</i> and <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">stdk</i> can be easily obtained by simple calculations. This method can not only directly monitor the severe degradation of bonding wires, but also monitor the severe degradation of the solder layer without measuring the junction temperature ( <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T_{J}$</tex-math></inline-formula> ). Compared with the traditional solder layer degradation feature extraction method using thermal resistance which <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T_{J}$</tex-math></inline-formula> is essential, the monitoring results using the proposed method are not affected by the degradation of TSEPs. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by experiment results.

A Novel Current Limiting Protection Control Strategy by Power MOSFET Thermal Management for Solid-State Power Controller

A Novel Current Limiting Protection Control Strategy by Power MOSFET Thermal Management for Solid-State Power Controller

Fault Tolerant Power Supply for Aircraft Store Interface

This paper brings out the design of a fault-tolerant power supply unit for the aircraft-store interface. This switched mode power supply provides multiple 30 V regulated and isolated DC outputs required for pre-launch preparations and auto-launch operations of avionic sub-systems in a store. 3Ø-115V-400Hz-AC supply as well as 27V-DC supply are available from a fighter aircraft for powering up of any store. Power (wattage) output from 27V/10A DC is inadequate to power up various onboard avionic sub-systems in guided stores involving seekers and other avionics. Hence, it is planned to convert available high power 3Ø-115V-400Hz-AC supply for applications requiring higher wattages (of the order of 500 watts or more). This power supply provides multiple output options of 30V regulated and isolated DC supply with multiple input supplies from Aircraft, viz. 3Ø-115V-400Hz-AC, 1Ø-115V-400Hz-AC and 27V DC. One of the outputs provided is with hold-up capacitors, to cater for any input power interruptions as per requirements of MIL-STD-704F and GOST-19705-89 standards. This power supply is a ready-to-connect device and essentially consists of housing, components of DC to DC conversions, EMI/EMC filters, solid state power controllers, control switches, and control circuitry for monitoring signals.

Design and implementation of LTCC coreless transformers for intelligent solid-state switch

This paper designs, manufactures, and evaluates a multilayer coreless low temperature coiffed ceramic (LTCC) transformer for solid state power controller (SSPC) applications. A series of circular spiral transformers with different layers and turns are fabricated in 2 ∼ 6 layers LTCC. The transformers are simulated and analyzed by using simulation software HFSS, in which the analysis results can be used for the design basis of transformers. The comparison results of these different transformers in terms of resistance, self-loss, Q-factor, mutual inductance, coupling coefficient, and energy efficiency are presented. The working area of the best performance of these transformers for SSPC application is determined, and the IDU used in SSPC implementation based on LTCC coreless transformer is completed.

Development of High-Power Bidirectional DC Solid-State Power Controller for Aircraft Applications

The high-power solid-state power controller (SSPC) will be a critical component for the future electrified aircraft propulsion system. This article presents the development of a 1 kV 500 A bidirectional dc SSPC using SiC power modules and transient voltage suppression (TVS) diodes. The design procedure and implementation of the SSPC are presented in detail and the system level influence is discussed. Due to the limited power of a single switch, parallel and/or series connections of switches are necessary for high-power SSPCs, and the corresponding challenges are investigated with possible solutions. In addition, the high peak-to-average clamping voltage ratio caused by Ldi/dt of the turn-off current commutation and foldback characteristics of high-power TVS diodes is addressed. Finally, the testing setups for the high-power SSPC are presented, and all key functions are tested for the SSPC. The power rating and the specific power of the developed SSPC are superior to state-of-the-art counterparts to show the advantage of the developed one.

Latching Current Limiter for Space Platform Power Distribution Using a Low-Voltage p-MOSFET and a Normally-ON SiC JFET

Power distribution using latching current limiters (LCLs) [also known as solid-state power controllers (SSPCs)] is very common for 28- and 50-V bus voltage distribution on European satellite platforms. However, 100-V and even higher voltage distribution platforms generally do not employ the same approach as lower bus voltage platforms since the commonly employed p-MOSFET devices are not well suited for such voltage levels. This work introduces an LCL for 100-V distribution units using a composite power device consisting of a low-voltage p-MOSFET device and a high-voltage, normally-ON silicon carbide junction field effect transistor (SiC JFET). The description of the circuit and the experimental validation using a hypothetical class-2 (2.2–2.8 A), 100-V, LCL is discussed. In addition, in this work, two interesting characteristics are also proposed and validated, and automatic control of the tripping time depending on the overload severity and soft starts for capacitive inrush currents. Robustness and fast reaction, less than 500 ns under short-circuit conditions, have been demonstrated, as well as tight current regulation during overload faults.

Circuit and control strategy optimization of solid-state power controller for all-electric system

Solid-state power controller (SSPC) have been received increasing attention as it is vital to ensure the reliability and safety in All-electric System (AES). However, the traditional SSPC is easy to misjudge the high instantaneous current generated when capacitive or inductive load is started as load short circuit, activate tripping protection and cause misprotection. It also does not have the ability to suppress large current under short-circuit conditions. The short-circuit current may exceed the safe working range of MOSFET or generate high heat, resulting in damage to MOSFET. Therefore, this paper proposes a new SSPC circuit and control strategy to prevent false tripping protection caused by high instantaneous current and protect the device from thermal damage. In addition, this paper establishes three circuit models of capacitive load, motor and short circuit, carries out simulation analysis, and compares the traditional SSPC with the improved SSPC. The experimental results show that the method in this paper suppresses the large instantaneous current to 10A or the set value within tens of microseconds of instantaneous start-up, while the traditional method will have a steep peak and false protection. Finally, by summarizing the research results, a new anti time curve suitable for airborne equipment distribution control system is proposed.

Development of High-Current Solid-State Power Controllers for Aircraft High-Voltage DC Network Applications

Solid-state power controllers (SSPCs) have been received increasing attention as they can configure the electrical system and protect the system by fast tripping mechanism at the same time. Although the high-voltage direct current (HVDC) electrical system can bring sustainable savings on the cables' weight and losses, the protection can be considerably challenging. SSPCs have been successfully utilized for 28V DC aircraft onboard network. However, high-voltage ones are impeded by the vast over-voltage and the excessive losses generated from SSPC switching. This paper tries to fill this gap and presents the development of high-power SSPCs for a ±270VDC network of a future turboprop aircraft. Comprehensive designs of proper over-voltage suppression along with SSPC thermal management are presented in this paper. Besides, a comparative study on the SSPC device is carried out. Two prototypes, including a single MOSFET module and paralleling several discrete MOSFET devices, are built and then tested in the experiment. It has been validated that the proposed voltage clamping design cannot only effectively suppress the over-voltage, but also limit the SSPC temperature increase during switching for both candidates. After comparing the conduction losses, maximum junction temperature, power density, weight and volume, the single device solution is recommended as a preferable SSPC option for future aircraft.

Online Accurate Measurement of Steady-Thermal Resistance of SiC MOSFETs for DC Solid-State Power Controller

The steady-state thermal resistance R <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">th</sub> is the key characteristic of SiC MOSFETs, usually used as a failure indicator. Due to the operating mode of SiC MOSFETs in the dc solid-state power controller (dc-SSPC), the junction temperature measurement based on the steady on-state resistance R <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">dson</sub> of SiC MOSFETs is vital to the accurate online measurement of R <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">th</sub> . The accuracy of a digital oscilloscope is limited by its analog-to-digital converter; therefore, a drain-source voltage clamp circuit (DVCC) needs to be employed for the accurate online R <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">dson</sub> measurement. However, conventional DVCCs are unsuitable for either the use over a wide range of operating temperature T <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">w</sub> or the integration into the dc-SSPC due to their bulk package. Therefore, in this article, a new design of DVCC is proposed that commonly used small-sized components can be easily integrated into the dc-SSPC with a little impact on its overall volume and can accurately perform the online R <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">dson</sub> measurement. The experimental results verify the high R <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">dson</sub> measurement accuracy (<; 0.6%) of the proposed DVCC over a wide T <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">w</sub> range (25-100 °C), as well as, the accurate online measurement of R <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">th</sub> with an accuracy of 2.3%. The application of the proposed DVCC in the accelerated power cycling tests highlights its potential in the lifetime prediction.

A Method of DC Arc Detection in All-Electric Aircraft

Arc faults in an aircraft’s power distribution system (PDS) often leads to cable and equipment damage, which seriously threatens the personal safety of the passengers and pilots. An accurate and real-time arc fault detection method is needed for the Solid-State Power Controller (SSPC), which is a key protection equipment in a PDS. In this paper, a new arc detection method is proposed based on the improved LeNet5 Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model after a Time–Frequency Analysis (TFA) of the DC currents was obtained, which makes the arc detection more real-time. The CNN is proposed to detect the DC arc fault for its advantage in recognizing more time–frequency joint details in the signals; the new structure also combines the adaptive and multidimensional advantages of the TFA and image intelligent recognition. It is confirmed by experimental data that the combined TFA–CNN can distinguish arc faults accurately when the whole training database has been repeatedly trained 3 to 5 times. For the TFA, two kinds of methods were compared, the Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT) and Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT). The results show that DWT is more suitable for DC arc fault detection. The experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Drain–Source Voltage Clamp Circuit for Online Accurate ON-State Resistance Measurement of SiC MOSFETs in DC Solid-State Power Controller

To obtain the online ON-state resistance ( ${\text{R}}_{\mathrm {dson}}$ ) of the SiC power MOSFET, during its operation in the dc solid-state-power controller (dc-SSPC), the drain current ( ${\text{I}}_{d}$ ) and the ON-state voltage ( ${\text{V}}_{\mathrm {dson}}$ ) need to be accurately measured in real time. Compared to that of ${\text{I}}_{d}$ , the measurement of ${\text{V}}_{\mathrm {dson}}$ needs to solve more problems, i.e., the high accuracy, the influence of the operating temperature ( ${\text{T}}_{w}$ ), and the high OFF-state voltage. The drain–source voltage clamp circuit (DVCC) can be accurately used to measure ${\text{R}}_{\mathrm {dson}}$ at low operating temperatures. However, the SiC power MOSFETs, owning the low ${\text{R}}_{\mathrm {dson}}$ characteristics, in the dc-SSPC often operate at the high ${\text{T}}_{w}$ . Under this high ${\text{T}}_{w}$ , the existing DVCCs cannot perform well and give inaccurate measurements of ${\text{V}}_{\mathrm {dson}}$ in real time. Therefore, this article presents an innovative design of the DVCC with improved real-time measurement accuracy ( ${\text{T}}_{w}$ range (25 °C–100 °C). The DVCC is analyzed and tested by integrating into a dc-SSPC for measuring the online ${\text{R}}_{\mathrm {dson}}$ of the SiC power MOSFET at the high ${\text{T}}_{w}$ of 100 °C. The experimental results validate the accuracy of the proposed DVCC-based measurement method and highlight the potential for its use in the accurate junction temperature measurement.

A fast arc fault detection method for AC solid state power controllers in MEA

Arc fault detection is desperately required in Solid State Power Controllers (SSPC) in addition to their fundamental functions because arcs will provoke growing harm and threat to aircraft safety. Experimental study has been done to obtain the faulted current data. In order to improve the detection speed and accuracy, two fast arc fault detection methods have been proposed in this paper with the analysis of only half cycle data. Both Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Wavelet Packets Decomposition (WPD) have been adopted to distinguish arc fault currents from normal operation currents. Analysis results show that Alternating Current (AC) arcs can be effectively and accurately detected with the proposed half cycle data based methods. Moreover, experimental verification results have also been provided.

ПЕРСПЕКТИВНЫЕ НАПРАВЛЕНИЯ УЛУЧШЕНИЯ ЭНЕРГОПТИМАЛЬНЫХ ПАРАМЕТРОВ И ТЯГОВЫХ СВОЙСТВ ЛОКОМОТИВОВ

Objective: To develop and justify energy-efficient and energy-saving control technology of traction electric drive with maximum realization of traction properties. Methods: Mathematical modeling, experimental manufacturing of prototypes of the converters and control system. Results: Theoretical justification was presented, based on refinement of the theory of energy processes in electrical circuits with solid state power controllers. It was proposed to apply electrical resistance of elements in electric power systems as a power control parameter instead of the conventional voltage. It was revealed that, in contrast to the existing analogues, semiconductor power regulators of different application with a new control parameter acquire the property of the electric variator. Technical solutions for manufacturing an innovative traction electric rolling stock were introduced with the use of advanced technical solutions of power control with adaptive control system that provides improved traction properties without shortening irreversible transformation of electric energy of power semiconductor devices. As an example, the solutions involving artificial intelligence in control systems of complex technical systems were presented, based on graphics processors, neural networks, providing parallel processing of large information arrays. Practical importance: Introduction of electric solid state variable speed with adaptive, intelligent control systems will significantly raise energy efficiency and improve the implementation of traction parameters of the locomotive.

History of Aircraft Wiring Arc-Fault Protection [History

In both new and aging military and civilian aircraft, all critical power wiring has been typically protected against overheating by using combinations of thermal and magnetic circuit breakers or solid-state power controllers (SSPCs). However, the conventional types of these protective devices do not detect and react to hazardous arcing faults, and it is important that they do so to mitigate the risk of aircraft fires caused by aging, damaged insulation, wire chafing, wire breakage, chemical exposure, maintenance procedures, and contamination. Most aircraft electrical systems operate at 115 Vac, 400 Hz, both single and three phase. In addition to this ac power, they utilize 28 Vdc. Hazardous arcing faults can occur in all these power systems between parallel conductors, to ground, or in series (due to a broken or frayed wire or at a loose connection).

Silicon Carbide and Magnetorresistive Technologies for Solid State Power Controllers

The aim of this paper is to make an introduction, review and preliminary investigation tasks of the application of Silicon Carbide (SiC) power semiconductors and magnetoresistive (MR) current sensors for Solid State Power Controllers (SSPCs) and controlled switches, especially for high temperature environment and/or high voltage applications.