With the rise of electrification, power electronics is a growing industry. Inverters, a class of power converters, are used in applications such as power conditioning and renewable generation to create an AC output from a DC source. An ideal inverter will create a purely AC output, but in practical systems a DC offset can exist. This DC component can lead to a circulating DC current, decrementing the system performance. As such, the measurement of the circulating DC current is important to help improve system performance. Measuring the circulating DC current can be challenging, as the AC current can be orders of magnitude larger than the DC current. Consequently, methods proposed to-date are complex and costly to implement. This project aims to research and then develop a low-cost method to accurately measure the DC circulating currents generated by a high-power inverter, similar to a one that may be employed in a renewable generation or power conditioning system. After conducting a detailed literature research, the project would investigate both electronic and electro-mechanical measurement techniques using multi-physics simulations. Finally, a proof of concept for a current probe that meets the requirements listed below, will be designed, built and characterized to confirm the viability of our proposed solution. Maximum AC Current Sense: 150 Arms Maximum DC Current Sense: 10 A DC Current Accuracy: ±1 A Isolation Rating: 22 kV This project is in collaboration with ABB Napier.
Undergraduate
Review of available methods to sense small DC offsets in large AC currents Development of multi-physics simulation models to verify methods of sensing Design of a proof of concept to verify theoretical knowledge and simulations Prototyping and testing to validate functionality
None
No lab has been assigned to this project