Project Title:

DC/DC Converters for Dual-Voltage Electrical Systems

Principal Investigators:

David Perreault

Research Staff:

Timothy Neugebauer
Albert Chow
Joshua Phinney

Sponsor:

MIT/Industry Consortium on Advanced Automotive Electrical/Electronic Components and Systems

Program Areas:

Advanced Automotive Electrical/Electronic Components and Systems
Power Electronics and Control

Duration:

September 1997 -

Abstract:

In the future, automotive electrical systems will have a 42-volt bus in addition to the 14-volt bus employed at present. This will require the introduction of new power conversion electronics in automobiles. Power conversion in the automotive environment is very challenging because the electronics must operate under harsh environmental conditions (e.g., high temperatures) with very tight electromagnetic interference (EMI) specifications, and under very tight cost constraints. The purpose of this research is to investigate the design of dc/dc converters for dual-voltage electrical systems and to develop fundamental technologies that facilitate their use in this application.

This research has taken a number of directions. We are developing power converters tailored to this application. Some of our initial prototypes have already undergone extensive testing in dual-voltage electrical systems. We are also engaged in developing a CAD optimization tool to assist in the optimized design of converters for this application. In addition to enabling the development of highly optimized converters, this tool is useful for exploring the impact of system-level design choices on converter size, weight, and cost. Finally, we are also investigating new technologies to reduce the size, weight, and cost of converters in this application. Techniques we are investigating include the development of active filters for the reduction of ripple and EMI components in converters.

References and Links:

MIT/Industry Consortium on Advanced Automotive Electrical/Electronic Components and Systems

Publications:

1. M. Zhu, D.J. Perreault, V. Caliskan, T.C. Neugebauer, S. Guttowski, and J.G. Kassakian, “Design and Evaluation of an Active Ripple Filter with Rogowski-Coil Current Sensing,” 1999 IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference, 1999, pp. 874-880.