Variable compensation networks for providing the highest power transfer at any operating condition

Project description

Wireless power transfer (WPT) has gained popularity because it presents several advantages over the power transfer through cable. As an example, it provides galvanic insulation between the power transmitter and the receiver, which avoids dangerous situations related to cables carrying high voltage and currents, especially in wet weather.

For what concern electric vehicles (EVs), WPT is used for battery charging which can be either static (while the EV is parked) or dynamic (on-road charging). The possibility of wireless on-road charging for private EVs is fundamental because charging via the overhead cables used by public transportation would not be a feasible solution. Moreover, on-road charging would reduce the required size of the battery.

In the last decade, considerable research has been executed on EVs wireless charging, which focuses on suitable power electronics topologies, compensation networks, and control strategies. However, there is still room for maximizing the WPT efficiency. Nowadays, the WPT efficiency is found close to 97%, and in future, this should be close to 99%. It is essential to execute in-depth research on the topic, which depends on both the engineering design skills and availability of new circuit component materials to achieve such superior performance.  Finding the optimum solution is critical if all the possible conditions are considered, such as the variable coupling between the transmitter and receiver coils, and the variable equivalent load while the battery is charging. Moreover, most of the theoretical analysis found in the literature assume that the transmitter and the receiver are always tuned at the frequency. Nevertheless, in reality, the circuit parameters are not fixed, leading to frequency mismatch and losses in the power transfer.

The Ph.D. candidate will focus on variable compensation networks for the transmitter and receiver coils, such that they are tuned at the same frequency at any operating condition, for both static and dynamic charging. In this way, the power transfer and, consequently, the efficiency are maximized. This research also covers control strategies and communication between transmitter and receiver, used in combination with the variable compensation networks.

PhD candidate:

Francesca Grazian F.Grazian@tudelft.nl

Supervisors:

Peter van Duijsen P.J.vanDuijsen@tudelft.nl

Thiago Batista Soeiro T.BatistaSoeiro@tudelft.nl

Promoter:

Pavol Bauer P.Bauer@tudelft.nl