A Multiport DC Transformer to Enable Flexible Scalable DC as a Service

Mickael J. Mauger, Vikram Roy Chowdhury, Prasad Kandula, Deepak Divan

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

The rapid adoption of new DC loads and sources, including photovoltaic arrays, DC fast charging of electric vehicle, battery energy storage and data centers, requires a large amount of DC power conversion. A majority of new deployments also necessitate the integration of multiple DC loads and sources at one site. The traditional approach to serve these new applications relies on multiple standard power converters, each dedicated to a source or load, and results in highly customized systems, with challenging control coordination, complex protection strategies, and poor scalability. Instead, this paper proposes the concept of a multiport DC transformer (MDCT) as a modular building block for realizing a flexible, scalable DC as a Service system and address this rapidly growing need. The MDCT uses the S4T to achieve very tight control of cycle-by-cycle energy exchange between multiple ports, with high efficiency. A single multiport converter replaces 4-6 distinct converters, integrates all energy flows and manages protection. A new layered control architecture is introduced to ensure stability and scalability of the MDCT, with multiple S4T power converter building blocks connected in parallel to realize a fully modular system and reach the target power levels.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication2021 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition, ECCE 2021 - Proceedings
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages1197-1204
Number of pages8
ISBN (Electronic)9781728151359
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021
Externally publishedYes
Event13th IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition, ECCE 2021 - Virtual, Online, Canada
Duration: Oct 10 2021Oct 14 2021

Publication series

Name2021 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition, ECCE 2021 - Proceedings

Conference

Conference13th IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition, ECCE 2021
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityVirtual, Online
Period10/10/2110/14/21

Funding

This work was carried out at the Center for Distributed Energy, Georgia Institute of Technology. The project was partially funded by the Department of Energy Solar Energy Technology Office under award DE-EE0008351.

FundersFunder number
Solar Energy Technologies OfficeDE-EE0008351

    Keywords

    • Current Source Inverter
    • DC as a Service
    • DCaaS
    • MDCT
    • S4T
    • ZVS.
    • modular power converter
    • multiport converter
    • soft-switching
    • solid-state transformer

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