Fei Wang

Bio: Fei Wang is an academic researcher from University of Tennessee. The author has contributed to research in topics: Power module & Inductor. The author has an hindex of 32, co-authored 73 publications receiving 3560 citations. Previous affiliations of Fei Wang include Virginia Tech.

A High Power Density Single-Phase PWM Rectifier With Active Ripple Energy Storage

Abstract: It is well known that single-phase pulse width modulation rectifiers have second-order harmonic currents and corresponding ripple voltages on the dc bus. The low-frequency harmonic current is normally filtered using a bulk capacitor in the bus, which results in low power density. However, pursuing high power density in converter design is a very important goal in the aerospace applications. This paper studies methods for reducing the energy storage capacitor for single-phase rectifiers. The minimum ripple energy storage requirement is derived independently of a specific topology. Based on the minimum ripple energy requirement, the feasibility of the active capacitor's reduction schemes is verified. Then, we propose a bidirectional buck-boost converter as the ripple energy storage circuit, which can effectively reduce the energy storage capacitance. The analysis and design are validated by simulation and experimental results.

A di/dt Feedback-Based Active Gate Driver for Smart Switching and Fast Overcurrent Protection of IGBT Modules

Abstract: This paper presents an active gate driver (AGD) for IGBT modules to improve their overall performance under normal condition as well as fault condition. Specifically, during normal switching transients, a di/dt feedback controlled current source and current sink is introduced together with a push-pull buffer for dynamic gate current control. Compared to a conventional gate drive strategy, the proposed one has the capability of reducing the switching loss, delay time, and Miller plateau duration during turn-on and turn-off transient without sacrificing current and voltage stress. Under overcurrent condition, it provides a fast protection function for IGBT modules based on the evaluation of fault current level through the di/dt feedback signal. Moreover, the AGD features flexible protection modes, which overcomes the interruption of converter operation in the event of momentary short circuits. A step-down converter is built to evaluate the performance of the proposed driving schemes under various conditions, considering variation of turn-on/off gate resistance, current levels, and short-circuit fault types. Experimental results and detailed analysis are presented to verify the feasibility of the proposed approach.

Design and Performance Evaluation of Overcurrent Protection Schemes for Silicon Carbide (SiC) Power MOSFETs

Abstract: Overcurrent protection of silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) remains a challenge due to lack of practical knowledge. This paper presents three overcurrent protection methods to improve the reliability and overall cost of SiC MOSFET-based converters. First, a solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) composed primarily by a Si IGBT and a commercial gate driver IC is connected in series with the dc bus to detect and clear overcurrent faults. Second, the desaturation technique using a sensing diode to detect the drain-source voltage under overcurrent faults is implemented as well. Third, a novel active overcurrent protection scheme through dynamic evaluation of fault current level is proposed. The design considerations and potential issues of the protection methods are described and analyzed in detail. A phase-leg configuration-based step-down converter is built to evaluate the performance of the protection schemes under various conditions, considering variation of fault type, decoupling capacitance, protection circuit parameters, etc. Finally, a comparison is made in terms of fault response time, temperature-dependent characteristics, and applications to help designers select a proper protection method.

Investigation of Hybrid EMI Filters for Common-Mode EMI Suppression in a Motor Drive System

Abstract: This paper begins with an analysis of the common-mode (CM) noise in a motor drive system. Based on the developed CM noise model, two cancellation techniques, CM noise voltage cancellation and CM noise current cancellation, are discussed. The constraints and impedance requirements for these two cancellation methods are investigated. An active filter with a feedforward current cancellation technique is proposed, implemented, and tested, and techniques to improve the performance of active filters are explored. It is found that due to the limitations of speed, power loss, and gain bandwidth of active filters, active electromagnetic interference (EMI) filters are not good at suppressing high di/dt or high amplitude noise current. Hybrid filters that include a passive filter and an active filter are proposed to overcome the shortcomings of active filters. Hybrid EMI filters are investigated based on the impedance requirements and frequency responses between the passive and active filters. The experiments show that the proposed active filter can greatly reduce noise by up to 50 dB at low frequencies (LFs), and therefore, the corner frequency of the passive filter can be increased considerably; as a result, the CM inductance of the passive filter is greatly reduced. The power loss of the proposed active EMI filter can be well-controlled in the experiments.

Phase-Locked Loop Noise Reduction via Phase Detector Implementation for Single-Phase Systems

Abstract: A crucial component of grid-connected converters is the phase-locked loop (PLL) control subsystem that tracks the grid voltage's frequency and phase angle. Therefore, accurate fast-responding PLLs for control and protection purposes are required to provide these measurements. This paper proposes a novel feedback mechanism for single-phase PLL phase detectors using the estimated phase angle. Ripple noise appearing in the estimated frequency, most commonly the second harmonic under phase-lock conditions, is reduced or eliminated without the use of low-pass filters, which can cause delays to occur and limits the overall performance of the PLL response to dynamic changes in the system. The proposed method has the capability to eliminate the noise ripple entirely and, under extreme line distortion conditions, can reduce the ripple by at least half. Other modifications implemented through frequency feedback are shown to decrease the settling time of the PLL up to 50%. Mathematical analyses with the simulated and experimental results are provided to confirm the validity of the proposed methods.

Reliability of Capacitors for DC-Link Applications in Power Electronic Converters—An Overview

Abstract: DC-link capacitors are an important part in the majority of power electronic converters which contribute to cost, size and failure rate on a considerable scale. From capacitor users' viewpoint, this paper presents a review on the improvement of reliability of dc link in power electronic converters from two aspects: 1) reliability-oriented dc-link design solutions; 2) conditioning monitoring of dc-link capacitors during operation. Failure mechanisms, failure modes and lifetime models of capacitors suitable for the applications are also discussed as a basis to understand the physics-of-failure. This review serves to provide a clear picture of the state-of-the-art research in this area and to identify the corresponding challenges and future research directions for capacitors and their dc-link applications.

Review of Silicon Carbide Power Devices and Their Applications

Abstract: Silicon carbide (SiC) power devices have been investigated extensively in the past two decades, and there are many devices commercially available now. Owing to the intrinsic material advantages of SiC over silicon (Si), SiC power devices can operate at higher voltage, higher switching frequency, and higher temperature. This paper reviews the technology progress of SiC power devices and their emerging applications. The design challenges and future trends are summarized at the end of the paper.

Self-Synchronized Synchronverters: Inverters Without a Dedicated Synchronization Unit

Abstract: A synchronverter is an inverter that mimics synchronous generators, which offers a mechanism for power systems to control grid-connected renewable energy and facilitates smart grid integration. Similar to other grid-connected inverters, it needs a dedicated synchronization unit, e.g., a phase-locked loop (PLL), to provide the phase, frequency, and amplitude of the grid voltage as references. In this paper, a radical step is taken to improve the synchronverter as a self-synchronized synchronverter by removing the dedicated synchronization unit. It can automatically synchronize itself with the grid before connection and track the grid frequency after connection. This considerably improves the performance, reduces the complexity, and computational burden of the controller. All the functions of the original synchronverter, such as frequency and voltage regulation, real power, and reactive power control, are maintained. Both simulation and experimental results are presented to validate the control strategy. Experimental results have shown that the proposed control strategy can improve the performance of frequency tracking by more than 65%, the performance of real power control by 83%, and the performance of reactive power control by about 70%.