Roberto Schupbach

Bio: Roberto Schupbach is an academic researcher from Siemens Energy Sector. The author has contributed to research in topics: Power module & Silicon carbide. The author has an hindex of 15, co-authored 48 publications receiving 982 citations. Previous affiliations of Roberto Schupbach include Siemens & Cora.

Comparing DC-DC converters for power management in hybrid electric vehicles

Abstract: The design of DC-DC converters for power electronic interfaces in power management systems for hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a very challenging task. To this end, this paper presents an analysis, design, and comparison study of several bi-directional non-isolated DC-DC converter topologies that could be considered potential candidates for the power electronic interface of HEV energy/power sources, in particular an ultracapacitor pack. The considered topologies are the half-bridge, Cuk, SEPIC, and Luo converters. The analysis and design of the converters is performed throughout equations for the stresses of the active and passive components. The comparison study, achieved by means of graphs where the variables of interest are plotted as a function of the voltage ratio Vo/Vi, uses the half-bridge converter as the base case. Particular attention is paid to the stresses of the active and passive components due to the wide input voltage requirements typical of this load-leveling or power-management application.

Design methodology of a combined battery-ultracapacitor energy storage unit for vehicle power management

Abstract: Hybrid and electric vehicles (HEV, EV) require some form of energy storage in order to achieve load leveling or efficiently manage power flows, mainly when accelerating or decelerating. Traditionally, batteries have been used but recently ultracapacitors have become potential candidates for energy storage in HEV/EV applications. To this end, this paper first presents a methodology for determining whether an energy storage unit (ESU) should consist of only batteries, only ultracapacitors or a combination of both. An example illustrates the feasibility of the proposed ideas. Finally, the paper concludes with a cost analysis of the different ESU alternatives.

The role of ultracapacitors in an energy storage unit for vehicle power management

Abstract: This paper extends a design methodology for a combined battery-ultracapacitor energy storage unit (BU-ESU) for vehicle power management into two areas. First, the model of the half-bridge converter replaces the generic models of the dc/dc converters used in the BU-ESU. This model is capable of determining the electric stresses present on the active and passive components during the operation of the vehicle. Second, an improved BU-ESU control strategy applicable to all operating conditions of the vehicle is determined. This control strategy is used to resize the BU-ESU. Finally, the vehicle fuel consumptions achieved when using this newly resized BU-ESU are compared using ADVISOR simulation results with those obtained for the BU-ESU designed in R.M. Schupbach et al. (June 2003).

A versatile laboratory test bench for developing powertrains of electric vehicles

Abstract: This paper describes the implementation of a flexible laboratory test bench for developing electric vehicle (EV) and hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) powertrains in a university environment. The test bench, which is implemented using relatively low-cost off-the-shelf products, is capable of serving a broad variety of purposes ranging from the design and test of propulsion motor drives to the implementation of hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) powertrain control strategies. This paper illustrates the test bench capabilities by (a) simulating the Jeep Commander II, a fuel cell sport utility vehicle (SUV) from Daimler-Chrysler, performing the urban dynamometer driving schedule (UDDS), (b) simulating the Prius, a commercially available gasoline-electric hybrid compact car from Toyota, performing the Japanese "10-15 mode" driving schedule, and (c) determining the efficiency map of a three-phase induction motor (IM). Additionally, the test bench could be also used as a dynamic simulator for renewable energy sources such as wind turbine generators.

35 KW ultracapacitor unit for power management of hybrid electric vehicles: bidirectional DC-DC converter design

Abstract: The work presented in this paper focuses on the design of a half-bridge DC-DC converter for the power electronics interface of energy-storage units for a fuel-cell sport utility vehicle. Several design options are explored; namely: single stage vs. multiple interleaved stages, and continuous vs. discontinuous conduction mode. These design options are weighed against the design goals of minimum cost, high efficiency at low output power levels, and minimum volume and weight to allow for high integration. Special emphasis is given to the impact that the wide input voltage requirements (i.e., from 150 V to 270 V) has on the component stresses.

A review of energy sources and energy management system in electric vehicles

Abstract: The issues of global warming and depletion of fossil fuels have paved opportunities to electric vehicle (EV). Moreover, the rapid development of power electronics technologies has even realized high energy-efficient vehicles. EV could be the alternative to decrease the global green house gases emission as the energy consumption in the world transportation is high. However, EV faces huge challenges in battery cost since one-third of the EV cost lies on battery. This paper reviews state-of-the-art of the energy sources, storage devices, power converters, low-level control energy management strategies and high supervisor control algorithms used in EV. The comparison on advantages and disadvantages of vehicle technology is highlighted. In addition, the standards and patterns of drive cycles for EV are also outlined. The advancement of power electronics and power processors has enabled sophisticated controls (low-level and high supervisory algorithms) to be implemented in EV to achieve optimum performance as well as the realization of fast-charging stations. The rapid growth of EV has led to the integration of alternative resources to the utility grid and hence smart grid control plays an important role in managing the demand. The awareness of environmental issue and fuel crisis has brought up the sales of EV worldwide.

A New Battery/UltraCapacitor Hybrid Energy Storage System for Electric, Hybrid, and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Abstract: In this paper, a new battery/ultracapacitor hybrid energy storage system (HESS) is proposed for electric drive vehicles including electric, hybrid electric, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Compared to the conventional HESS design, which uses a larger dc/dc converter to interface between the ultracapacitor and the battery/dc link to satisfy the real-time peak power demands, the proposed design uses a much smaller dc/dc converter working as a controlled energy pump to maintain the voltage of the ultracapacitor at a value higher than the battery voltage for the most city driving conditions. The battery will only provide power directly when the ultracapacitor voltage drops below the battery voltage. Therefore, a relatively constant load profile is created for the battery. In addition, the battery is not used to directly harvest energy from the regenerative braking; thus, the battery is isolated from frequent charges, which will increase the life of the battery. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the proposed system.

An Isolated Three-Port Bidirectional DC-DC Converter With Decoupled Power Flow Management

Abstract: An isolated three-port bidirectional dc-dc converter composed of three full-bridge cells and a high-frequency transformer is proposed in this paper. Besides the phase shift control managing the power flow between the ports, utilization of the duty cycle control for optimizing the system behavior is discussed and the control laws ensuring the minimum overall system losses are studied. Furthermore, the dynamic analysis and associated control design are presented. A control-oriented converter model is developed and the Bode plots of the control-output transfer functions are given. A control strategy with the decoupled power flow management is implemented to obtain fast dynamic response. Finally, a 1.5 kW prototype has been built to verify all theoretical considerations. The proposed topology and control is particularly relevant to multiple voltage electrical systems in hybrid electric vehicles and renewable energy generation systems.

A Model Predictive Control System for a Hybrid Battery-Ultracapacitor Power Source

Abstract: A model predictive control system for a hybrid battery-ultracapacitor power source is proposed and experimentally verified in this paper. The main advantage of the proposed system is that the battery current, the battery state of charge, and the ultracapacitor current and voltage are maintained within predefined limits during the operation. In addition, the controller allocates fast current changes to the ultracapacitor while the battery responds mainly to slow current changes which helps to increase the battery lifetime. The presented experimental results verify operation of the proposed system.

A Comparative Study of Fuel-Cell–Battery, Fuel-Cell–Ultracapacitor, and Fuel-Cell–Battery–Ultracapacitor Vehicles

Abstract: Although many researchers have investigated the use of different powertrain topologies, component sizes, and control strategies in fuel-cell vehicles, a detailed parametric study of the vehicle types must be conducted before a fair comparison of fuel-cell vehicle types can be performed. This paper compares the near-optimal configurations for three topologies of vehicles: fuel-cell-battery, fuel-cell-ultracapacitor, and fuel-cell-battery-ultracapacitor. The objective function includes performance, fuel economy, and powertrain cost. The vehicle models, including detailed dc/dc converter models, are programmed in Matlab/Simulink for the customized parametric study. A controller variable for each vehicle type is varied in the optimization.