Date of Graduation

5-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Electrical Engineering

Advisor/Mentor

Alan Mantooth

Committee Member

Chris Farnell

Second Committee Member

Roy A. McCann

Keywords

DC-DC Converter; EV Charger; GaN SiC; High Frequency; On board Charger; Power Electronics

Abstract

The power electronics industry has been revolutionized by introducing wide bandgap semiconductor devices, such as Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN). Due to their high frequency, high temperature, and high voltage operating capabilities, wide bandgap devices boast significant improvements in power density, efficiency, and reliability, as evidenced by their ability to decrease the size of power converters by operating at higher frequencies, temperatures and voltages, use of smaller and less passive components, such as transformers, inductors and capacitors, which makes power converters more compact and light-weight, ideal for space and weight-constrained applications, and compatibility with a wide range of power and voltage levels. GaN offers additional advantages over SiC for low/medium power and medium voltage converters, such as 6 kW and 250 V. For this reason, GaN devices are the preferred choice for low-power converter applications since they can operate at higher frequencies and maintain lower junction temperatures. This thesis proposes designing and implementing a complete bridge power module with GaN HEMT devices for a bidirectional dual active power converter for Electric Vehicle (EV) applications. For that, a suitable bidirectional dual dynamic bridge power converter topology is chosen, justified, and analyzed in detail to design a 5kW power converter. The modern digital controller implemented in a DSP MCU board is critical for controlling the converter. Based on the testing results, a power loss analysis during operation is carried out and compared with simulation results to evaluate the efficiency and performance of the system designed.

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