Energy Conversion Systems for Embedded Applications

Electric power plays a key role in the development of transportation systems such as aeronautics and automotive. The significant environmental and economic constraints in these fields make it imperative to design and develop high-power-density converters with a high reliability rate.

This teaching unit will:

• Provide students with the key elements for the design, sizing, study, and simulation of power converters used in embedded systems and other applications, such as electrical energy management in renewable and non-renewable energy production, transport, and control systems.
• Present the benefits of converters for embedded systems, which are continually evolving toward all-electric operation, and discuss the issues posed by the current reliability rates of power electronics.
• Introduce concepts for calculating carbon footprints and eco-design. These design elements are now essential for designing high-performance products and contributing to the success of the energy transition.
• Provide students with skills in current power electronics devices and enable them to better understand emerging converter structures.
• Present the constraints associated with the use of passive components, particularly magnetic components operating at high frequencies, which are absolutely necessary for the operation of these converters.

Students must be able to complete an entire project based on specific specifications, which will require them to study a regulated conversion structure in its entirety.

The practical work associated with the course will provide a better understanding of the technological barriers in the design of high-performance power electronics structures.

This teaching unit will serve as a basis for Master's 2 projects.

The ultimate goal of this teaching unit for students at the end of the course and practical work is to be able to meet specifications by studying, developing, and implementing a power converter for an embedded application. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to join the research and development department of a company or research laboratory to design innovative structures for high-power-density converters.

Students will be aware of the impact of converters and their components on the environment and will be familiar with issues related to their reliability.

He will be able to easily use circuit simulation software. He will be able to model a converter and implement its closed-loop control, and to this end, he will know how to study and dimension conventional structures such as sinusoidal current absorption converters (PFC, PWM rectifier, etc.), whether isolated or not.

Students will be able to size the magnetic components used in power electronics converters, taking into account the intrinsic limitations of the materials they are made of and compensating for their imperfections (losses, limitations) determined using charts or finite element software.

Finally, he will have a basic understanding of the implementation of digital control systems used to develop and extend the performance of power converters.

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or Science and Technology, or five years of higher education in the field of applied physics or electrical engineering, with courses on the basic principles of power electronics and power converters.

Be aware of the intrinsic limitations of high-frequency magnetic components.

Recommended prerequisites:

Have completed UE HAE706E Energy Conversion Systems from the Master 1 EEA program.

Continuous assessment teaching unit

1. Introduction to converters for embedded systems. Examples. Reliability issues posed by power electronics (lifespan of power components, impact of faults on the environment). Carbon footprint and eco-design of a converter.
2. Simulation in power electronics. Simulation software and applications (analog, digital).
3. Modeling and control of a static converter.
4. The single-phase and three-phase Power Factor Corrector (PFC) function. PWM rectifiers.
5. Non-isolated switching converters used in the power supply of complex digital circuits (VRM, interleaving). Isolated switching converters, reversible or non-reversible, used on onboard power networks.
6. Magnetic couplers in power converters. Definitions, characteristics. Applications.
7. HF phenomena in magnetic components. Joule losses, iron losses, component sizing. Intrinsic operating limits. Characterization of an HF magnetic component.
8. Implementation of a digital control circuit. Selection and integration into the converter. Presentation of programmable components.

CM: 31 hours 30 minutes

Practical work: 27 hours