Project
# | Title | Team Members | TA | Documents | Sponsor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
54 | GaN-Based Dual DC-DC Converter for EV Auxiliary Systems |
Marwan Eladl Sanat Pandey Tony Xu |
Chaitanya Sindagi | design_document1.pdf final_paper1.pdf proposal1.pdf |
|
Marwan Eladl (meladl2) Sanat Pandey (sanatp2) Tony Xu (tonyx2) Idea Post Link: https://courses.engr.illinois.edu/ece445/pace/view-topic.asp?id=66363 **Problem statement** Electric Vehicle auxiliary systems such as air conditioning (up to 30%) and heating system (up to 35%) severely reduce the vehicles range. DC-DC converters are used to go from 200-800V battery to 48V or 12V battery to power these systems in EVs. Most converters are rated for high currents hence are inefficient for lower currents. This means that during various situations such as when the car is idle, there is power wastage. **Solution Overview** We believe the solution is to use 2 DC-DC converters, one designed with high efficiency at high current and the other at low current. Using control logic one converter will be turned off while the other one is on based on the current being pulled. The output will be taken differentially with one of the outputs inverted. The voltages we will be using to test our design will be 200V to simulate the car’s propulsion battery and 12 V to be supplied to auxiliary components. **Solution Components** Power Converters: Used to convert the high voltage input into a low power output, consists of two parallel GaN down converters. Switching Interface: A control circuit which switches between the two converters. This module will take in input from the current sensor. Current Sensor: A circuit that senses whether or not the auxiliary systems are experiencing high or lower current draws. This module will send control information to the switching interface. Differential Output Circuit: This module allows one of the outputs from the down converters to be the positive terminal of our output and flips the polarity of the other converter to be the negative terminal. It then will take the differential output of these two circuits to be our 12V output. Bonus Module: Because there needs to be at least one converter working at all times, a microcontroller could be used to allow for this safety measure. This is not a top priority because we are focused on hardware that allows for more efficient power conversion to the auxiliary systems. **Criteria for Success** - Have minimal reduction in the efficiency in high current mode in comparison to a standard single DC-DC converter, which is generally designed for high current - Have a significant increase in efficiency for low current mode than the standard DC-DC converter. |