Power Electronics Applications where power electronics makes

a real difference

Bill Drury Technical Advisor – Emerson: Control Techniques

RAEng V.P. Innovation – Bristol University

EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics – Postgraduate Event, 30 June 2014

Power Electronics Saving the World

Bill Drury Technical Advisor – Emerson: Control Techniques

RAEng V.P. Innovation – Bristol University

EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics – Postgraduate Event, 30 June 2014

Power Electronics Unlimited Opportunities

Bill Drury Technical Advisor – Emerson: Control Techniques

RAEng V.P. Innovation – Bristol University

EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics – Postgraduate Event, 30 June 2014

Unlimited Opportunities

1. Applications / Career Opportunities

2. Innovation

3. An era of Opportunity

Unlimited Opportunities

1. Applications / Career Opportunities

2. Innovation

3. An era of Opportunity

Applications / Career Opportunities Power Electronics in Perspective

Source: The ESCO Report: A Blueprint for UK Economic Growth, 2013

Power Electronics - A Global Market

• £135 billion direct market with 10% CAGR

• The market is Global and Competitive

• Multi-national companies with Global design

and manufacturing locations

• The UK is competitive in key Global markets

including in the “systems” area:

– Aerospace

– Industrial Drives / Marine Drives / Renewable Energy

Converters

– Automotive

– HVDC

Power Electronics – A UK Strength • A key Power Electronics Manufacturer

– >£4bn of Power Electronics product

– >£40bn of Power Electronics enabled Systems

– >90% exported

• An international reputation for Design – Design for Global manufacture

• A strong SME base – Driving Innovation & key component supply

• Established and good routes to market

Power Electronics is a UK Success Story World class companies across a number of market sectors

+ Innovative SME’s delivering new approaches and

technologies to the market

Internationally recognised universities educating the next generations of power electronic engineers and expanding the

knowledge base through research

Power Electronics is a UK Success Story

Power Electronics An Enabling Technology

Transport Domestic & Consumer Industrial

Commercial Energy

Application / Career / Impact Opportunities

A SMALL selection of exciting areas

Aerospace

Future Power Electronic hardware for airliners will be progressively more power dense than current technology.

“Power electronics . . . . . are on a steep curve of performance and cost improvement.”

“The power electronics of just 10 years ago were too large and heavy.”

Quotation from Senior Boeing Technical Executive

Source: “Aviation Week & Space Technology” 28 March 2005

Impact of Power Electronics

Conventional Aircraft Technologies

ENVIRONMENTAL

CONTROL SYSTEM

PRIMARY

ELECTRICAL

DISTRIBUTION

AVIONICS

ENGINE START

WING ICING

PROTECTION

APU

HYDRAULIC MAINS &

UNDERCARRIAGE

FLIGHT CONTROL &

ACTUATION

ELECTRICAL

BLEED AIR

HYDRAULIC

Total Electrical Rating ~175kVA

More Electric Aircraft Concept Total Electrical Rating ~1.4MVA

ENVIRONMENTAL

CONTROL SYSTEM

PRIMARY

ELECTRICAL

DISTRIBUTION

AVIONICS

ENGINE START

WING ICING

PROTECTION

APU

UNDERCARRIAGE

FLIGHT CONTROL

& ACTUATION

UNDERCARRIAGE

19

Aerospace Opportunities

As new designs of civil airliner are launched into fleet service between 2015 and 2025, the annual global market for the power electronic content of each shipset will be between around £1225M at today’s values.

Assuming a successful UK National Strategy is effective in supporting the UK share of the global market at 15% to 20%.

Typical annual turnover per employee on OE (Original Equipment) in UK Aerospace is ~£213k.

Core Jobs in high added value manufacturing created/retained will be around 1000.

3100 other jobs will be indirectly supported elsewhere in UK manufacturing.

Significant degree of Vertical Integration of Technical Specialist & Sub-Contractors in the UK based Supply Chain could considerably increase this total.

Energy (Transmission & Distribution)

DECCs UK Energy Flow Chart 2011

R & D Spend on Energy in UK

£M

A mature sector with a weak innovation culture (and capability)

The lights really could go out!!

• System capacity is severely limited – North of Scotland grid collapsed in April

• Renewables causing severe system problems – Protection and distribution capacity

• EV loading – Disaster waiting to happen……….

•

•

MicrogenerationAFV & Storage

Renewables

Smart Meters

Smart Grid

Intermittency Control

Capacity Storage

Storage Control

AFV Connections

Demand Information

Consumption Data

DSM Control

Heat and/or PowerDSM

Power plants Customers

Large industry

Energy storage

PV

Embedded

domestic

generation

Smart

meters

EVs

HVDC grid

Waste

CHP

CHP SMEs

Commercial

buildings

Industry

National/International Regional

Offshore

wind Conventional

generation

Power quality

device

AC grid Biofuels

Energy

storage

Community

H2

Storage

Heat

Rail

Power Electronic Control Communicating device

Power Electronics Enabled Smart Energy

Renewables

• Distribution system can’t cope – protection & location

• Intermittent supply brings ENERGY STORAGE into focus

Automotive

Automotive

Innovation

Moore’s Law

Can we accelerate innovation?

Do we have the tools?

2014 – Basic Tools

1973 Basic Tools

Industrial Drives

1973

• Thyristor – DC Motor

2014 • IGBT – AC Motor • Volume 70% • Cost • Reliability • Functionality

Incremental change is not enough

• “Theory induced blindness” inhibits radical innovation

– Understand limitations

– Challenge convention

– Strive to make things better

• Multi-disciplinary Teamworking is vital

Cross Sector Opportunities

• Cross Sector Visibility has decreased – Specialist Conferences, Journals & Forums restrict view

• Power Electronics is in many respects “mature” - High Reliability has been achieved in many very demanding applications, and this experience should be built on

• Systems issues (eg EMC) can vary between sectors but the Physics can’t!

• Vocabulary can be an issue…………

Vocabulary

• Vocabulary is one of the most important aspects of effective working but rarely gets discussed

• I used to run a training session for cross functional teams ……………

Clearly State Objectives of the Project

Q: In what Language should the project objectives be written?

– Simple - Project Charter

– User Language - User Requirement Specification

– Design Engineers Language - Functional Requirement Specification

– Marketing Language - Marketing Plan

– Accountants Language - Business Plan

– Manufacturing Language - Manufacturing Plan

BUT that is only part of the problem

Power Semiconductor suppliers and users are different animals!!

An era of opportunity

Technology Driven Innovation

• REAL WBG devices (SiC, GaN ……..Diamond?) • New High temperature materials impacting passives,

motors, cooling etc • Control facilitating high performance from non-ideal

components at best efficiency, volume/mass & cost • New and revitalised converter and system topologies • Wireless / cloud based (system) control • Improving tools improving design and control

optimisation • Cross sector leveraging

UK plc supporting Power Electronics

Since UK Power Electronics Strategy - Oct 2011

• The community has focus and direction

– PowerelectronicsUK

– IET Power Electronics Community

• EPSRC committed £44M incl establishing National Power Electronics Centre

• TSB committed £19M

• Power Electronics Capability Directory published

• Moved to co-ordinate Skills activities

• The needs and opportunities of Power Electronics are being voiced and heard

Good Luck!