Performance of Snubber Capacitors and TVS Diodes for Cryogenic Power Electronics

Zhongying Wang, Xianwu Zeng, Adel Deriszadeh, Emelie Nilsson, Jean Francois Rouquette, Ravi Kiran Surapaneni, Gowtham Galla, Ludovic Ybanez, Xiaoze Pei

Research output: Chapter or section in a book/report/conference proceedingChapter in a published conference proceeding

Abstract

Power electronics plays a major role in energy conversion systems from motor drives to energy management and protections. The cryogenic and superconducting technologies have the potential to improve the power density and efficiency, in particular for future hydrogen-powered electric aircraft. However, commercial components in power electronics converters are not designed for cryogenic temperatures. To enable power electronics for applications such as superconducting propulsion system, it is essential to investigate their performances at cryogenic temperatures. In this work, several commercial polypropylene metallized film capacitors for snubber applications were experimentally evaluated in liquid nitrogen bath and room temperatures. The results show that the mismatch of coefficient of thermal expansion for packaging materials and technique leads to physical damages of film capacitors after thermal cycling from room temperature to cryogenic conditions. In general, polypropylene film capacitors exhibit a slight increase in capacitance and excellent stability in dissipation factor and voltage withstand capability in liquid nitrogen. Meanwhile, a commercial transient voltage suppression (TVS) diode was also investigated for cryogenic conditions. The breakdown voltage of TVS diode is found to be reduced by approximately 14% in liquid nitrogen compared to that at room temperature.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication2023 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition, ECCE 2023
Place of PublicationU. S. A.
PublisherIEEE
Pages1774-1780
Number of pages7
ISBN (Electronic)9798350316445
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 29 Dec 2023
Event2023 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition, ECCE 2023 - Nashville, USA United States
Duration: 29 Oct 20232 Nov 2023

Publication series

Name2023 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition, ECCE 2023

Conference

Conference2023 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition, ECCE 2023
Country/TerritoryUSA United States
CityNashville
Period29/10/232/11/23

Funding

This work was supported by the UK Aerospace Technology Institute under contract 103136 - Zero Emissions for Sustainable Transport 1 (ZEST 1).

FundersFunder number
Aerospace Technology Institute103136

    Keywords

    • Cryogenic temperature
    • Liquid nitrogen
    • Polypropylene film capacitor
    • Snubber capacitor
    • Transient voltage suppression diode

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Energy Engineering and Power Technology
    • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
    • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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