Quote:
Originally Posted by thingstodo
The simplified schematics for solid state transformers that I have seen all appear to have hi frequency transformers that do the actual voltage conversion. They are just a lot smaller and more efficient since they are designed for 500 - 1000 Hz not 60 Hz. It's more efficient, but I would not really describe them as 'solid state'.
I read a couple of papers (*REALLY* tough to digest) on using inductors instead of transformers, which gets rid of the heating in the transformer but causes it's own set of issues. But certainly more of a 'solid state' solution.
Which design style were you involved in? Did a company or a person purchase the IP or did that die with the company?
One of my pet peeves - wasting all the work that went into a design by having it collect dust on a shelf instead of selling the design or open sourcing it
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This design was the high frequency transformer type. We had done a design for a very large motor drive, using 3-level neutral point clamp phase legs built with 3300V/1200A IGBTs. The idea was to adapt those to the SST. We built and tested several transformers, using microcrystaline cores, trying to push the frequency up towards 5 kHz. They worked pretty well, but we ran out of money before actually building enough phase legs to assemble the entire system.
This was at a big defense contractor, and we were funded by the gov't for the work. That means we didn't own the IP, the gov't did. So you'll have to go find someone in the bureaucracy willing to release the IP. I don't think much of it, either, but that's the way it is.
