Tutorials : Friday 8 September 2023 (Full Day)

This seminar introduces participants to the Solid-State Transformer (SST) concept in a comprehensive and easy-to-follow fashion. After a brief review of transformer basics, the SST concept history, and the various intended SST application areas, main SST technology concepts and key design aspects are discussed. These include, e.g., medium-frequency (MF) power conversion, power electronic interfaces connected to medium voltage (MV), key SST topologies, MF transformer design, and isolation coordination.

The second half of the tutorial then showcases latest SST concepts and demonstrator systems from University and Industry R&D activities to establish an overview on the state of the art and the most relevant developments. Based on recent industrial SST realizations, we then discuss benefits and challenges for SST applications in datacenter power supply systems and high-power EV charging by providing a comparative evaluation against alternative approaches (e.g., solutions based on low-frequency transformers and highly efficient low-voltage SiC converters).

Based on this comparative evaluation, the remaining challenges, the most promising SST and Power-Electronic-Building-Block-(PEBB)-based realization concepts and their application potentials, and finally the future research vectors are identified. The tutorial closes with an outlook on future performance targets beyond efficiency/power density, i.e., compatibility with future sustainable circular economy concepts.