S. Y. R. Hui

General Analysis on the Use of Tesla's Resonators in Domino Forms for Wireless Power Transfer

In this paper, we present a brief overview of historical developments of wireless power and an analysis on the use of Teslas resonators in domino forms for wireless power transfer. Relay resonators are spaced between the transmitter and receiver coils with the objectives of maximizing energy efficiency and increasing the overall transmission distance between the power source and the load. Analytical expressions for the optimal load and maximum efficiency at resonance frequency are derived. These equations are verified with practical measurements obtained from both coaxial and noncoaxial domino resonator systems. To avoid the use of high operating frequency for wireless power transfer in previous related research, the technique presented here can be used at submegahertz operation so as to minimize the power loss in both the power supply and the output stage. We demonstrated both theoretically and practically that unequal spacing for the coaxial straight domino systems has better efficiency performance than the equal-spacing method. Also, the flexibility of using resonators in various domino forms is demonstrated.

Droop Control of Distributed Electric Springs for Stabilizing Future Power Grid

This paper describes the droop control method for parallel operation of distributed electric springs for stabilizing ac power grid. It provides a methodology that has the potential of allowing reactive power controllers to work in different locations of the distribution lines of an ac power supply and for these reactive power controllers to support and stabilize the ac mains voltage levels at their respective locations on the distribution lines. The control scheme allows these reactive power controllers to have automatically adjustable voltage references according to the mains voltage levels at the locations of the distribution network. The control method can be applied to reactive power controllers embedded in smart electric loads distributed across the power grid for stabilizing and supporting the ac power supply along the distribution network. The proposed distributed deployment of electric springs is envisaged to become an emerging technology potentially useful for stabilizing power grids with substantial penetration of distributed and intermittent renewable power sources or weakly regulated ac power grid.

Dynamic Photoelectrothermal Theory for Light-Emitting Diode Systems

This paper presents a dynamic photoelectrothermal theory for light-emitting diode (LED) systems. In addition to photometric, electrical, and thermal aspects, this theory incorporates the time domain into the generalized equations. A dynamic model for a general LED system is developed for system analysis. This theory highlights the fact that the luminous output of an LED system will decrease with time from the initial operation to the steady state due to the rising temperature of the heat sink and the LED devices. The essential thermal time constants involved in the LED systems are explained. The time factor is critical in understanding how much the luminous output will decrease with time and is essential to the optimal designs of the LED systems that are operated continuously (e.g., general lighting) or momentarily (e.g., traffic lights). Experiments on several LED systems at different time frames have been conducted, and the practical measurements confirm the validity of this theory.

Analysis and Modeling of High-Power Phosphor-Coated White Light-Emitting Diodes With a Large Surface Area

Modern high-power white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) composed of multiple blue LED chips and yellow phosphor coatings have been successfully commercialized because of their high-luminous efficacy. The multiple-chip LED packages usually come with flat structures that have large surface areas for considerable heat loss. Starting from the analysis and modeling of the blue LED chip, this paper introduces the thermal path through the phosphor layer to form the white phosphor-coated (PC) white LED device model for photometric, electric, and thermal performance analysis. The power distribution of the blue LED chip and that of the PC white LED device are compared. Based on this new analysis, the increase in the heat dissipation coefficient, equivalent thermal resistance, and power loss caused by the phosphor coating can be quantified. New equations suitable for device manufacturers to qualify their devices and design engineers to optimize LED system designs are derived. The analytical results are in good agreement with the practical mesurements.

Auxiliary Circuits for Power Flow Control in Multifrequency Wireless Power Transfer Systems With Multiple Receivers

This paper describes a technique for multifrequency wireless power transfer systems in which the wireless power can be transmitted through the wireless power transfer channel or channels from the transmitter to the targeted loads with receiver coils specifically tuned for energy reception. Auxiliary circuits comprising bandpass and/or bandstop circuits are proposed for incorporation into the receiver circuits and optional relay circuits so as to facilitate the selection and enhancement of the wireless power transfer to the designated load without causing significant cross interference due to the use of multifrequency wireless power flow control. A unique feature of this technique is that the nontargeted receiver will automatically act as a relay resonator to enhance 1) magnetic coupling, and thus, 2) the power transfer between the power transmitter and the targeted receiver. A second novel feature is that the chosen operating frequencies for the tuned receivers need not be widely apart because the auxiliary circuits consist of bandpass and/or bandstop filters to reduce any cross interference from the nontargeted frequency. The proposed technique has been practically verified in experimental prototype.

A review and classification of LED ballasts

This paper presents a review on existing ballasts for light-emitting diodes (LED) with considerations to their compliance to regulations, technological challenges, and on meeting various application requirements. All existing LED ballasts, including those proposed in recent literature, have been appropriately classified and systematically organized for the discussion. The dissemination of this information and its understanding is helpful for future R&D pursuits in this area.

Single-Stage AC/DC Single-Inductor Multiple-Output LED Drivers

Various ac/dc LED driver topologies have been proposed to meet the challenges of achieving a compact, efficient, low-cost, and robust multistring LED lighting system. These LED drivers typically employ a two-stage topology to realize the functions of ac/dc rectification and independent current control of each LED string. The choice of having two stage conversions involves additional hardware components and a more complicated controller design process. Such two-stage topologies suffer from a higher system cost, increased power loss, and large form factor. In this paper, a single-stage ac/dc single-inductor multiple-output LED driver is proposed. It uses only one single inductor and N + 1 active power switches (N being the number of LED strings) with reduced component count and smaller form factor. The proposed driver can achieve both functions of ac/dc rectification with a high power factor and precise independent current control of each individual LED string simultaneously. A prototype of an ac/dc single-inductor triple-output LED driver is constructed for verification. Experimental results corroborate that precise and independent current regulation of each individual LED string is achievable with the proposed driver. A power factor of above 0.99 and a peak efficiency of 89% at 30-W rated output power are attainable.

Use of Hooke's law for stabilizing future smart grid — The electric spring concept

Hookes law for mechanical springs was developed in the 17th century. Recently, new power electronics devices named “electric springs” have been developed for providing voltage regulation for distribution networks and allowing the load demand to follow power generation. This paper summarizes recent R&D on electric springs and their potential functions for future smart grid. Electric springs can be associated with electric appliances, forming a new generation of smart loads which can adapt according to the availability of power from renewable energy sources. When massively distributed over the power grid, they could provide highly distributed and robust support for the smart grid, similar to the arrays of mechanical springs supporting a mattress. Thus, the 3-century old Hookes law in fact provides a powerful solution to solving some key Smart Grid problems in the 21st Century.

Direct AC/DC Rectifier with Mitigated Low-Frequency Ripple Through Waveform Control

In a rectification system with unity power factor, the input power consists of a DC and a double-line frequency power component. Traditionally, an electrolytic capacitor (E-Cap) is used to buffer the double-line frequency power such that the DC output presents a small voltage ripple. The use of E-Cap significantly limits the lifetime of the rectifier system. In this paper, a differential AC/DC rectifier based on the use of an inductor-current waveform control methodology is proposed. The proposed configuration achieves single-stage direct AC/DC rectification without the needs of a front-stage diode rectifier circuit, an input EMI filter, and an E-Cap for buffering the double-line frequency power. The feasibility of the proposal has been practically confirmed in an experimental prototype.

Electric Springs With Coordinated Battery Management for Reducing Voltage and Frequency Fluctuations in Microgrids

Electric springs based on power electronics have been proposed as a demand response method for stabilizing power grid fed by substantial intermittent renewable energy sources. Associated with energy storage, they can provide both active and reactive power compensation. Due to the limited storage capacity of the battery, this project explores a new control scheme for the third version of the electric springs (ES-3) to operate under the physical constraints of the state-of-charge of the battery for microgrid stability applications. The ES-3 is based on a bi-directional grid-connected power converter with a battery bank. Unlike the traditional control of grid-connected power inverters for injecting renewable power to the power grid, the proposed control scheme puts the stability of the power grid as a high priority while maintaining its normal bi-directional power flow functions. Such a scheme has been tested in an experimental prototype and a power grid simulator. Results are presented in this paper to illustrate the use of the scheme in battery’s monitoring, charging/discharging management, and output power control.