HVDC POWER DISTRIBUTION AND CONVERSION COMPONENTS FOR NEXT GENERATION VEHICLES

Electrical power system upgrades needed to fulfill mission objectives for next generation vehicles will require technology advances such as greater power density, increased functionality, and higher operating temperature. To meet these requirements, electrical power demands will exceed the capabilities of currently available low voltage power systems. High Voltage DC (HVDC) systems, e.g., 270 – 800 VDC, are being considered to meet next generation vehicle requirements, but these electrical power systems have the potential for extremely large fault currents in case of electrical equipment failure. Improved battery safety and intelligent Solid State Circuit Breakers (SSCB) and Solid State Power Controllers (SSPC) are needed to improve mission effectiveness, reliability, and personnel safety of next generation military and commercial ground, air, and sea vehicle electrical power systems. In this paper we present three enabling technologies developed by Creare: (1) an intelligent Battery Management System (BMS); (2) a fast-acting Silicon Carbide (SiC) SSCB; and (3) an intelligent SiC SSPC. All three technologies integrate into existing vehicle communications systems via CAN bus to support emerging system level management tools and power system architectures. Modularity and integration with existing and evolving system architectures is achievable through firmware upgrades, e.g., to support Stryker modernization, VICTORY, JLTV, and GCV architectures. The flexibility of these three key technologies provides advanced capabilities for a variety of applications including military and commercial ground, air, and sea vehicles.