Eindhoven University of Technology has a vacancy sponsored by Shell for a
Post-Master PDEng position on Reduced Dissipation Converter for Fast-Charging of Electrical Vehiclein the Electrical Energy Systems (EES) group, department of Electrical Engineering.
The post-master designers program is a two-year salaried program in the field of technological design in Electrical Engineering. The program leads to a Professional Doctorate in Engineering (PDEng) degree. For more information about PDEng, please check
https://www.tue.nl/en/education/degree-programs/pdeng-programs/.
Project descriptionSociety aims at a broad adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). This requires fast-charging stations to deliver very high power. These need to be deployed in the existing charging infrastructure, which requires extracting higher peak power from the grid. This is not always available and can be very expensive. Half the cost of a new charging station can be the cost of the grid connection. We are developing a configuration using a local battery to reduce the peak power demands. We aim to use a novel alternative to a DC-DC converter, the Reduced Dissipation Converter (RDC) to integrate the local battery into the fast charging station. This cheaper solution has much lower heat losses and requirements for cooling. The RDC exploits a serial link between the local battery and the convertor and thus achieves high efficiency, high power density and high reliability at low cost.
To address the viability of the RDC concept and to mitigate potential risks, several research questions need to be addressed:
- Techno-economic analysis of the different fast-charging solutions.
- Optimized hardware design of the RDC with high efficiency, high power density, high reliability, and low cost.
- Protection of the RDC and the battery under different fault conditions.
- Control design of the RDC to achieve power balance, considering both steady-state and transient operations.
About the EES GroupEindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is a world-leading research university specializing in engineering science & technology. The Department of Electrical Engineering is responsible for research and education in Electrical Engineering. The discipline covers technologies and electrical phenomena involved in computer engineering, information processing, energy transfer, and telecommunication. The department strives for societal relevance through an emphasis on the fields of smart sustainable systems, the connected world and care & cure. The TU/e is the world's best-performing research university in terms of research cooperation with industry
(#1 since 2009).
The EES group aims at transforming electricity grids towards a truly future-proof, sustainable energy supply. The research of the EES group focuses on methodologies for planning, design, and operation of smart medium-voltage and low-voltage networks with high amounts of renewable energy generation, storage, and flexible demand.
About SponsorsShell and PPP-program-allowance are the sponsors of this position. Shell is an international energy company. Shell is currently expanding their traditional hydrocarbon-based fuel purchase points to provide a network of electric vehicle charging stations. Shell uses advanced technologies and takes an innovative approach to help build a sustainable energy future.
The PPP Program Allowance ('PPS-toeslag') is a subsidy instrument of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy to stimulate private-public partnerships.