Hybrid Energy Storage Solutions Ltd. (hereinafter called HESStec) is member of the SPARTAN project, under the H2020 Clean Sky Joint Undertaking, grant agreement No 821381. This disruptive project aims to develop and demonstrate a highly robust and reliable Intelligent Power Modules (IPMs) for the power conditioning of multiple electrical sources, optimal integrated into the electrical power generation system of the aircraft.

Specific objectives are listed as follows:

• Development of high performance and efficiency IPMs with a minimum impact on the size and weight of the systems. This objective includes a design based on the most adequate topology based on advanced multilevel and interleaved topologies allowing a minimization of the passive components in terms of size and weight.
• Achieve a high performance based on the use of high-efficiency wide bandgap semiconductors and its integration in the most suitable multilevel topology, at the same time that minimum size and weight are pursued.
• High reliability and robustness based on a modular multilevel approach which removes the affected module in case of failure avoiding an interruption of the operation and permitting the operation with a degraded performance.
• Achievement a high modularity and scalability with a high percentage of common design of the AC/DC and DC/DC modules, optimizing thus the integration of both power stages, the manufacturing process and the Mean Time Between Repair.
• Providing a full controllability of both power stages to higher hierarchical controller based on an advanced hardware/software architecture scheme with a multi-core approach (FPGA + DSP+ARM) that fully control each power module with a high bandwidth capacity. The developed control electronics includes advanced features that includes protection and failure management functions for a primary and fast response and the possibility for implementing autonomous and/or emergency strategies
• Development of a specific modulation to obtain the highest performance of the proposed topology, optimizing the desired parameters (efficiency, losses, …)

In this project HESStec will participate in the design of a higher hierarchical controller based on a hardware/software architecture scheme with a multi-core approach (FPGA-DSP-ARM) that fully control each Intelligent Power Module with a high bandwidth capacity. The developed control electronics includes advanced features, that includes protection and failure management functions for a primary and fast response, and the possibility for implementing autonomous and/or emergency strategies.

The optimal operation of a complex power conversion stage is a challenge that can be overcome with a good design of the proper modulation and control techniques. The objective of the controller has to be focused on tracking the controller targets accurately.

HESStec, through its experience in the energy sector, put its well-proven control electronics technologies at the service of the project, improving the control capacity of the high number of devices that make up the multilevel power stages. The objective is to achieve the maximum efficiency and minimum power losses improving the output waveforms quality of power stages.