Radiation hardened active power transformer
A radiation hardened active power transformer includes an active compensator on a primary side of a transformer. The transformer steps up an input voltage to an output voltage. The active compensator controls a reactive power of the output voltage. The active compensator includes wide band-gap transistors which radiation harden the active compensator to resist ionizing radiation.
1 . A radiation hardened active power transformer comprising:
a multi-port transformer comprising a primary winding, a secondary winding, and a tertiary winding; wherein the primary winding receives an input AC voltage; wherein the secondary winding is configured to step up the input AC voltage to an output AC voltage; wherein the tertiary winding is configured to step down the output AC voltage to a reactive AC voltage;
an active compensator comprising a plurality of capacitors and a plurality of wide band-gap transistors; wherein the active compensator is connected to the tertiary winding; wherein the active compensator is configured to control the reactive AC voltage across the tertiary winding using the plurality of wide band-gap transistors;
a controller; wherein the controller is configured to control the plurality of wide band-gap transistors using pulse width modulation; and
a circuit breaker coupled to the secondary windings; wherein the circuit breaker is configured to receive the output AC voltage from the secondary winding; wherein the controller is configured to reset the circuit breaker subsequent to the circuit breaker breaking a circuit leading from the secondary winding.
2 . The radiation hardened active power transformer of claim 1 , the multi-port transformer comprising a core; wherein the primary winding, the secondary winding, and the tertiary winding are wound around the core.
3 . The radiation hardened active power transformer of claim 1 , wherein the output AC voltage is at least one order of magnitude larger than the input AC voltage; wherein the output AC voltage is at least one order of magnitude larger than the reactive AC voltage.
4 . The radiation hardened active power transformer of claim 1 , wherein a frequency of the input AC voltage and the output AC voltage is between 60 and 1000 Hz; wherein the controller is configured to control a switching frequency of the plurality of wide band-gap transistors; wherein the switching frequency is at least one order of magnitude higher than the frequency of the input AC voltage.
5 . The radiation hardened active power transformer of claim 1 , wherein the input AC voltage and the output AC voltage are single-phase; wherein the multi-port transformer is a single-phase transformer.
6 . The radiation hardened active power transformer of claim 1 , wherein the input AC voltage and the output AC voltage are three-phase; wherein the multi-port transformer is a three-phase transformer.
7 . The radiation hardened active power transformer of claim 1 , wherein a capacitive voltage of the plurality of capacitors is charged from the reactive AC voltage; wherein the reactive AC voltage does not include real power.
8 . The radiation hardened active power transformer of claim 1 , wherein a band-gap of the plurality of wide band-gap transistors is between 2 and 4 eV; wherein the plurality of wide band-gap transistors comprise a semiconductor material.
9 . The radiation hardened active power transformer of claim 8 , wherein the semiconductor material is gallium nitride.
10 . The radiation hardened active power transformer of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of capacitors are a pair of shunt capacitors which are switched by the plurality of wide band-gap transistors.
11 . The radiation hardened active power transformer of claim 10 , wherein the active compensator comprises a DC-to-AC converter circuit with the pair of shunt capacitors and the plurality of wide band-gap transistors.
12 . The radiation hardened active power transformer of claim 11 , wherein the DC-to-AC converter circuit is one of a two-level half bridge, a two-level full bridge, a three-level half bridge, a three-level full bridge, a five-level half-bridge, a five-level full bridge, or flying capacitor based five-level converter.
13 . The radiation hardened active power transformer of claim 1 , wherein the reactive AC voltage is derated below a maximum operational voltage of the plurality of wide band-gap transistors.
14 . The radiation hardened active power transformer of claim 1 , comprising one or more primary-side sensors configured to sense one or more primary-side parameters of the input AC voltage; wherein the controller is configured to receive the one or more primary-side parameters and control the plurality of wide band-gap transistors based on the one or more primary-side parameters.
15 . The radiation hardened active power transformer of claim 1 , comprising one or more secondary-side sensors configured to sense one or more secondary-side parameters of the output AC voltage; wherein the controller is configured to receive the one or more secondary-side parameters and control the plurality of wide band-gap transistors based on the one or more secondary-side parameters.
16 . The radiation hardened active power transformer of claim 1 , wherein the multi-port transformer comprises a plurality of primary windings configured to receive a plurality of input AC voltages; wherein the secondary winding is configured to step up the plurality of input AC voltages to the output AC voltage.
17 . The radiation hardened active power transformer of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of active compensators.
18 . A power distribution system comprising:
a radiation hardened active power transformer comprising:
a multi-port transformer comprising a primary winding, a secondary winding, and a tertiary winding; wherein the primary winding receives an input AC voltage; wherein the secondary winding is configured to step up the input AC voltage to an output AC voltage; wherein the tertiary winding is configured to step down the output AC voltage to a reactive AC voltage;
an active compensator comprising a plurality of capacitors and a plurality of wide band-gap transistors; wherein the active compensator is connected to the tertiary winding; wherein the active compensator is configured to control the reactive AC voltage across the tertiary winding using the plurality of wide band-gap transistors;
a controller; wherein the controller is configured to control the plurality of wide band-gap transistors using pulse width modulation; and
a circuit breaker coupled to the secondary windings; wherein the circuit breaker is configured to receive the output AC voltage from the secondary winding; wherein the controller is configured to reset the circuit breaker subsequent to the circuit breaker breaking a circuit leading from the secondary winding;
a power generator configured to generate the input AC voltage; and
a transmission line; wherein the radiation hardened active power transformer interfaces the power generator with the transmission line; wherein the transmission line transmits the output AC voltage.
19 . The power distribution system of claim 18 , wherein the power generator comprises one of a nuclear-based Brayton-cycle generator or a nuclear-based Stirling-Cycle generator.