Delfim Pedrosa

• Doctor of Engineering
• Researcher at University of Minho

The increasing demand for electricity and the impact of the consumption of fossil fuels leads to the need for approaching new alternatives of energy production, namely energy storage systems (ESS) and renewable energy sources (RES). For this purpose, this paper presents a single-phase current-source converter (CSC) with a hybrid dc-dc converter con...

An electric vehicle (EV) battery charging station (EV-BCS) based on a bipolar dc power grid is presented in this paper, which is capable of delivering power to the grid (vehicle-to-grid – V2G mode), and directly exchange power between different EVs connected to the EV-BCS (vehicle-to-vehicle – V2V mode), besides the traditional battery charging ope...

This paper deals with the development and experimental validation of a unified power converter for application in dc microgrids, contemplating the inclusion of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and energy storage systems (ESS), namely batteries. Considering the limitations presented by the current structure of the power grid, mostly highlighted by the...

Electric vehicles (EVs) contain two main power electronics systems, namely, the traction system and the battery charging system, which are not used simultaneously since traction occurs when the EV is travelling and battery charging when the EV is parked. By taking advantage of this interchangeability, a single set of power converters that can perfo...

Low energy consumption vehicles such as Electric Motorcycles (EMs) are a very viable solution to reduce energy consumption in the transportation sector. Due to their low power and weight, EMs have high energy efficiency and are optimized for urban transit. In this context, it becomes necessary to develop systems prototypes for any type of Electric...

Converting electrical energy from direct current to alternate current, or vice versa, is one of the most frequently performed tasks in today’s electrical systems. The Voltage Source Inverter (VSI) is the most widely used topology to accomplish this task. This paper compares the performance of three control algorithms for voltage source inverter (VS...

This paper presents a validation based on simulation result of an electric vehicle (EV) battery charger for power transfer between two EVs (vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) operation) using only one converter per EV. The traditional topology needs a connection between the EVs and the power grid, consisting in a combination of two operation modes (V2G and G...

This paper presents an analysis of unified systems for traction and battery charging of electric vehicles (EVs), regarding operation modes and implementation cost, when compared to dedicated systems that perform the same functionalities. Concerning the interface of the EV battery charging system with the power grid, four operation modes are analyze...

An electric vehicle (EV) usually has two main power converters, namely one for the motor drive system and another for the battery-charging system. Considering the similarities between both converters, a new unified power converter for motor drive and battery charging of EVs is propounded in this paper. By using a single unified power converter, the...

This paper proposes an electric vehicle (EV) battery charging station (EV-BCS) based on a bipolar dc power grid with the capabilities of returning energy back to the power grid (vehicle-to-grid – V2G mode), as well as to perform power transfer between different EVs connected to the EV-BCS without drawing power from the power grid (vehicle-to-vehicl...

This paper presents a single-phase current-source converter (CSC) combined with a hybrid converter on the dc-link, allowing to interface an electric vehicle (EV) and a renewable energy source (RES). Therefore, the interface with the power grid is only performed through the CSC, which also permits the operation as shunt active power filter (SAPF), a...

The three-phase induction motor is the main electric motor used in industrial applications, contributing significantly to the industrial electricity consumption. Additionally, the traditional variable speed drivers, due to the internal constitution based on a passive rectifier, contribute to accentuate power quality problems on the grid side. In th...

Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions are a key topic addressed by modern societies worldwide. As a contribution to mitigate such effects caused by the transportation sector, the full adoption of electric mobility is increasingly being seen as the main alternative to conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, which is supported by po...

This paper presents the implementation and subsequent experimental verification of an electronic variable speed drive (VSD) for driving an induction motor, which is composed by a three-phase ac-dc converter on the grid-side and by a three-phase dc-ac converter on the motor-side. With the proposed solution, besides driving the motor, it is possible...

This paper presents an analysis of unified traction and battery charging systems for electric vehicles (EVs), both in terms of operation modes and in terms of implementation cost, when compared to dedicated solutions that perform the same operation modes. Regarding the connection of the EV battery charging system with the power grid, four operation...

This paper presents an IoT (Internet of Things) system designed to allow the monitoring and control of parameters of the users' vehicles, anytime and anywhere in the world, through the Internet. The system prototype was developed and tested using an electric vehicle (EV) and the respective sensor systems. The main components of the proposed IoT sys...

This paper describes the development of a novel cycling effort control system that contributes to promote the users’ physical health and mobility. This system controls the motor assistance level of an electric bicycle in order to ensure that the cyclist’s power output remains inside the desired limits, regardless of changes in variables such as the...

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis and comparison of digital current control techniques for active rectifiers. These rectifiers are connected to the power grid and are controlled aiming to obtain sinusoidal grid currents and unitary power factor. In this context this paper presents the principle of operation of a full-bridge full-controll...

Under the necessities of reducing emissions and air pollution, and also for increasing fuel economy, automotive companies have been developing electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Since these vehicles are parked when the batteries are being charged, it is possible to use the traction power converter as on-board charger, also allowing to r...

This paper presents a model predictive current control applied to a slow electric vehicle (EV) battery charger. Taking into account the similarities between the power converters inside the EV, it is possible to combine the battery charger and the motor driver in a single integrated converter, thus reducing the weight and volume of the proposed solu...

This paper presents the digital control of a novel single-phase three–port bidirectional (STB) converter used to interface renewables from solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and electric vehicles (EVs) with the power grid. Using an appropriated power theory, the STB converter can be used to exchange energy between the PVs, the EVs and the power grid in...

This paper describes the development of a novel cycling effort control sys-tem that contributes to promote the users’ physical health and mobility. This system controls the motor assistance level of an electric bicycle in order to ensure that the cyclist’s power output remains inside the desired limits, regardless of changes in variables such as th...

This paper describes the development and evaluation of a novel effort control system for cycling, which contributes to promote the users’ mobility and physical health. This system provides automatic control of the motor assistance level of an electric bicycle in order to ensure that the cyclist’s effort remains inside the desired target zone, regar...

This paper presents the proposal of a three-phase current-source shunt active power filter (CS-SAPF) with photovoltaic grid interface. The proposed system combines the compensation of reactive power and harmonics with the injection of energy from a solar photovoltaic array into the electrical power grid. The proposed equipment presents the advantag...

Solar photovoltaic systems are an increasing option for electricity production, since they produce electrical energy from a clean renewable energy resource, and over the years, as a result of the research, their efficiency has been increasing. For the interface between the dc photovoltaic solar array and the ac electrical grid is necessary the use...

This paper presents the development of the power electronics needed for the interaction between the electrical generator of a wind turbine and an isolated ac micro grid. In this system there are basically two types of receptors for the energy produced by the wind turbine, which are the loads connected to the isolated micro grid and the batteries us...

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are increasingly used nowadays, and different powertrain solutions can be adopted. This paper describes the control system of an axial flux Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) for EVs powertrain. It is described the implemented Field Oriented Control (FOC) algorithm and the Space Vector Modulation (SVM) technique. Also...

This paper presents the conversion process of a traditional Internal Combustion Engine vehicle into an Electric Vehicle. The main constitutive elements of the Electric Vehicle are presented. The developed powertrain uses a three-phase inverter with Field Oriented Control and space vector modulation. The developed on-board batteries charging system...

This paper presents the development of an on-board bidirectional battery charger for Electric Vehicles (EVs) targeting Grid-to-Vehicle (G2V), Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G), and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) technologies. During the G2V operation mode the batteries are charged from the power grid with sinusoidal current and unitary power factor. During the V2G oper...

This paper presents a new Shunt Active Power Filter (SAPF) that is able to compensate current power quality problems and also to serve as energy backup to the loads in case of power outages. The paper describes the hardware topology, the control system of the SAPF, as well as the energy backup control scheme. Also it describes the power outage dete...

In this paper is presented the development of a smart batteries charging system for the Electric Vehicle (EV) CEPIUM, aiming the integration of EVs in the future Smart Grids. The main features of the developed charging system are the mitigation of the power quality degradation and the bidirectional operation, as Grid-to-Vehicle (G2V) and as Vehicle...

Vehicle electrification is one of the strategies with higher potential for increasing the efficiency of vehicle powertrains, reducing the dependency on dwindling fossil fuel sources and meeting stringent emissions targets set by policy makers. Despite all the theoretical assessments and manufacturer's claimed efficiency and emissions records of cur...

In this paper are presented experimental and simulation results of a developed Current-Source Three-Phase Shunt Active Power Filter compensating the currents of a nonlinear load. The Shunt Active Power Filter controller, described in detail along the paper, relies in the p-q Theory to calculate the reference compensation currents and to regulate th...

Recent developments in the area of electric vehicles resulted in a growing interest for Axial Flux Permanent Magnet (AFPM) Motors, mainly because of their high power density. For the design of the motor drive it is extremely important to have the motor parameters. However many times the manufacturers do not provide them. This paper presents a metho...

This paper presents a comparison of four types of on-board batteries charging systems for Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), and their impact on the power quality of the electrical power grid. In the comparison are analyzed the features, the characteristics and the operation of each charging system, aiming their c...

This paper describes an intelligent Vehicle to Grid (iV2G) Charging Platform for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles that can be used at user's home, and which includes a mobile control system. The car drivers can control remotely the charging or discharging process through a mobile communication device. This mobile communication device can also g...

It is possible to build a variety of very simple – and yet functioning – electric devices using common materials. These devices can be used to verify Electromagnetism fundamentals. Electric currents within magnetic fields originate forces and that is the basic principle of operation of electric motors. This paper describes a universal series motor...

This paper describes a slewing crane with electromagnet, operated by three three-phase induction motors. A switchboard described in a separate paper, which also depicts the electromagnet construction details, drives the motors and the electromagnet. From its seat – mounted on the crane – an operator can make the crane arm slew left or right. The el...

194 motivated to choose hands on science even when set against options like computer studies or technology. The course is taught in English at students level. The course is integrated with the science they learn in their theory lessons in their own language so as to reinforce their science understanding. The course is in a logical order but flexibl...