Salvatore Musumeci

• Researcher at Polytechnic University of Turin

An overview is presented of the progress since 2021 in the construction and scientific programme preparation of the Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) facility. Licensing for building construction has been granted at the end of 2021. Licensing for Cat. A radiologic source has been also granted in 2022. The construction of the toroidal field magnet system...

This paper investigates the commutation transients of MOSFET and GaN FET devices in motor drive applications during hard-switching and soft-switching commutations at dead time operation. This study compares the switching behaviors of MOSFETs and GaN FETs, focusing on their performance during dead time in inverter legs for voltage source inverters....

The paper explores the use of the magnetic control strategy for the output power regulation of an LCC‐S compensated inductive wireless power transfer system. The magnetic control is implemented through a controlled variable inductor whose magnetization state is actively regulated by an auxiliary DC–DC converter. The Figure describes the electrical...

This paper deals with a single-phase inverter topology evaluation for a non-axisymmetric in-vessel coil system in a tokamak. An IGBT-based power converter topology is investigated to supply the magnetic system composed of several independent coils. The dc-ac converter topology used for a single coil consists of a single-phase inverter with an inter...

This paper introduces a novel control approach for an LCC-S Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) system. The system's output voltage regulation is achieved through a variable inductor, leveraging magnetic core saturation. A comprehensive design methodology for the variable inductor tailored to the desired control characteristics is presented. Addressing a...

The main requirements of magnetic components for power electronics applications are high power density and low power losses, driven by the need for more compact and more efficient power converters. Metal powder materials are a common choice for high-power and high-frequency inductors subject to a large magnetic field bias, since they feature high s...

Correct dead time selection is crucial in Gallium Nitride (GaN) devices having a significant impact on the overall performance, efficiency, and reliability of power electronic systems. Incorrect dead time selection can cause a variety of issues, including increased power losses, reduced efficiency, and increased device operating temperatures. This...

Automotive manufacturers have replaced hydraulic-assisted steering in vehicles with electronic power steering (EPS) to increase efficiency and to add automatic functionalities such as automated parking, and emergency steering associated with electronic stability control. The inverters need to drive the AC motor for EPS application to meet several a...

Light e- Mobility plays an important role in the field of transportation. Recent studies show the advantages of adopting gallium nitride transistors (GaN FET) in low-voltage motor drive applications. This paper presents the benefits of choosing GaN FET technology for the electric powertrain. At first, GaN technology features are presented and compa...

High-electron-mobility transistors based on gallium nitride technology are the most recently developed power electronics devices involved in power electronics applications. This article critically overviews the advantages and drawbacks of these enhanced, wide-bandgap devices compared with the silicon and silicon carbide MOSFETs used in power conver...

Nowadays, energy conversion plays a crucial role in sustainable growth and development [...]

Vehicle electrification and digitalization are even more and more increasingly pushed by several aims, such as the improvement in sustainability, wellness, safety, and reliability. The need for onboard power electronics is a common factor for the different types of electric vehicles. Similarly, the increasing presence of onboard Internet of Things...

Maximum power-point tracking (MPPT) is applied to enable effective operation of photovoltaic (PV) systems under different external conditions. MPPT is based on a control system that aims at maintaining the PV system operation in the most effective conditions of maximum power output. This paper demonstrates the effective application of a novel adapt...

Two-level three-phase inverter is composed of three switching legs that impose the requested phase voltage amplitude operating at a high switching frequency. A dead time must be used to avoid phase-leg short circuits after turning off one device and before turning on the other one. Voltage average output waveforms of the inverter legs are affected...

The Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) facility was mainly conceived to study the problem of the plasma power exhaust. Nevertheless, being a state-of-the-art tokamak including several power supply systems to generate high currents in the in-vessel and ex-vessel coils, it could be also exploited as a test bench to progress in tokamak power supply technolog...

The paper deals with the dead time impact on the reverse conduction of low-voltage GaN FETs in in-verter topology for motor control applications. The current variation in AC motor drive leads to a different dead time losses mechanism compared to the DC-DC converter. In the paper, the dead time in the inverter leg is correlated with both current var...

In electric naval applications, battery storage management plays a key role. The second-life battery use is a fundamental part of the sustainable development of these waterborne transport systems. The article deals with the perspective and solutions of the second-life storage battery systems from the electric ship traction area. This paper presents...

This paper analyses the design of a controlled variable inductor adopted as the series inductance of an LCC-S compensation network in an Inductive Wireless Power Transfer system. In this compensation topology, the power transfer to the load can be controlled by varying the differential inductance of the component through a DC bias. The analytical d...

This paper analyses the design of the output inductor of a DC/DC converter, comparing the performances achieved by three different core materials to reach the best trade-off between the total losses and the size of the magnetic component. The N87 ferrite, the Xflux60 silicon iron powder, and the Metglas 2605 SA-1 iron-based amorphous are considered...

The 55th International Universities Power Engineering Conference (UPEC 2020) has been held on 1–4 September 2020 in the Virtual Conference mode because of the limitations due to the pandemics, hosted by Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy [...]

This paper deals with a method by which the experimental characterization of a power inductor is obtained from onboard measurements that exploits a low-cost DC-DC buck converter to supply the inductor under test with quasi-rectangular voltage waveforms of different amplitudes and bias conditions. The measurements of the voltage vL(t) across the ind...

In power inverter applications, Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology demonstrates advantages of energy conversion quality, power density, and efficiency, such as in medium to high switching frequency motor drive. The parallel connection of GaN FETs increases the current capability of power switches. In the parallel connection, the wide threshold voltag...

The auxiliary power supply in a power converter is a key topic in the optimization of the converter’s low-voltage electronic circuit performance. In this article, a low-voltage DC-AC soft-switching full-bridge topology, with an innovative, driven technique to achieve a zero-voltage transition, is presented and discussed. The full-bridge converter d...

The paper deals with the dead-time impact on the reverse conduction of low-voltage GaN FETs in in-verter topology for motor control applications. The current variation in AC motor drive leads to a different dead-time losses mechanism compared to the DC-DC converter. In the paper, the dead-time in the inverter leg is correlated with both current var...

Nowadays, power electronics is an enabling technology in the energy conversion development scenario [...]

Many drivers are determining continuous changes in the structure and operation of distribution grids. In addition to the now long-lasting effects introduced by the smart grid paradigm, a number of new trends are emerging. This chapter provides an overview of how distribution systems are changing. Modernisation is the key point to pass from network...

DC and battery-powered motor applications are shifting from conventional silicon MOSFET-based, low PWM frequency inverters to GaN-based, high-frequency PWM inverters. The advantages lie in the higher system efficiency and in the elimination of the electrolytic capacitors, and the DC input filter. In this paper, gallium nitride-based devices are sho...

The efficiency and power density improvement of power switching converters play a crucial role in energy conversion. In the field of motor control, this requires an increase in the converter switching frequency together with a reduction in the switching legs’ dead time. This target turns out to be complex when using pure silicon switch technologies...

In this paper, we propose a method for the identification of the differential inductance of saturable ferrite inductors adopted in DC–DC converters, considering the influence of the operating temperature. The inductor temperature rise is caused mainly by its losses, neglecting the heating contribution by the other components forming the converter l...

Thanks to their high torque density, permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) currently represent the most competitive solution in the electrification processes involving transports and energy production. However, it is known how the torque production of PMSMs is strictly related to the temperature of the permanent magnets (PMs) since the latter...

This paper deals with the determination of the rotor time-constant of an induction machine by performing a flux-decay test in generic load conditions. The flux-decay transient occurs when the supply stator voltage is turned off suddenly. In this way, from the decay envelope of stator back-electromotive forces (back-emf) and, in the case of the woun...

In this chapter, a survey of LED driver circuits is presented. The driver circuit is a crucial component in the LED light system. It provides the correct voltage and current values for the best brightness and long life. Furthermore, the driver circuits contribute to obtaining high efficiency and reliability light system. Several lighting applicatio...

This paper presents a complete design methodology of a Class-E inverter for capacitive wireless power transfer (CWPT) applications, focusing on the capacitance coupling influence. The CWPT has been investigated in this paper, because most of the literature refers to inductive power transfer (IWPT). However, CWPT in perspective can result in lower c...

Research teams from industry and academia have highlighted the advantages obtained from the introduction of Silicon Carbide (SiC) traction inverter power modules. Similarly, commercial solutions already benefit from SiC traction inverter in terms of performance as well as in terms of economical investment. Notwithstanding, the good features there a...

In modern power electronics-based power systems, accurate modeling is necessary in order to analyze stability and the interaction between the different elements, which are connected to it. State space modeling seems a valid approach to study the modes of a certain system and their correlation with its states. Unfortunately, this approach may requir...

This paper deals with the modelling of saturable inductors with ferrite core applied in a high frequency synchronous step-down converter, with GaN FETs as switches. The inductor current waveform is modeled and simulated under non-linear conditions, in order to evaluate the dynamic performances and the converter efficiency. The inductor current wave...

In this paper we propose a model for the analysis of the current waveform in ferrite power inductors subjected to large-signal square-wave voltage, a typical regime of present-day switch-mode power supplies. This problem is characterized by the non-linear response of the inductor across a wide range of current values, up to the limit of inductor sa...

In this article, a three-leg interleaved boost Power Factor Corrector (IBPFC) converter for energy-efficient LED lighting systems connected to the main grid was discussed. This IBPFC circuit presented features 60 kHz of commutation frequency and up to 3 kW of power rating. The controlled rectifier front-end boost PFC supplied a DC/DC converter to d...

Magnetic-optical methods are used to investigate the magnetic microstructure of an epitaxial film of (Lu,Bi) substituted rare earth iron garnet. In particular, we focused our study on a bi-dimensional domain configuration, the Néel spike, which is induced and pinned at defects inside the sample or at its edges. Imaging of magnetic domains and domai...

Nowadays, the light-emitting diode (LED) bulb is one of the preferred choice in lighting system design. Electrical models of the LED lamps have to consider their nonlinear behavior involving current distortion on the mains. With this purpose, an equivalent electrical circuit emulating the current drawn by a LED Bulbs is carried out. In this work, d...

Super junction (SJ) MOSFET is a well-established device in high-density and high frequency power conversion. Soft-switching techniques are usually adopted at high frequency to reduce the power losses into the power devices. However, new challenging issues appear always when the paradigm changes. In fact, unexpected heating and efficiency reduction...

Very Low voltage converter applications

The progressive reduction of global oil reserves and the issues related to the emission of air pollutions have spotlighted the urgent need for the production of vehicles enabling the reduction of both the fuel consumption and pollution. Nowadays, the hybrid electric vehicles are a viable option to guarantee reduction of both oil consumption and emi...

Abstract – For a decade to now, lighting with LED lamp technology has rapidly established itself in the market, both for domestic use and for industrial use, becoming in fact a viable alternative to fluorescent lamp technology. Industrial research interests are aimed at this LED lamp technology, which is steadily in development, presenting continuo...