Project description
The proposed research project consists of the development of an advanced control system for a waste heat recovery unit consisting of the association of a large number of thermogenerator cells which can be found in different work points and which due to their reversibility cannot be interconnected directly. For this reason, it is not only necessary to design individualized control electronics for each of the cells but also concentrated for a large number of them that allow modular solutions to be achieved in a scalable way.
These power electronic systems must measure the working point of each of the thermogenerator elements while, thanks to a maximum power point tracker (MPPT), they must achieve maximum system performance, as is currently done with solar panel technology. The solution must be able to work for different thermogenerator technologies as well as for different temperature ranges from 200 to 600 degrees Celsius.
The project will begin with a study of the state of the art both in terms of research and technological solutions to know the background and clearly define the improvements to be achieved with this project. Subsequently, it will be necessary to model at a high level the system formed by the thermogenerator cells and the control electronics in order to have a simulable specification system from which to derive the specific specifications of the circuitry to be developed. These models will be validated with characterization results in the laboratory. Subsequently, the control circuitry of the system will be designed with integrated circuit design tools and this design will be manufactured with CMOS microelectronic technology available for power applications: during the design/manufacturing process, partial designs of the basic blocks that will make up the critical parts of the electronic system will first be made and finally, once they have been physically verified, the final design of the prototype device that will be part of this new control system will be made. The final tests will be to integrate the system into a new, more efficient waste heat recovery system.
