When researching second life battery packs, WMG at the University of Warwick needed a DC-DC power system to help convert their goals into reality.
A growing concern for xEV batteries is what will happen to them at the end of their lifetime. Many batteries have significant capacity left for other uses, such as grid storage. One of the main research goals for the Energy Innovation Centre at WMG is to evaluate and test these batteries, including the ability to integrate energy generated by renewable sources.
In order to perform charge/discharge tests on the batteries, a bidirectional programmable DC-DC converter was needed. As nothing was commercially available to meet the requirements ETPS provided a non-standard solution: the CON-DSS.
During the initial project, the converter is providing an interface between a common 750V DC bus and battery packs. These are made up of various voltages/capacity configurations originating from vans, buses and passenger cars. Renewables are also fed on to the same DC link.
Since the ERA project launch, the CON-DSS is now a standard product line. The bidirectional DC-DC converters feature an adjustable input/output on the low voltage side. Modules are available with high voltage side nominals from 58.8V up to 600V. Outputs up to 1500V are possible in master/slave.
To read more about the project, click here.
