DC-DC converter in a non-steady system
AssigneeEtaGen, Inc.
InventorsAnthony Da Costa, John Powers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Multiphase electromagnetic machines, such as free-piston engines or compressors, may require, or supply, a pulsed power profile from or to a DC bus, respectively. The pulsed power profile may include relatively large fluctuations in instantaneous power. Sourcing, sinking, or otherwise exchanging power with an AC grid, via an inverter, may be accomplished by using an energy storage device and a DC-DC converter coupled to a DC bus. The energy storage device may aid in smoothing the pulsed power profile, while the DC-DC converter may aid in reducing fluctuations in voltage across a DC bus due to energy storage in the energy storage device.
Claims18
A power management system that receives a power output from a free-piston power generator comprising:
- a first DC bus controlled by an inverter;
- a first DC-DC converter coupled to the first DC bus and configured to provide a second DC bus, wherein the first DC-DC converter is configured to output a smoothed power output to the inverter relative to the power output;
- at least one energy storage device coupled to the second DC bus;
- a second DC-DC converter coupled to the second DC bus and to the free-piston power generator, wherein the second DC-DC converter is configured to receive the power output from the free-piston power generator.
A power management system that receives power from a power input and provides a pulsed power output to a free-piston machine comprising:
- a first DC bus controlled by an inverter coupled to the power input;
- a first DC-DC converter coupled to the first DC bus and configured to provide a second DC bus;
- at least one energy storage device coupled to the second DC bus;
- a second DC-DC converter coupled to the second DC bus, wherein the second DC-DC converter is configured to output the pulsed power output to the free-piston machine relative to the power input.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.