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Ideal Power Completes Department of Energy SBIR Phase I Project Deliverables for a B-TRAN™ Enabled AC Solid-State Circuit Breaker
AUSTIN, Texas, March 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ideal Power Inc. (Nasdaq: IPWR), pioneering the development and commercialization of highly efficient and
About this update from Ideal Power Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"AUSTIN, Texas, March 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ideal Power Inc. (Nasdaq: IPWR), pioneering the development and commercialization of highly efficient and broadly patented B-TRAN™ bidirectional power switches, announced today that it has delivered on its Phase I project commitments under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant awarded in collaboration with Diversified Technologies, Inc. (DTI) from the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop the conceptual design for a B-TRAN™-driven low-loss 50MW, 13.8 kV alternating current (AC) solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB). The SSCB is intended to be used in medium voltage power distribution and renewable energy / microgrid connection to the United States main power grid. Under the Phase I project, Ideal Power conducted a comprehensive semiconductor device optimization, completed the B-TRAN™ device design and wafer layout for potential fabrication in Phase II, leveraging its existing design to accommodate a multi-die packaging design, and, with the assistance of a world-class packaging firm, completed the conceptual multi-die packaging design with double-sided cooling, modeling both the thermal performance and inductance. These designs demonstrate the ability of B-TRAN™ switch modules to interrupt AC power and confirm the efficiency and speed of B-TRAN™ devices in AC operation. The B-TRAN™-based SSCB is expected to limit fault energy by orders of magnitude compared to conventional mechanical circuit breakers. “B-TRAN™-enabled SSCBs could potentially displace mechanical circuit breakers, which are roughly one hundred to one thousand times slower than SSCBs (operating in milliseconds rather than microseconds) and prone to arcing and wear, as well as solve the problems posed by SSCBs using conventional switches such as IGBTs that suffer high conduction losses, resulting in significant wasted energy that must be dissipated in the form of heat,” stated Dan Brdar, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ideal Power. “We look forward to moving to the next step with DTI, submission of a Phase II proposal to build and demonstrate a 50 MW, 13.8 kV AC SSCB, and are excited about B-TRAN™’s potential to revolutionize the SSCB market in both direct and alternating current applications.” SSCBs prevent damage to downstream loads, upstream generators, and the grid itself by utilizing microsec...