Electrically driven technologies are replacing hydraulic, pneumatic and mechanical systems in new military aircraft designs to improve capability, reliability and maintainability. This transition requires high performance electronic components capable of operating over a wide temperature range. Capacitors, which provide necessary power conditioning, have been identified as a limiting component for these architectures. New dielectric materials and capacitor designs are needed to provide high specific capacitance and operation at high temperature. In support of this need, TPL recently completed an advanced technology development and production demonstration effort for AFRL. The framework was successfully established for wound film capacitors capable of operating at a temperature of 200C for aircraft power conversion applications. The technology development accelerated the functional development and practical manufacturing demonstration of the fluorinone polyester (FPE) dielectric film and associated wound capacitor technology. Performance of the FPE capacitor technology supports several future high-temperature power conversion needs. The proposed Direct to Phase II will focus on maturing the technology and demonstrating the high-temperature capacitor performance in 600-800 V capacitors to be used in conversion equipment that operates in 400 Hz power system architectures and with Variable Speed Constant Frequency (VSCF) generator control units. Several capacitor design and fabrication iterations focused on optimizing performance and minimizing size will be performed during the Phase II Base period. The Phase II Option will be directed at fabrication, test and delivery of full-scale capacitor prototypes which meet the needs of the Navys next generation 100 kVA DC Link Generator Converter Units.
Benefit: The success of this development program will enable the miniaturization of electrically driven technologies for future aircraft weapons platforms. Future aircraft designs require more power to new classes of nonlinear and constant power load. Better capacitors are needed to ensure operation without major changes to the aircraft cooling system. Capacitors with operating temperature capability of 200C are expected to enable more compact and efficient power conversion systems based on new wide-bandgap materials. High temperature capacitors are need for both DC link applications as well as for AC filters. Similar benefits can also be realized in commercial hybrid electric vehicle applications, where reduction in size and increased efficiency will offer lower fuel consumption and lighter total weight in vehicles. An additional application for high temperature, compact filter capacitors will be in the utility industry for high power converters, where operating temperature and size are also key concerns.
Keywords: High Temperature, power conditioning, Wide-Bandgap, Volumetric Efficiency, Capacitors, fluorinone polyester, DC-Link, power conversion
