Exploring Power Conversion Based on Piezoelectrics. Converters-Components and Capabilities-Video

Abstract: Power electronics are integral to the advancement of transportation, renewable energy, manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, and many other major industries. These technologies increasingly demand power electronics with smaller volume, lighter weight, and lower cost, but such strides are commonly impeded by energy storage components, particularly magnetics. While magnetic components have been central to power electronics since the field's inception, their inherent challenges at small scales motivate investigation of alternative energy storage mechanisms for future miniaturized power conversion. Piezoelectrics, which store energy in the mechanical compliance and inertia of a piezoelectric material, is one such prospect; piezoelectrics show immense promise for high power density and efficiency at small scales.

In this talk, we explore how we can leverage piezoelectrics to enable substantial miniaturization of power electronics. We first identify practical dc-dc converter implementations that most efficiently utilize piezoelectrics as sole energy storage components, without magnetics. Then, we turn to the piezoelectric components themselves and evaluate piezoelectric materials, vibration modes, and geometries based on efficiency and power density capabilities. We further discuss how these capabilities scale to small sizes and how piezoelectric-based converters may pave the way for major advances in converter miniaturization.