e2v is awarded UK Government funding to develop eco friendly power supply
UK based e2v, has been awarded support funding to develop power converter technology that will be used to drive major efficiency improvements in electrical energy usage. The resulting technology could potentially have a significant impact on energy consumption in major industrial processes and could help contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from industry.
e2v will commence work in December 2006 on a 30-month project to develop an innovative, multi-phase, resonant power converter technology that will be used to drive improved efficiencies in worldwide electrical energy use and underpin the development of new RF systems products. The UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is financially supporting 50% of the project through its Technology Programme for Collaborative Research & Development, a cross-Government innovation initiative that facilitates further investment in science, engineering and technology with the active participation of business and industry.
The collaborative project will be led by e2v and supported by its industrial partner Dynex Semiconductor Limited. The School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Nottingham, under the leadership of Professor Jon Clare, will complete the partnership, bringing a wealth of power control technology expertise to the programme and building on the existing PPARC funded collaborative research. Links with the High Power RF Faraday Partnership and Dr Sam Kingman from the School of Chemical, Environmental & Mining Engineering at the University of Nottingham will strengthen the link with industry.
Ray Rush, Electronic Systems Manager at e2v, comments: "This funding, won against stiff competition, will enable e2v to develop compact, high efficiency power supply technology that meets the increasingly stringent environmental and international regulatory requirements of today's high power systems products."
The converter design will reduce stored energy to remove the need for a crowbar protection system and the soft-switching will reduce switching losses, which is critical for operation at higher power levels.
"The initial application, targeted at mineral liberation, will have a major impact on world energy consumption, as well as drastically reducing CO2 emissions."
