SBIR/STTR
Silicon Carbide (SiC) Power Processing Unit (PPU) for Hall Effect Thrusters, Phase II
Project Introduction
In this SBIR project, APEI, Inc. is proposing to develop a high efficiency, rad-hard 3.8 kW silicon carbide (SiC) power supply for the Power Processing Unit (PPU) of Hall Effect thrusters. This program specifically targets the design of a PPU for the HiVHAC (High Voltage Hall ACcelerator) thruster, with target specifications of 80-160V input, 200-700V / 5A output, efficiency greater than 96%, and peak power density in excess of 2.5 kW/kg. The PPU under development utilizes SiC JFET power switches; components which APEI, Inc. has irradiated under TID conditions to greater than 3 MRad with little to zero change in device performance.
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Anticipated Benefits
APEI, Inc. has identified two key applications where the proposed technology is also applicable namely, high voltage hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) battery packs, and photovoltaic energy systems. These two applications open up a path to non-military commercialization of the technology which can mean huge dividends for APEI, Inc. Other applications include Energy Exploration, Industrial Motor Drives, Electric Vehicle Motor Drives, and Military Systems.
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Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
Glenn Research Center
(GRC)
|
Lead Organization | NASA Center | Cleveland, OH |
| Arkansas Power Electronics International, Inc. | Supporting Organization | Industry | Fayetteville, AR |
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
(JPL)
|
Supporting Organization | NASA Center | Pasadena, CA |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
Arkansas
-
California
-
Ohio
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Organizational Responsibility
Responsible Mission Directorate:
- Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD)
Lead Center / Facility:
- Glenn Research Center (GRC)
Responsible Program:
- SBIR/STTR
Project Management
Program Director:
Program Manager:
Project Managers:
- Daniel Herman
- Gary Jahns
Principal Investigator:
- Bradley Reese
Project Duration
Start: Jun 2011
End: Aug 2013
Technology Maturity (TRL)
| Start: | 2 |
| Current: | 2 |
| Estimated End: | 5 |
Applied Research
Development
Demo & Test
Technology Areas
Primary:
- TA 2 In-Space Propulsion Technologies
- TA 2.2 Non-Chemical Propulsion
- TA 2.2.1 Electric Propulsion