IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 31, NO.

6, NOVEMBEmECEMBER 1995 1257

An Actively Cooled 120-kW Coaxial Winding

Transformer for Fast Charging Electric Vehicles
Keith W. Klontz, Senior Member, IEEE, Deepakraj M. Divan, Senior Member, IEEE,
and Donald W. Novotny, Fellow, IEEE

Abstract- A 120-kW coaxial winding transformer has been Primary Side Secondary Side
built and tested to verify previous indications that a high power Converter Converter
transformer is feasible with the key attributes of this novel design,
namely: low leakage inductance, minimal effect of leakage field
on core losses, low copper losses, and a convenient “nesting”
structure well-suited for separability of the windings. The power
transfer capability is more than double that of any previously
published result for coaxial winding transformers. The appli- ac(lf)/dc dc/acolf) High\ acolf)/dc
cation chosen for the fabricated transformer was an inductive input Power Frequency OUtPUt
Rectifier converter Inductive Iktifier
coupler for fast charging of electric vehicles. Presented are the Interface
key parametric decisions, their impact on transformer fabrication
and characteristics, and the results of these design choices as lf=low frequency, 50/60 Hz
observed in the experimental data. The final design has active hf=high frequency, 15 kHz-2OOkHz
cooling to facilitate high power density and a separable core
to allow the primary and secondary windings to be coupled Fig. 1. Inductive charging system block schematic diagram.
and uncoupled. The experimental data shows performance better
than expected, with a magnetizing to leakage inductance ratio of
‘2
1000 : 1,efficiency well over 99% and power density of 25 kW/kg.

I. INTRODUCTION Toroidal
’ Core

T HE USE OF high frequency inductive coupling to transfer

energy to electric vehicles (EV’s) has been previously
reported [1]-[4]. In each case, the transformer is separable, h a r y
Conductor(s) Secondary
Conductofis)
meaning the primary and secondary windings are permanently
attached to the source and load, respectively, with coupling
between the two provided by an openable, gapped core. A
block schematic diagram of an inductive charging system with
a high-frequency transformer is shown in Fig. 1. Inner Winding: Litz Bundle \Toroidal
High-frequency, high-power transformers for power elec-
tronic converters can adversely affect the power supply system / core
design and performance. At high frequencies, even a relatively
small leakage inductance can lead to poor voltage regulation.
Also, within the transformer, the leakage field can cause a
significant increase in copper and core losses due to proximity Alt. Innerwinding: Tube
effects, skin effects, and localized core saturation. Coaxial
Fig. 2. Basic structure of coaxial winding transformer.
winding transformers (CWT’s) have been reported in the lit-
erature for use in high performance power conversion systems
in an effort to maximize frequency, power density, efficiency, and choice of converter topologies without the usual problems
of poor voltage regulation or excessive core and copper losses
[ 5 ] , [6]. An illustration of the basic CWT is shown in Fig. 2.
Paper IPCSD 9 5 4 8 , approved by the Industrial Power Converter Commit-
tee of the IEEE Industry Applications Society for presentation at the 1994
The concept of a versatile inductive coupler for EV charging
IEEE Industry Applications Society Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, October systems based on a separable CWT was reported recently [7].
2-7. This project has been funded by Electric Power Research Institute, Palo The inductive coupler includes an air gap so the primary and
Alto, CA. Manuscript released for publication May 24, 1995.
K. W. Klontz is with the D e p m e n t of Elecrncal Engineering, University Qecondarywindings can be easily uncoupled and separated rel-
of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620 USA. ative to one another. Fig. 3 illustrates the insertion and nesting
D. M. Divan and D. W. Novotny are with the Department of Electrical of the inner winding into the outer, core-mounted winding to
and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
53706 USA. achieve such a coupleluncouple arrangement, analogous to a
IEEE Log Number 9414375. plug and receptacle except no physical contact of conductors
0093-9994/95$04.00 0 1995 IEEE
1258 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 31, NO. 6, NOVEMBERIDECEMBER 1995
is necessary since energy is transferred magnetically. The
primary and secondary windings have been labeled for clarity,
but the function of the windings is interchangeable as with
other transformers. In the fabricated transformer the core gap
was held uniform with an external clamp; the mechanical
details of an opedclose mechanism being beyond the scope
of this investigation.
This paper focuses on recent results verifying performance
of a 120-kW CWT, which is more than double the highest
rating previously reported for any CWT. This high power
rating is suitable for delivering 30 kW-hrs to an electric vehicle
in only 15 min when cooled with water having a flow rate of
only one l/min.
11. DESIGNSPECIFICATIONS
All power transformers are limited by their ability to dis-
sipate internally generated losses or by their regulation. An
actively cooled transformer is essentially a device operated
beyond the normal limits of current density, flux density
and/or frequency with built-in capability to remove the higher
than usual copper or core losses in addition to that passively
dissipated from the outer surfaces to ambient air. The design
procedure for an actively cooled transformer requires the
thermal characteristics of both passive and active cooling
mechanisms be included from the outset. Unfortunately, ac-
curate thermal modeling requires knowledge of the physical
structure, and the proper design of the physical smcture
requires knowledge of the thermal characteristics. Therefore,
the design procedure for a new actively cooled device will
necessarily be iterative.
For fast charging electric vehicles of the near future the
transformer electrical specifications were established as
Secondary Voltage, 1111s: 600 volts, square-wave
Secondary Current, rms: 200 amperes, quasi-sinusoid
Phase: 1
Frequency: 20.5 kHz
Core material: PC40
Conductor material: copper
Cooling: demineralized water
Temperature rise, hot spot: 80°C.
111. DESIGNCONSIDERATIONS AND TRADE-OFFS
Certain design assumptions are required to continue the
design process. These are discussed here and summarized at
the end of this section.
To maintain the low leakage inductance required for ac-
ceptable high frequency operation, a low number of turns is
desired, but this usually leads to unacceptably high magne-
tizing current. This effect can be minimized by providing an
absolute minimum air gap once insertion has been completed.
The loop window of the secondary winding, Fig. 3, contains no
core material so the number of core/a.ir interfaces in the flux
path is a minimum. Additional effects of this design choice
are discussed in [6]. A magnetizing inductance to leakage
inductance ratio of 1000 : 1 was achieved in the fabricated
transformer.
Fig. 3. Insertion sequence of inductive coupler.
The output voltage was determined in anticipation of a
passive rectifier bridge on the EV. The primary voltage and
m s ratio are selected based on the highest voltage practical
for the power switches used, considering the number of turns
will be limited to keep the leakage inductance small. A unity
turns ratio is chosen with only four turns for both primary and
secondary windings.
The basic approach to the design of the conductors is to
set the wall thickness at the optimum thickness for the highest
frequency of operation, and then increase diameter to decrease
the current density and increase heat removal surfaces. With
outer and inner windings carrying very nearly the same current,
it is easy to see from Fig. 2 that the smaller inner winding will
always have a higher current density and smaller surface from
which to remove heat. Thus, the inner winding is the thermally
limiting component in the transformer. In anticipation of
actively cooling the inner winding, the diameter and current
density were.set so the thermal density was about 1 W/cm2,
this area taken normal to the direction of heat transfer. This
results in the very high current density which assures high
power density.
A unique feature of a transformer made from thin tubular
shells or flat foils is the large surface area of the conduc-
tors compared to bundled round wire. Some heat will be
dissipated by convection from the outer surfaces of the trans-
former, and the thermal density assumed for these surfaces
was 0.03 W/cm2. Also, the flux density of the core can be set
somewhat higher than usual with the a priori knowledge that
some core heat will be removed by the coolant.
In any nonautomatic connecting system for EV charging, the
user is required to assist in the insertion process by moving and
aligning one of the two conductors, and perhaps a portion of
the core. An early decision was to maintain approximately the
dimensions of today's gasoline pump handle. A larger device
may be difficult to manipulate by some people, and a smaller
device may have insufficient ruggedness or be perceived to be
like a toy to nontechnical individuals. The design assumptions
include allowances for insulation and a loose fit of the nesting
winding during insertion.
The physical means of providing four turns in a CWT
leads to very interesting and important design trade-offs unique
to the CWT structure. Fig. 4(a) and (b).shows two different
methods considered for achieving a four turn winding while
KLONTZ et al.: AN ACTIVELY COOLED 120-kW COAXIAL WINDING TRANSFORMER 1259

t I

Fig. 5. Defining radii of 1-layer windings.

I, =total current in nth the layer, amperes

po =permeability of copper, 47r x H/m
6 = skin depth, = /$, meters

(6)
Bo = p0nI
~

Fig. 4. (a) 4-turn CWT with tums in one layer. (b) 4-tum CWT with tums
in two layers.
maintaining an essentially circular cross section. Each method
differs in the effective ac resistance, hence losses, due to differ-
ent average current densities, optimal thicknesses and current
distribution within conductors. Importantly, each method has
different needs with respect to cooling, due to the resulting
surface area per watt of copper loss and the locations at which
active cooling must be added.
Approximate formulae for ac resistances of coaxial, non-
segmented conductors were presented by Perry [SI, which
indicated the optimal conductor thickness for a given fre-
quency. With reference to Fig. 5 for notation, the ac resistance
of the nth layer per meter of turn length, R,, for each of
the two windings of the configuration shown in Fig. 4(a) is
given by (l), where B, and Bo are the magnetic flux density
boundary conditions at T,, the inner surface of the nth layer,
and at T,, the outer surface of the nth layer, respectively. The
equation is valid for tube radii and tube wall thickness much
larger than the skin depth, where F1 and F 2 are adequate
approximations of the modified Bessel functions they replace.
where
N = Number of segments per layer
p = resistivity, R-meters
2m,
T, - T,
z=-
s
sinh(2z) + sin(2z)
Fl(x) =
cosh(2z) - C O S ( ~ Z )
F2(z) =
+
sinh(z) cos(2) cosh(z) sin(z)
) ~0422)
c o s h ( 2 ~-
Fig. 6 shows the ac resistance for the one-layer arrangement
of Fig. 4(a), normalized to the dc resistance of a hollow,
nonsegmented tube of thickness equal to one skin depth. Also,
the tube thickness has been normalized to the skin depth.
Fig. 7 is an enlarged view and shows an optimal resistance
less than the normalization value is achievable in the one
layer configuration. The optimal tube wall thickness occurs
at approximately 7r6/2.
The ac resistance for the two.layer arrangement of Fig. 4(b)
can be approximated with four equations of the form of
(l), but with new boundary conditions on the flux density.
The new boundary conditions are determined by Ampere’s
Law, considering the net current enclosed at each surface.
Fig. 8 shows the ac resistance of the two-segment, two-layer
configuration, each layer normalized to the dc resistance of
a nonsegmented tube with the same inner radius and wall
thickness of one 6.
The normalized resistance for each turn is the same since
they have been normalized by the dc resistance of different
tubes, each being one4 thick, but with one of inner radius
T I and one of inner radius ~ 3 The. resistance is 16 times the
nonsegmented minimum value of 0.92 due to the N 2 factor.
1260 EEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 31, NO. 6, NOVEMBERiDECEMBER 1995

Normalized Tube Thickness Normalized Tube Thickness

Fig. 6. Normalized ac resistance for 4-segment, one-layer winding. Fig. 8. Normalized ac resistance of 2-!ayer configuration, with 2 segments
per layer.

TABLE I
RESISTANCECOMPARISON
NORMALIZED

1 Layer (Fig. 4a) 14.2

8 154- 2 Layer (Fig. 4b)
3 Tums 1 + 2 3.6
P
%
152-
15- ----
Tums 3 i4
Totat
64
10.0

9 148-
$
2 146-
144-
142-
14l
1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2 2.2 2.4
Normalized T u b Thichess
Fig.7. Same as Fig.6, with expanded scale of Fig. 6.
The normalized ac resistance of the layer nearest the in-
terwinding space (see Fig. 2) has an optimal thickness which
occurs at a different conductor thickness, and the ac resistance
is always more than the dc value. The inherently higher
resistance is offset, however, by the increase in conductor
cross section obtained by having fewer segments per layer
and having only two of the four tums affected. The total
transformer ac resistance is the sum of the resistance of each
layer since they are connected in series for a total of four tums.
Table I compares the optimal, normalized ac resistance
for the conductor configurations of Fig. 4. For a given cur-
rent, frequency, and MLT, the conductor losses are directly
proportional to the ac resistance.
Table I shows the total ac resistance of the configuration
of Fig. 4(b) is lower than that of Fig. 4(a), even thougb the
resistance of the layer near the interwinding space is quite high.
Also, it is important that the surface area available for heat
removal is much greater for the two-layer arrangement, with all
conductors of Fig. 4(b) having twice the surface area compared
to those of Fig. 4(a). However, in actual practice, active
cooling between layers may be difficult to implement. The one-
layer, 4-segment configuration has the practical advantages of
simpler construction and less room taken by insulation layers.
The fabricated transformer used the method illustrated in
I Fig. 4(b) to achieve the current density and heat density targets
2.6 2.8 3
above. It is important to note that the optimal thickness is a
function of frequency, which means this design is optimized
for one frequency. In Figs. 6 and 8 an increase in frequency
is equivalent to moving the abscissa towards the origin of
the graph. The cylindrically concentric nesting of the primary
and secondary windings inherently assures a minimal leakage
field, thus assuring minimal losses in conductors and the core
caused by the leakage field.
S u m a r y of design parameters resulting from the above
design considerations:
1) 1 : 1 turns ratio, 4 turns, 2 layers;
2) Flux density, max.: 0.3 T;
3) Current density, max.: 20 AImm2;
4) Core length: 165 mm;
5 ) Interwinding space for loose fit: 1 mm;
6) Optimal copper thicknesses:
Outer-most and inner-most layers:
7r
t = 0.89 " , M -6
2
Layers near interwinding space:
t = 0.41 mm, M 0.826;
7) Major insulation: 0.10 mm aramid paper;
KLONTZ et al.: AN ACTIVELY COOLED 120-kW COAXIAL WINDING TRANSFORMER
Stacked U-Cores
,I I I 1 \
Coolant
TubCS
-
_-
Fig. 9. Side view and end view of fabricated transformer.
8) Heat surface density:
Actively cooled surface: 1 W/cm2
Passively cooled surface: 0.03 W/cm.2
I v . FABRICATION
OF THE TRANSFORMER
The tested transformer was rated at 600 V, 200 A, and 20
kHz. It was actively cooled with demineralized water flowing
at one liter per minute adjacent to some of the conductors. An
illustration of the fabricated transformer structure is shown in
Fig. 9.
The active cooling was provided with brass tubes brazed to
conductors in regions of minimal leakage field, and insulating
plastic tubing was used to circulate the demineralized water
coolant from one tube to another. The use of UU cores
facilitated the provision of core window area for coolant tubing
and performed very well, but this is not considered an optimal
arrangement.
As each turn traverses its path through the core window
and around the end-turn it is desirable to maintain as nearly
a circular and coaxial cross section as possible. This was
achieved by forming the conductors into half-shells that can
be nested together. The structure of the fabricated turns of
each winding is illustrated in Fig. 10, consisting of opposing
half-tubes for the upper and lower turns. A series of nesting
concentric turns was made by adjusting the winding radii
such that the conductor cross section throughout the entire
turn appears as in Figs. 4(b) and 9. The CWT core surrounds
the long side of the rectangularly shaped path of each turn.
With the UU cores a configuration was achievable with readily
available ferrite cores. Table I1 lists the physical characteristics
of the fabricated 120-kW transformer.
V. EXPERIMENTAL
RESULTS
The fabricated 120-kW transformer was tested in a labora-
tory bench-top setting, without any intentional cooling besides
the water coolant. Experimental data has been obtained for
open circuit, short circuit, and full load operation.
The experimental data verified the coolant was very ef-
fective in removing both core and copper heat, which is
particularly encouraging since no effort was made to enhance
thermal conductivity through the multiple layers of electri-
cal insulation, consisting mostly of 200°C aramid paper or
polyimide tape.
1261
Upper Turn
(outer)
Fig. 10. Upper and lower turns used to maintain circular cross section.
TABLE I1
DATAON 120-kW CWT
DIMENSIONAL
Envelope (mm): 56 high x 120 wide x 300lmg
Envelope Volume, ind. tubes: 2016 cm3
Core Volume: I88 cm3
C o n d U C t o ~ndi:
Tums 1 & 2 (outer) 14.1 mm
Tums 3 & 4 (outer) 13.5 mm
Tums 3 & 4 (mer) 11.9"
Tums 1 & 2 (mer) 11.0"
Material Weight
Copper 0.63 kg
coolingtUbufi11tings 0.34 kg
Core w
Total 5.07 kg
The power supply for the 120-kW transformer was a full
bridge series resonant converter fabricated for this purpose.
Using a stiff voltage bus, a 600-V square wave was applied
to the transformer primary, with the resonating current being
nearly sinusoidal. An example of the waveforms is presented
in Fig. 11, showing operation at 80% load. The transformer
was loaded by recirculating the transformer secondary back
to the converter bus via a full-wave bridge rectifier. With this
method only system losses were required of the utility supply
and a very energy conservative test was achieved.
Voltage, current, and power were measured with a digital
storage oscilloscope using over 1000 data points per cycle.
Temperatures were measured using embedded thermal-couples
installed during fabrication at the expected worst-case loca-
tions. Experimental results are listed in Table I11 for 600-V,
200-A, and 20.4-kHz operation, with water coolant flowing at
one l/min.
During operation temperature was monitored at the axial
midpoint of the core. The temperature rise of the core material
is shown in Fig. 12 as a function of time. It is seen from
Fig. 12 that the core material has a quite long thermal time
constant. It is important to note the conductor material and
the core material have very different thermal time constants,
with the conductor time constant much shorter than the core
time constant. For each data point of the core material, the
conductor temperature is essentially at steady state. The overall
thermal time constants for the fabricated CWT are listed in
1262 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 31, NO 6, NOVEMBEBDECEMBER 1995

TABLE IV
THERMAL
TIMECONSTANTS

Tcac 20 min.
“&an 30 sec

T / d i v 2 O p Ch2 .2 V X
Fig. 11. Typical voltage and current waveforms.

Pri Amps
Fig. 13. Conductor temperatures.

core material will take a long time to reach final temperature.

This can be used to advantage during fast charge operation
since the charger may be energized for only about 15 min fol-
lowed by a de-energized period. Thus, the core will not reach
its steady-state temperature, but will remain at some lower
0 LY-l
CI s: U7
r- 8
c1 temperature dependent on the duty cycle of the installation.
time, min Fig. 13 shows a wide deviation of temperature between
Fig. 12. Core temperatures Tum 1, the inner-most conductor directly attached to a water
tube, and Tum 3, the layer next to the inter-winding space.
TABLE 111 The latter turn is separated from the coolant by a layer
EXPERIMENTAL
DATAOF WATER-COOLED
120-kW CWT of electrical insulation in addition to having higher losses.
Without use of encapsulation or impregnating resin to achieve
Primary voltage, rmn 610 v good thermal contact, analysis has shown approximately 20%
Primary current, rmo 200 A
Frequency 20.43 kHz thermal contact. That is, the thermal impedance is five times
Input Power 122 kW higher than anticipated. Therefore, future work on high-power,
Losses: Coqper (calculated value = 430W) 364 W actively cooled CWT’s should incorporate provisions for good
Con (calculated value = 1 IOW) thermal contact between all significant heat transfer surfaces.
Tocal 462w
Efficiency 99.6 % VI. CONCLUSION
Inductance. Leakage 1.2 pR
Inductance, magnetizing 1.2 mH A 120-kW coaxial winding transformer for application to
Power Density 24.8 kWk
Volume Density 59.5w/cm5 electric vehicle fast charging systems has been built and
Final Tanperatule Rise: (hot spot)
tested. The experimental results are extremely encouraging
core 55 “c as the data shows well-behaved performance in all regards.
Primary 28°C The proven power transfer capability of this transformer,
Secondary 46oC
coolant (1 h i n . ) 6oC using a design especially well-suited for high frequency, high
power applications, is more than double that of any previously
reported CWT.
Table IV. The steady-state temperature rise of the conductors Because of the larger cross-sectional area the two-layer,
are shown in Fig. 13 as a function of primary current. four-turn winding had a lower resistance than the single-
The large difference in thermal time constants means the layer, four-tum winding, despite the higher resistance of the
conductors will come up to final temperature quickly, while the inner layer. With careful attention to heat removal mechanisms
KLONTZ et al.: AN ACTIVELY COOLED 120-kW COAXIAL WINDING TRANSFORMER 1263

from these lossy areas, particularly the thermal contact after
fabrication, operation with unusually high current densities is
feasible for fixed frequency systems.
A power density of 24.9 kWkg has been demonstrated,
indicating that active cooling can readily enable about an
order of magnitude increase in power transfer capability.
The success of this research strongly encourages scaling
upward the concept for even higher power ratings using higher
frequencies, higher current densities, and improved thermal
management.
REFERENCES
W. T. McLyman, “Ferroresonant flux coupled battery charger,” U S .
Patent 4656412.
K. Lashkari, S. E. Schladover, and E. H. Lechner, “Inductive power
transfer to an electric vehicle,” in Con$ Rec. 1986 8th Inc. Elec. Vehicle
SYmP.
K. W. Klontz, D. M. Divan, D. W. Novotny, and R. D. Lorenz,
“Contactless battery charger system,” U.S. Patent 5 157 319.
P. F. Carosa, “Separable inductive coupler,” U S . Patent 5 216402.
M. H. Kheraluwala, D. W. Novotny, and D. M. Divan, “Design
considerations for high frequency transformers,” in Con$ Rec. 1990
Power Electron. Specialists Con$, pp. 734-742.
K. W. Klontz, D. M. Divan, D. W. Novotny, and R. D. Lorenz,
“Contactless power delivery for mining applications,” in Con$ Rec. 1990
Annu. Meet. Ind. Appl. Soc., pp. 1263-1269.
K. W. Klontz, P. J. Wolfs, R. R. Bacon, D. M. Divan, and D. W.
Novotny, “An electric vehicle charging system with ‘uni versa]’ inductive
interface,” in Con$ Rec. 1993 Power Conversion Con$, Yokohama,
Japan, pp. 227-232.
M. P. Perry, Low Frequency Electromagnetic Design. New York:
Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1985.
Deepakraj M. Divan (S’78-M’78-S’82-M’83-
SM’91) received the B.Tech. degree in electrical
engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology,
Kanpur, in 1975. He received the M.Sc. and Ph.D.
degrees in electrical engineering from the University
of Calgary, Canada.
He worked for two years as a Development
Engineer with Philips India Ltd. In 1979, he started
his own concem in Pune, India, providing product
development and manufacturing services in the
power electronics and instrumentation areas. In
1983, he joined the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University
of Alberta. Canada. as an Assistant Professor. Since 1985. he has been with
the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University
of Wisconsin, Madison, where he is presently a Professor. He is also
Associate Director of the Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics
Consortium (WEMPEC), a group of 53 industrial sponsors supporting research
in the area of power electronics and machines. He is a consultant for
various organizations including the Electric Power Research Institute and
Oakridge National Laboratory, and is also working with several industries.
His primary areas of interest are in power electronic converter circuits and
control techniques. He has over 60 papers in the area as well as 12 patents.
Dr. Divan has been a recipient of the Killam Scholarship during his Ph.D.
program and has also won various prize papers, including the IEEE-IAS Best
Paper Award for 1988-89, second-prize paper at the PCC-Yokohama 93,
and prize papers for the Industrial Drives Committee in 1983, 1989, 1991,
and 1993, and the Power Semiconductor Committee in 1990. He has been
the Program Chairman for the 1988 and 1989 Industrial Power Converter
Committee of the IEEE-IAS, Transactions Review Chair for the Committee
in 1990 and 1991, and is presently Chairman of the Committee. He was
Technical Program Chairman for PESC 91, and a Treasurer for PESC 89. He
was Chairman of the Education Committee in the IEEE Power Electronics
Society during 1990 and 1991, an Adcom member since 1991, and is presently
the Technical Vice President for the society. He is a member of the National
Committee on Power Electronics.

Donald W. Novotny (M’62-SM’77-F’87) received

the B S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering
Keith W. Klontz (S’73-M’75-SM’90) received the from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago,
B.S and M Sc. degrees in electrical engineenng in 1956 and 1957, and the Ph.D. degree from the
from the University of Illinois-ChampagnKJrbana University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1961.
in 1974 and 1975, respectively, and he received Since 1961 he has been a member of the faculty
the Ph.D degree in 1995 from the University of at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he
Wisconsin-Madison is currently Grainger Professor of Power Electronics
From 1975-1980, he was with Duke Power Com- and Co-director of the Wisconsin Electric Machines
pany, Charlotte, NC, working in the Design En- and Power Electronics Consortium (WECPEC), an
gineering Department on electrical power systems educational and research support organizauon with
of large nuclear and coal-fired generating stations 53 industry sponsors. He served as Charman of the Electrical and Computer
In 1980, he joined McHenry Electnc Company, Engineering Department from 1976 to 1980 and as an Associate Director
McHenry, IL, as Vice President-Engineering where he managed the technical of the University-Industry Research Program from 1972 to 1974, and from
aspects of a large service and sales center for industnal electnc motors and 1980 to 1993. He has been active as a consultant to many organizations and
drives. He is presently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering has also been a Visiting Professor at Montana State University, the Technical
at the University of South Flonda, Tampa, FL His research interests include University of Eindhoven, Eindhoven, Netherlands, the Catholic University
electric vehicle and clean energy technologies, electromechanical energy of Leuven, Belgium, and a Fulbrigbt Lecturer at the University of Ghent,
conversion systems, power electronics and power converter magnetics He Belgium. He has published over 100 technical articles on electnc machines,
is the co-inventor of four issued patents. variable frequency drives, and power electronic control of industrial systems.
Dr Klontz is past chairman of the Chicago Chapter of IAS, recipient of the Dr. Novotny is a member of ASEE, Sigma Xi, Eta Kappa Nu, and Tau
1984 IEEE Centennial Medal, recipient of the Top 25 Collegiate Invention Beta Pi. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Wisconsin. Nine of his
Award of 1992 in a national competition, and winner of the second-pnze paper technical articles on electnc machines, variable frequency drives, and power
at the Power Conversion Conference-Yokohama in 1993 He is a Registered electronic control of industrial systems have received prize paper awards from
Professional Engineer in Wisconsin and Illinois the IEEE Industrial Applications Society
1264 BEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 31, NO. 6, NOVEMBEFUDECEMBER 1995

tal Compensation f Line-Side Switching

onics in Conve er-Fed AC Locomotiv
Jens-Onno Krah and Joachim Holtz, Fellow, IEEE

Abstract-PWM controlled line-side converters of modern ac

traction locomotives inject harmonic currents into the feeding
overhead line. This causes problems of electromagnetic inter-
ference. Passive or active filters are usually provided for a
partial reduction of the line harmonics. A novel and superior
approach employs a switched electroniccompensator.It generates
an exact replica of the harmonic current, feeding it to the high-
voltage transformer to produce a harmonic counter MR/DF. The
transformer main flux is then forced to be sinusoidal, and so
is the induced voltage in the primary. The line current, being
low-pass filtered by the transformer leakage inductance, a s m e s
a pure sinusoidal waveform. The compensator operates in the
low switching frequency range of the main power converters.
Its installed power is only 1% of the traction power. Qperafion,
control, and design considerations are described. Results from
laboratory tests at full power level are presented.
Fig. 1. The electric drive system of the class 120 locomotive.
I. INTRODUCTION
ONTROLLED ac-drives have evolved as a preferred harmonics injected by the locomotive [4]. This increases the
technology in railway traction. The concept offers the intensity of electromagnetic interference (EMI) with track-side
advantage of operation in an enlarged constant power range signaling lines and protection systems [5].
of the torque-speed characteristic. It reduces the size of the
traction motor, minimizes maintenance requirements, and im- D. REDUCTION OF CONVERTER HARMONICS
proves the power quality in the feeding overhead catenary [I],
Different methods have been employed in the past to
[21.
The electronic power conversion system of ac-drive locomo- reduce the harmonic distortion of the pantograph
tives consists of an arrangement of three-phase PWM inverters electric traction vehicles. The class 120 locomoti
feeding the traction motors at variable voltage and variable German railways (DB) and the traction equipment of the
frequency [3]. The associated dc-link circuits are supplied German Intercity Express (1CE)l employ a tuned harmonic
from the overhead line through a group of single-phase power filter which is inserted between the pantograph a
converters, which are also operated in the PWM mode. The voltage winding of the input transformer [3] (see
line-side converters generate current harmonics which are filter consists of a series inductor, a capacitor, and
injected into the overhead line, spreading as traveling waves resistor. Since the inductor carries the full load current and the
in either direction from the feeding point [4]. capacitor must sustain the high line voltage of 15 kV, the total
In the frequency range of the characteristic converter har- kilovoltampere rating of such a harmonic filter is very high.
monics, the overhead supply reacts as a distributed electric This increases the cost of the traction equipment considerably.
wave guide, having various electric discontinuities such as Even worse is the high weight of the harmonic filter, which is
feeding substations, moving traction vehicles, and line bi- around 800 kg. It adds in an undesired way to the mechanical
furcations. Partial reflections of the traveling waves at the stresses in the locomotive body and increases the weight per
points of discontmuity are the causes of multiple and time- axle, stressing the rails and their supporting structures. Other
varying electrical eigenresonances. Their excitation by the problems relate to electrical aspects. Transient overvoltages
current harmonics of ac locomotives may stimulate electri- occur when the pantograph is lifted to connect the filter to the
cal oscillations in the line. The resonating currents can be overhead line. The filter also absorbs those harmonics from
substantially higher in amplitude than the originating inverter the line which are generated by other traction vehicles. This
increases the filter losses to an unpredictable degree.
Paper IPCSD 95-39, approved by the Industrial Power Converter Commit-
Alternative solutions have been considered in an attempt to
tee of the IEEE Industry Applications Society for presentation at the 1994
IEEE Industry Applications Society Annual Meetmg, Denver, CO, October eliminate some of the disadvantages of a passive harmonic
2-7. Manuscript released for publication May 12, 1995. filter. The proposed design of the class 460 locomotive of the
The authors are with the University of Wuppertal, 42097 Wuppertal,
Germany. 'The German Intercity Express (ICE-train) was run by AMTRAK in a
IEEE Log Number 9414384. regular passenger service on the U.S. East Coast and the West Coast in 1993.

0093-9994/95$04.00 0 1995 IEEE