Now boarding the flight to the future, flying lower emissions Ampaire hybrid-electric planes
Ampaire is developing hybrid-electric aircraft that will lead the industry to an all-electric future with net-zero emissions and a greener future
Customer’s challenge
Powered and controlled via a tether from a ground-based power source, tethered remote operated vehicles typically require a 1 – 5kW ground power supply tethered to the ROV to provide unlimited run time and greater control. A high-voltage tether (500 to 800V) delivers power to the vehicle. The power delivery network (PDN) inside the vehicle must be capable of down converting the tether’s high-voltage power source with high efficiency and take up less real estate to free up important payload space. The key goals were:
- Optimize the power delivery through the tether
- Rugged, highly integrated power supply for high reliability
- Efficiently convert high voltage to safe 48V SELV
The Vicor solution
Vicor high-voltage, fixed-ratio bus converter modules and Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS) buck regulators create a power solution that optimizes the system for SWaP-C. On shore, the bidirectional Vicor BCM® converts SELV to high voltage at 98% efficiency for the tether. The high-voltage tether is a much smaller and lighter cabling with lower losses, helping to conserve energy and thereby extending the operational time under water, increase functionality and carry more payload.
Key benefits
Key benefits
Significantly reduced tether size, weight and drag
Optimum efficiently converting high voltage to SELV voltages
Lightweight conversion solution on board the ROV
Power delivery network
From the ground station, the BCM4414 isolates and steps down the rectified output from a single or three-phase AC supply to 48V. A second BCM4414 steps up the 48V to 800V for distribution across the tether. A third BCM4414 is used to step down the 800V to 48V onboard the vehicle. Downstream of the BCM4414, ZVS Buck Regulators offer maximum power density and flexibility for high efficiency point-of-load DC-DC regulation. The integration of a high performance Zero-Voltage Switching (ZVS) topology increases point-of-load performance, providing best-in-class power efficiency up to 98%.
MIL-COTS BCM® bus converter modules
Input: 200 – 400V, 400 – 700V, 500 – 800V
Current: Up to 35A
Efficiency: Up to 98%
As small as 1.28 x 0.86 x 0.26in
Input: 12, 24 or 48V
Output: 2.2 – 16V
Current: Up to 22A
Peak efficiency: 98%
As small as 10.0 x 10.0 x 2.6mm
Resources
Resources for the design engineer
Supporting more functionality, increased payload and longer run time
Learn how Vicor delivers high power with efficiency and reduced weight that allows for greater payload options to support mission success
Providing well-regulated 48V at over 1kW
Learn how Vicor delivers power at 1kW with efficiency and reduced weight
Reducing I2R losses to enable extended missions
Learn how Vicor delivers high power with efficiency and reduced weight for electronic countermeasures