Dynamic Power Management in Modular Reconfigurable Battery Systems with Energy and Power Modules

TL;DR

This paper introduces a modular reconfigurable AC battery system with coupled inductors that dynamically manages energy distribution, improves stability, and enhances response times during variable load conditions.

Contribution

A novel modular topology with coupled inductors for AC batteries that enables dynamic energy management and improved stability in reconfigurable battery systems.

Findings

Efficient energy transfer among modules during load changes

Reduced circulating currents with mutual inductors

Fast response times due to optimized inductance

Abstract

Integrating power electronics with batteries can offer many advantages, including load sharing and balancing with parallel connectivity. However, parallel batteries with differing voltages and power profiles can cause large circulating currents and uncontrolled energy transfers, risking system instability. To overcome these challenges, we propose a novel modular reconfigurable topology for AC batteries with coupled inductors between adjacent submodules. This approach dynamically manages energy distribution between energy and power modules. Under normal conditions, energy modules operate in series or parallel configurations to deliver stable voltage and current, ensuring efficient power delivery. During heavy loads, such as during electric-vehicle acceleration, power modules seamlessly meet additional power demands beyond the energy modules' capacity. The use of mutual inductors reduces inductance along the load path for faster response times while providing sufficient inductance to regulate circulating currents and enable efficient energy transfer among modules. The system's AC load further complicates control, necessitating a simple yet effective feedforward-feedback control strategy to maintain satisfactory performance.