Design of Power Conversion System for Pulsed Power Applications of SMES

Superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) is an attractive technology for large-scale energy storage. SMES systems are particularly suitable for applications that require high power density. Energy conversion systems are critical components of SMES systems. SMES can be an efficient energy source for pulsed power applications. For bidirectional energy transfer between SMES and the pulsed load, a Power Conversion System (PCS) is essential. Two different power electronic conversion schemes are reported: a reduced IGBT count of H-bridges and a novel bidirectional DC/DC converter without any H-bridges. The new scheme has an additional voltage source converter capacitor stage to maintain the pulse shape required by the pulsed load, which removes the requirement of the H-bridge type PCS. Details of the two topologies and a comparison of the operation and converter loss studies using simulations of the new control scheme are discussed.