Clean Sky is the largest European research programme developing innovative, cutting-edge technology aimed at reducing CO2, gas emissions and noise levels produced by aircrafts.
Funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme, Clean Sky contributes to the strengthening of the European aero-industry in collaboration, global leadership and competitiveness.
Electrification of aircrafts will be the main technological contributor towards the reduction of CO2, NOx and noise emissions.
Dynex Semiconductor Ltd are delighted to be the consortium in leading this research project, alongside the University of Sheffield. The research and development at Dynex will be led by Dr. Yangang Wang, Vice Director of the Research Development Centre and his team.
Project MuSiCA (Multi-level Silicon-Carbide power module for Aircraft applications) is a two-year, EUR 620,000 sponsored project in the Clean Sky 2 programme. MuSiCA aims to deliver a modular power electronics building block which will be key in enabling technology for the electrification of aircrafts.
MuSiCA will design and supply an innovative multilevel power electronics module, essential for the construction of high efficiency converters for on-board electric energy conversion systems.
The project will use pioneering technologies to produce a Silicon Carbide (SiC) based power module, targeted at a 100kW aircraft motor drive application.
The primary objective is to combine SiC devices and associated gate drive in a manufacturable and reliable power module package, in order to enable SiC technology to meet its full potential and demonstrate its competitiveness against current solutions. In achieving this, the hardware will be tested on a Clean Sky 2 motor drive test bed.
The output of the project will be a demonstration of the manufacturability, reliability, low weight and volume of the proposed technologies with the ultimate aim of contributing to the reduction of CO2, NOx and Noise emissions is aircraft transportation.
The target application is European Aerospace but the solutions developed will be applicable to other applications such as automotive, rail and renewable energy, where high reliability and manufacturability is desirable.
The key objectives of MuSiCA are to: Increase manufacturability, long term in-service reliability, modularity and scalability, and maximise the performance of SiC power semiconductor devices.
The power electronics module developed in MuSiCA will support the Clean Sky ambitions, by delivering an innovative multilevel power electronics module which will be a functional foundation for future highly efficient on-board energy conversion system requirements.
Dr Yangang Wang said: “One of the critical solutions to the Clean Sky programme is additional electric power systems for aircrafts, which will result in the considerable reduction of emissions and noise pollution. This is determined to a great extent by the performance of power semiconductor switches and the application systems.
Over the last few decades, Dynex have developed power semiconductor devices for Aircraft applications, with a focus on high performance, high efficiency, high reliability, low volume and lightweight products.
We are very pleased to lead this promising research project that’s funded by the Clean Sky 2 programme, which encourages and supports further development activity on our next generation Aircraft standard power devices.
Our exceptional R&D resources will ensure significant improvement on the product standard, and will be highly beneficial to both Dynex and the aviation industry.”
More information about the projects Goals and Objectives can be found on the project website:
http://highreliabilitydrives.group.shef.ac.uk/projects/musica/