New methods for increasing the power density of electric systems used in transportation and more efficient and improved water treatment technologies are the focus of two new engineering research centers announced by NSF in August.
Led by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Center for Power Optimization of Electro-Thermal Systems (POETS) will aim to increase the power density of electrified systems by 10 to 100 times. That increase should lead to lighter, more compact, and more efficient power electronics for cars, airplanes, construction equipment, tools, and other mobile applications. Center researchers will integrate three-dimensional cooling circuitry, power converters, and algorithms to improve power management. Success could lead to a doubling of the range of electric vehicles, according to center officials. The NSF award is valued at $18.5 million over five years.
Andrew Alleyne, POETS’s principal investigator, says that while heat dissipation limits power density, thermal considerations are often viewed...
