Ideal Power pioneering the development and commercialization of the highly efficient and broadly patented B-TRAN™ bidirectional power switch delivered initial Bidirectional, Bipolar Junction Transistor (B-TRAN™) devices to Diversified Technologies, Inc. (DTI) under the contract awarded to DTI by the United States Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to develop and demonstrate a B-TRAN™ enabled high efficiency 12kV medium voltage direct current (MVDC) circuit breaker.
These initial devices will be utilized for characterization and testing to support DTI’s breaker design efforts in advance of future device deliveries for incorporation into a full-scale MVDC circuit breaker. Prior to delivery, the B-TRAN™ devices were tested and demonstrated results consistent with the very low losses predicted by prior internal and third-party simulations.
“The delivery of initial packaged B-TRAN™ devices to DTI is a significant accomplishment under the NAVSEA program. These devices incorporate the wafer processing improvements and packaging design developed under the program,” said Dan Brdar, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ideal Power.
“Circuit breakers perform a critical function in power generation, transmission, and distribution systems to protect against power surges and short circuits, with the circuit breaker market overall projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 6% to approximately $26 billion by 2027, driven by the increased electrification of our daily lives.
The fast-switching speed of B-TRAN™ solves the slow operating time and electrical arcing of traditional mechanical circuit breakers while also providing more than 50% lower conduction losses compared to solid-state circuit breakers utilizing conventional semiconductor power switches. These benefits position B-TRAN™ to potentially be an enabling technology for circuit breaker applications such as distributed direct current (DC) networks.”
The NAVSEA project is funded under the Department of Defense’s Rapid Innovation Fund, which is designed to accelerate the commercialization of high-value, high-impact technologies. Ideal Power and DTI’s collaboration is expected to help establish the viability of shipboard MVDC power distribution by delivering extremely fast fault interruption, low fault currents, flexible programmable coordination, and mechanical isolation, which are key factors to the reliable and safe operation of DC power systems.
The U.S. Navy has stated a goal to increase shipboard power densities in order to field ships with greater operational flexibility. The use of MVDC in ship electrification and distributed DC networks may result in less vulnerable power distribution systems and naval vessels.
