Research

Research Themes

Our research aims to address fundamental questions in the area of power electronics.

Power Converters for e-Mobility

We have developed a 1.2 kW multi-port off-board charger for electric 2- and 3-wheelers. The multiport charger has three output ports, allowing it to charge three electric 2- or 3-wheelers simultaneously. Additionally, each output port can accommodate a wide range of battery voltages (40-85 V) and current levels.

We have also developed a 10 kW reconfigurable charger compatible with electric 2-, 3-, and 4-wheelers. The charger supports simultaneous charging of three 2/3-wheeler batteries (40-85 V) or a single 4-wheeler battery (250-450 V), making it interoperable across different EV segments. The charger comprises three modular power converter building blocks. The modular approach and reconfigurable charging ports reduce the effort and costs associated with redesigning chargers tailored to each vehicle class.

These solutions aim to democratisise charging. The multiport charger was selected by DST as cutting-edge technology and exhibited during the TATWA event, held as part of World Environment Day celebrations at Vigyan Bhavan. The reconfigurable charger was recognised with a Gandhian Young Technological Innovation award.

10 kW modular charger for E2W/E3W/E4W

1.2 kW multiport charger for E2W/E3W

Tests with commercial E2W

Coil design for inductive WPT

Multiport Power Conversion

Multiport power converters can be used to interface multiple energy sources, energy storage systems, loads and the grid. Multiport converters can reduce redundant power processing and lower overall system cost through component sharing. We are looking into circuit topologies, modelling, and control of multiport converters for interfacing renewable energy sources and battery energy storage systems with AC and DC grids. Our work on multiport triple active bridge converters received an IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications Second Prize Paper Award from the Industrial Power Converter Committee.

Multiport DC/DC converter

Multiport AC/DC converter

Power Magnetics

Power magnetics constitute roughly 50% - 60% of the weight and volume of state-of-the-art power electronic converters. Design optimisation of power magnetics is critical to enabling highly efficient, power-dense converters. An accurate understanding of component-level characteristics is crucial for developing highly efficient and power-dense converters for weight-critical applications.

We have developed a new multilevel magnetic component tester circuit and testbench to characterise high-frequency magnetics for power electronics applications. The proposed circuit topology is reconfigurable, enabling the testing of magnetics under various excitation conditions, including triangular and trapezoidal flux, DC bias, and a combination of low- and high-frequency excitations. Furthermore, the proposed topology enables the popular two-winding-based measurement approach to quantify the core losses. The work on the multilevel magnetic component tester was recognised with a Best Presentation Award in the 2024 IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC).

We examine empirical and data-driven approaches to high-fidelity magnetic loss modelling. We have combined both to create an Empirical Model-Informed Neural Network (EMPINN). The EMPINN approach received an honourable mention in the IEEE PELS MagNet Challenge 2023 and the WIE Best Presentation Award at the IEEE Energy Conversion Congress & Expo (ECCE), 2025.

Magnetics Tester

Power Stage for the Magnetics Tester

EMPINN model for core loss estimation

Partial Power Processing

Power electronic converters that are only rated to handle a fraction of the system power are called partial (also known as differential or fractional) power processing (PPP) converters. Partial power processing enables high-efficiency power conversion solutions with a reduced footprint.

We are focused on leveraging the concept of PPP in various power electronic applications, including electric vehicle fast charging, solar photovoltaic systems, and battery balancing.

Reconfigurable partial power converter and laboratory testbench

High-Frequency Power Conversion

With the advent of wide-bandgap semiconductors like Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN), the boundaries of power conversion are being pushed in terms of voltage, frequency, and power. However, as we move towards compact, high-efficiency converters enabled by wide-bandgap semiconductors, we must address several challenges, including EMI/EMC and thermal management.

We are exploring the design of power conversion systems operating at kHz to MHz scales for various weight-critical applications.

We have developed an ultra-low-power series-resonant converter-based auxiliary power supply for a sensing application with high isolation requirements. A split planar high-frequency transformer design is utilised to achieve a high isolation voltage of 25 kVpk. High isolation requirements are met by physically isolating the primary and secondary PCB-based coils and using a resin to encapsulate the entire transformer. The converter is switched at 400 kHz. An industry partner has absorbed the converter design and has incorporated it into their sensing solution.

400 kHz resonant converter with high isolation capability

Microgrids

Distributed Generation (DG) systems based on renewable energy resources are gaining popularity due to their ability to curb greenhouse gas emissions and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. With the steady increase in DG systems, microgrids (MG) play a key role in integrating scattered energy resources.

MGs are integral to electrified transportation systems like all-electric aircraft, all-electric ships, and electric vehicle charging station infrastructures. We are exploring various aspects of MGs to understand futuristic power distribution systems.

Representative Single Bus DC Microgrid

Control and Stability of Power Electronic Systems

In complex power electronic systems, the interactions among different power converters can give rise to system-level stability challenges. Analyzing these interactions is often tricky due to the non-linear nature of power converters.

We look at modeling approaches combined with advanced feedback control-based solutions to develop stabilization strategies to enhance the stability of future power electronic systems.

Feedback control-based solutions

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