Power electronic conversion is a central element of energy conversion systems, acting as the interface between different forms of electrical energy and is an enabling technology for low-carbon economy. By 2030, it is expected that as much as 80% of all electric power will use Power Electronics somewhere within the energy supply chain between generation and consumption. Multilevel converter is one type of power electronics converter and can offer substantial benefits over the established two-level converter counterparts. These include reduced harmonic distortion, less voltage/current stress (dv/dt, di/dt), and mitigated electro-magnetic interference (EMI). Multilevel converters can be classified into multilevel voltage source converters (MVSCs) and multilevel current source converters (MCSCs). The MCSC exhibits several unique advantageous characteristics that may favour its adoption in the low voltage converters used in aircraft, hybrid/electric vehicles and micro renewable power generation. For example, inductors are used as the main energy storage elements in MCSCs, which are more reliable than capacitors in MVSCs. The MCSC has intrinsic current limiting capability, which can be used to constrain fault currents as well as leaving more time for device over-current protection. It may prevent further damage or failure of other components and avoid fire due to over-current. The research into MCSCs is at its infancy. The project therefore will explore the MCSCs through converter topology derivation, modulation techniques, inductor current balancing, loss and efficiency evaluation, etc. The successful investigations of these challenges will reveal the benefits of the MCSCs and facilitate the wide application of the converter. The research will be carried out through modelling, control, simulation and experimental verification. The study of power converter topologies is valued as enabling research in power electronic systems. A breakthrough in MCSCs will benefit the UK world-leading aerospace industry and renewable energy OEMs. Successful development of MCSCs will also feed into the component or sub-system supply chain, in exploiting new power semiconductor technologies (reverse blocking IGBT, wide-bandgap devices) and in requiring new power module configurations and new wound components.

The equipment requested will provide new capability and internationally leading facilities that will enable cutting-edge research and internationally leading science, beyond that which is possible with current instrumentation. The equipment will also facilitate greater collaborative opportunities with other Universities and industry nationally and internationally. The "Advanced Electronic Materials and Devices" bundle provides equipment for research into new materials and devices for future electronic applications, ranging from superconductors for applications in power transmission and MRI to spintronic devices for sensors and computer memory applications. It will also improve thermal imaging capability for the study of semiconductor and hybrid diamond based devices which have the potential to transform future power electronic devices. Electrical power conversion technologies have a vital role to play in managing energy demand and improving energy conversion efficiency, affording 'game-changes' in, for example, low carbon transport systems and energy supply networks. As these 'more electric' systems become more commonplace, for example through their adoption in aircraft and electric vehicles, new understanding of operation life and failure modes is needed. The enhanced capabilities offered by the equipment updates in the "Enabling robust design and analysis of electrical power conversion systems" will allow internationally leading research to be pursued in the areas of design for life, virtual certification and reliability. Transmission electron microscopes (TEM) allow the imaging of both the external and internal structure of materials and are available in numerous configurations dependent on the specific nature of the materials under investigation. A post column energy filter dramatically improves the analytical and imaging capabilities of a TEM by allowing structural and chemical information carried by the electrons to be interrogated after interaction with the sample material. The requested Gatan Imaging Filter (GIF) upgrade in the "Supporting Analysis of Advanced Energy Materials and Soft Matter" will provide significant new capability to determine the structure and composition of materials at the nanoscale and provide new insights into how to enhance material functionality. The instrument upgrade forms part of a strategic investment in advanced microscopy provision at Bristol, and reflects ambitions for an internationally competitive materials characterization facility befitting the world-leading research it underpins. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS) are the pre-eminent techniques for studying chemical structure and reactions. They underpin nearly every program of research in catalysis (accelerating chemical reactions), synthesis (creation of new chemical entities) and materials (chemicals with defined properties and applications e.g. nanotechnology). The replacement of aging NMR and MS instruments as described in the "Underpinning Catalysis, Synthesis and Materials Chemistry" bundle will ensure continued cutting-edge investigations in these fields, and will provide new hardware capabilities that allow the study of molecular/chemical systems in previously impossible fashions, e.g., at low temperature for days at a time (NMR), or under unreactive atmospheres (MS). The new "Wideband Multi-channel Real-time Wireless Channel Emulator" facility will offer wideband (160MHz) multi-dimensional channel (8 x 8) wireless channel emulation for sub 6GHz wireless transceivers allowing repeatable experimentation with real-world channel models (3GPP and 802.11, plus user defined scenarios). The hardware can also be reconfigured to offer channel emulation with cascaded bandwidths synonymous with millimetre wave operation, thus driving forward the "5G and beyond" research agenda.

Rapid and transformative advances in power electronic systems are currently taking place following technological breakthroughs in wide-bandgap (WBG) power semiconductor devices. The enhancements in switching speed and operating temperature, and reduction in losses offered by these devices will impact all sectors of low-carbon industry, leading to a new generation of robust, compact, highly efficient and intelligent power conversion solutions. WBG devices are becoming the device of choice in a growing number of power electronic converters used to interface with and control electrical machines in a range of applications including transportation systems (aerospace, automotive, railway and marine propulsion) and renewable energy (e.g. wind power generators). However, the use of WBG devices produces fast-fronted voltage transients with voltage rise-time (dv/dt) in excess of 10~30kV/us which are at least an order of magnitude greater than those seen in conventional Silicon based converters. These voltage transients are expected to significantly reduce the lifetime of the insulation of the connected machines, and hence their reliability or availability. This, in turn, will have serious economic and safety impacts on WBG converter-fed electrical drives in all applications, including safety critical transportation systems. The project aims to advance our scientific understanding of the impact of WBG devices on machine insulation systems and to make recommendations that will support the design and test of machines with an optimised power density and lifetime when used with a WBG converter. This will be achieved by quantifying the negative impact of fast voltage transients when applied to machine insulation systems, by identifying mitigating strategies that are assessed at the device and systems level and by demonstrating solutions that can support the insulation health monitoring of the WBG converter-fed machine, with support from a range of industrial partners in automotive, aerospace, renewable energy and industrial drives sectors.

The proposed multidisciplinary network for Decarbonizing Transport through Electrification (DTE) will bring together research expertise to address the challenges of interactions between energy networks, future electric vehicle charging infrastructure ( including roadside wireless charging, the shift to autonomous vehicles), electric and hybrid aircraft and electrification of the rail network. The DTE network will bring together industry, academia and the public sector to identify the challenges limiting current implementation of an electrified, integrated transport system across the automotive, aerospace and rail sectors. The network will develop and sustain an interdisciplinary team to solve these challenges, leveraging external funding from both public and private sectors, aiming to be become self sustainable in future and growing to establish an International Conference. The network will be inclusive, with a focus EDI and mechanisms to support colleagues such as early career researchers. The DTE network will address low-carbon transport modes (road, rail and airborne) alongside associated electricity infrastructures to support existing and deliver future mobility needs, treating these as an integrated system embedded within the electricity energy vector with the goal of decarbonising the transport sector. It will explore drivers for change within the transport system including technology innovation, individual mobility needs and economic requirements for change alongside environmental and social concerns for sustainability and consider the role, social acceptance and impact of policies and regulations to result in emissions reduction. The network has three key "Work Streams" focusing on: (i) vehicular technologies; (ii) charging infrastructure; (iii) energy systems. These will be underpinned by cross-cutting themes around large scale data analysis and human factors. The network also has a dedicated Work Stream on people-based activities to enable us to widen our dissemination and impact across other communities. The outcome of the DTE network is expected to transform current practices and research in the decarbonization of transport (considering a number of different perspectives).