10 kW cryogenic dc/dc converter for superconducting propulsion applications

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Elwakeel, Abdelrahman and Liao, Yuchuan and Zao, Zihao and Alzola, Rafael Peña and Liao, Yudi and Zhang, Min and Yuan, Weijia (2026) 10 kW cryogenic dc/dc converter for superconducting propulsion applications. IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, 36 (5). ISSN 1051-8223 (https://doi.org/10.1109/tasc.2026.3666493)

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Abstract

Superconducting propulsion applications such as MAGLEV and electric aircraft rely on cryogenic cooling to reduce the losses and to enable their high-power density operation. However, if conventional power electronics is used into these systems, Bridging the thermal gradient from room temperature (300 K) to cryogenic temperatures requires sophisticated packaging and integration, introducing substantial design challenges. This article presents a cryogenic 270 V dc/dc converter specifically designed for powering the dc rails of superconducting motors, cables, and energy storage systems for cryogenic propulsion architectures. The article studies the use of Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicone Carbide (SiC) devices as a converter for cryogenic application, although GaN are known to have lower losses and faster switching at such low temperatures, this in turn would enable lighter more efficient electric transportation systems, SiC on the other hand, tend to have higher switching losses at cryogenic temperatures than GaN but tend to have readily available commercial of the shelf devices (COTs) at higher voltages and different packages. The article presents experimental and simulation results for both converter at room and cryogenic temperatures and how they would be integrated in a superconducting propulsion system.

ORCID iDs

Elwakeel, Abdelrahman, Liao, Yuchuan, Zao, Zihao, Alzola, Rafael Peña ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2451-6779, Liao, Yudi, Zhang, Min ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4296-7730 and Yuan, Weijia ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7953-4704;
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