August 2, 2018
Powerexpert, Inc., a power electronics and printed circuit board design and consulting firm, has signed an agreement with a confidential customer to engineer a power converter system retrofit for an existing 4MW power supply system. Powerexpert will provide the engineering, including the power electronics, custom printed circuit boards, thermal management, packaging, interfacing and control components, as well as provide on-site commissioning support. A contract manufacturer has been selected as the contract manufacturer and will provide drafting, procurement, assembly, and testing roles. The final products will be installed in an existing power supply system in Europe.
Strengthening the customer’s position as a world leader in a specialized manufacturing industry, this retrofit will provide reliable operation and many years of sustainable and maintainable operation that is critical to their business. A dual dc plasma arc is used in the client’s process and is created and controlled by a specialized power supply, one that Powerexpert will retrofit. The complete power supply converts three-phase electric power to dual 0-2500ADC outputs.
The machine that uses this equipment is vital to the success of the business, but the down time and cost to completely replace it is not a practical option. Modernizing the existing installation by reusing all relevant parts of the original equipment and installing new power electronics allows the client to continue to provide consistent product to its growing market without significant down time or heavy total replacement costs. This makes retrofits an attractive alternative to complete replacement.
The project was awarded thanks to Powerexpert’s unique application expertise and power electronics engineering capabilities, the contract manufacturer’s reliable power semiconductors and unmatched ability to execute a custom assembly design within a tight timeframe, as well as the client’s desire to optimize their process. Moreover, the contract manufacturer ’s state-of-the-art testing facility in the US will allow each retrofit panel to be tested to 100% power, minimizing risk and ensuring a quality product before it leaves for the customer’s site.
“The retrofit will extend the life of the system and provide advanced diagnostic features while enabling our customer to get spare parts and service for years to come,” says Jonathan Kunkle, Powerexpert Inc. “We are very excited to work with the contract manufacturer and the customer on this project. Utilizing the strengths of our companies to create a customized solution will deliver impressive results to the client. Retrofits are a very cost-effective way to maintain the life cycle and productivity of existing equipment.”
The existing system includes several power converters, each mounted on a rack out panel, operating in parallel. The existing panels will be replaced with drop in replacements, each rated at 833ADC and 525VDC, completely redesigned with the latest technology. The new system will include upgraded protection and diagnostic features, the latest IGBT based technology, a new precharge system, reliable film capacitor technology, upgraded liquid cooling, and a simplified, easy to maintain package. The retrofit offers flexibility in that the end user can continue to use the existing panels, use a mix of old and new, or completely replace all of the panels with the retrofits.