iDealTek - Electronics' High-power DC switching power supplies have been aiding locomotive battery charging test since 2017.
Date: September 10, 2018
First cooperation
iDealTek – Electronics first time provided DC power supply to CRRC's subordinate companies in October 2015 while the company was established with power supplies manufacturing for 5 months.
At that time, the thyristor-based thyristor DC power supply was provided by iDealTek, iDealTek was not the only one who proposed power supplies data sheet and prices, we were not sure and even unknown why iDealTek was chosen at a higher price, then we knew that the customer had special attention to the reliability of the power supply for long-term continuously working. And due to the unknown reliability of switching power supplies at that time, even though the switching power supplies solution provided by competitors had an advantage in price & size, the customer still purchased the thyristor DC power supply. The first cooperation started with one-unit 200V100A power supply.
Competitors ahead
In 2017, the customer needed to add two test line for expanded production plan, and found iDealTek again to seek quotations and technical solutions of 30KW power supplies.
In 2017, the switching power supplies have made great progress in magnetic materials and control topologies and improved the stability and reliability. Actually, when we got phone call from the customer, we were hesitating that why no further cooperations happen during the past two years from 2015 to 2017 while no faults were reported for the thyristor DC power supply provided before, we doubted the customer might order power supplies from others.
This time, 5 units of 30KW power supplies were in need, since the power supplies this time were required to be installed into the customer's test system. We went to the customer's site to confirm the installation holes, when we arrived at the customer's work site. The on-site situation proved our doubt, there were at least 10 sets of different power supplies from different manufacturers in the customer's site. Through communication with the customer, the customer was considering on IGBT - based switching power supplies this time and stated that the switching power supply has many advantages compared to the SCR power supply:
1. Smaller size and lighter weight.
2. AC/DC conversion efficiency is greatly improved. Compared with the 70%~75% conversion efficiency of SCR thyristor DC power supply, the switching power supply can reach 85% conversion efficiency under 80% load output. Under full load, the output efficiency will be even better, up to 89%. For battery charging applications that require long-term work, this will greatly save cost on grid energy.
3. The response time is faster for transient load variance.
The most important problem is that the price is cheap. Of course, except for the reliability disadvantage, the on-site switching power supplies were more or less problematic. The first SCR power supply we provided on site was still working normally.
Our high power switching power supplies
Therefore, considering reliability of the whole system for 5 units order, the customer still wanted to consult with iDealTek Electronics for this purchase. We recommended the MTP series of high-power switching power supplies that we have just developed early in 2017. As for the reliability of the long-term operation of the switching power supply that customers worried about, iDealTek - Electronics patiently explained the unique protection mechanism, control topologies of MTP series high power DC power supplies and claimed ours understanding of the causes of common problems of switching power supplies.
1. By increasing the primary protection, increasing the margin of IGBT components, optimizing the control loop to protect the IGBT.
2. The effective control of the secondary multi-level loop improves the overall internal protection mechanism of the power supply and enhances the reliability of the power supply.
3. The long-term full-load aging test ensures the long-term working ability of the power supply.
Finally, after 3 months of negotiations, 5 sets of 30KW power supplies entered the customer's power battery test line.
Customers still use it today and is attempting to go with our DC Power Supplies in future.
