CryoGaNIC
Project CryoGaNIC
The CryoGaNIC project addresses the question of what power electronics for flying will look like in the future and has set itself the goal of developing a novel, highly reliable GaN power module that can be cryogenically cooled on both sides and meets the requirements of future aviation.
To this end, the Chair of Power Electronics at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, together with project partners Chemnitz University of Technology and Fraunhofer IISB, is developing an innovative module concept that focuses in particular on the reliability of assembly and connection technology under extreme operating conditions.
Extremely low temperatures pose completely new challenges for research in the field of power electronics and therefore require the following aspects to be prioritised:
- Investigation of material behaviour: Many materials used today, such as substrates, solders and dielectrics, are insufficiently characterised at cryogenic temperatures.
- Investigation of failure mechanisms under thermomechanical stress and development of countermeasures: Large temperature changes cause higher mechanical stresses, which is why new failure mechanisms arise.
- Development of application-oriented cooling concepts: Since cryogenic cooling media differ greatly from water or air in terms of thermophysics, more powerful cooling architectures are required.
- Mastering insulation requirements: Cryogenic conditions increase the demands on insulation systems, especially with the reduced air pressure at cruising altitude.
The CryoGaNIC project is accompanied by an integration approach. The focus is on double-sided cooling, the connection of the electrical DC link and the control of high currents at the system level.
11/30/2028
TU Chemnitz
Fraunhofer IISB
Federal Ministry for Economics and Energy