Smart Transformer Enabled Triple-Active Bridge Converter for Modern Data Centres

An ever-growing demand of information technology (IT) services, cloud servers and digitalization has led to an exponential increase in the demand for digital storage, power demand, and energy consumption in data centres. In this paper, a smart transformer (ST) enabled triple-active bridge (TAB) converter for modern data centres is proposed. The smart transformer delivers power from medium voltage (MV) utility grid to low voltage (LV) ac load. The triple-active bridge (TAB) converter plays a pivotal role in supplying power from LVdc bus down to various low-level dc voltages required by the data centres. This ST enabled TAB converter offers several features such as reduced conversion stages, high frequency power conversion, connection of alternate power sources, higher efficiency, power density and reliability. The proposed system provides both ac and dc powers required by the data centre loads, and this can also be operated in UPS mode to ensure the continuity of power supply. The simulation is done in PSCAD/EMTDC software and the operation of the proposed system is verified.