Project Venturer Advanced Power Associates

Advanced Power Associates is proud to be a participant in the completion of a fuel cell powered electric vehicle. We are happy to see the support provided by NJDOT for this pioneering technology.

Our company designed and manufactured the step-up converter that transfers the fuel cell voltage of 38Vdc to a higher voltage (165 Vdc) for the battery and auxiliary car loads. The converter compensates for the battery temperature variations and at high loads maintains the fuel cell voltage constant at an optimum point.

To accomplish this with maximum efficiency and minimum weight, we utilise a high frequency switching topology with the latest generation of switching components. The controls are completely digital implemented with a PIC microcontroller. In addition to the design flexibility (parameters can be changed with an RS-232 link) we have a comprehensive on board diagnostic and data logging capacity. The efficiency at 4 kW load is approximately 94%.

Advanced Power Associates has experience in power conversion equipment for Mass Transit Market. Some of the products that we designed in the past are listed below:

LVPS/ Charger (8kW) and Inverter (24kVA) for hybrid bus installation. Nova Bus/ Alisson Transmission.
LVPS/ Charger (6kW) for Fuel Cell bus. Nova Bus/ Georgetown University.
Battery Charger (15kW) for Long Island Rail Road , Kawasaki train.
Single phase inverter design for the New Orleans street car fleet. (5 kW from 650 Vdc ).
LVPS/Battery Charger for AMTRAK View liner.
Charger /Inverter system for San Francisco MUNI Articulated Troleybuses.
Variable Voltage, Variable Speed inverter for compressor motor in the New Technology Train for NYCTA (R110A)
Battery Chargers for NiCd Batteries with input from Third Rail (750 Vdc) or 480 Vac; 17kW power and 20 kHz switching frequency (WMATA).
Auxiliary 3-Phase Invertors, up to 100 kVA power range, high frequency link topology, variable-voltage and variable frequency output.
Single phase invertors for Emergency Lighting and Rail Signaling.
Grid connect inverter for photovoltaic application. Contract from DOE, National Renewable Energy Laboratory. ( 50 kW, 3 Phase )

All the above products were designed to withstand up to 3000V line transients, normal to mass transit environment, and have been successfully installed in numerous Mass Transit systems such as MUNI, WMATA, AMTRAK, NYCTA, MBTA, RTA.

Vladimir Brunstein, the company’s owner has 25 years of experience as a design engineer in several engineering fields, and has published in a variety of professional publications.

CAIT
623 Bowser Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854-8014

Please send comments and suggestions to szary@civeng.rutgers.edu.