Francesca Giardine
University of California, Berkeley
fgiardine@berkeley.edu
Bio
Francesca Giardine is a Ph.D. candidate in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley working under the guidance of Dr. Robert Pilawa-Podgurski. Francesca received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science and Mathematics from Smith College, Northampton, MA, in May 2020. Francesca’s research interests are in the design and control of high-performance power converters with an emphasis on renewable energy integration and clean transportation applications. Their graduate work was graciously supported by a 2022 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.
Areas of Research
- Circuit Design
Multilevel Power Converters for Electrified Transportation and Future Grid Systems
Power electronics are everywhere – from the wall adapters that charge our phones, to the electric vehicle chargers popping up in our driveways, to the enormous converters that connect offshore wind farms to the mainland grid. Advances in semiconductor devices, which comprise power converter switches, have made it possible to push miniaturization and efficiency to previously impossible metrics. My research focuses on a specific type of converter, the flying capacitor multilevel (FCML) converter, which leverages these high-performance devices by dispersing the switching voltage stresses across multiple switches. The FCML converter performs much of its energy transfer via energy-dense capacitors that enable high volumetric power densities, which are essential in volume-sensitive applications such as electrified transportation. In one project, I developed improved frequency-based modulation strategies used to control the FCML converter switches for improved efficiency, component utilization, and electromagnetic interference (EMI). In a single-phase inverter prototype, these strategies reduced converter losses by more than 30% and lowered EMI peaks. Electromagnetic interference is a critical consideration for power electronics, as poor EMI can cause both converter and system failures. While my modulation work specifically targeted EMI peak reduction, I have since pivoted to building a fundamental understanding of EMI generation in the FCML converter. I developed and experimentally validated an accurate analytical EMI model for the FCML converter that can be used to guide both converter design and EMI filter development. Through my research, I aim to accelerate the adoption of efficient and reliable multilevel converters in future grid and transportation systems.