This project was started because in the context of global warming, the world needs actions more than words. As an engineer, Mr. Jean-François Bisson wanted to contribute to this fight, the outcome of which will greatly influence the future of our children and those who will follow them. Indeed, politicians and economic circles have the power to pave the way for the electrification of transportation, but it is up to the scientific community to develop technological solutions that meet the challenge.

Since completing his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2005, Mr. Bisson has remained with the intuition that the phenomenon of electrical resonance could help improve the power supply of alternating current circuits, and more specifically that of electric motors.

It was not until 2014 that Mr. Bisson made the commitment to follow this idea through to the end. It began with the simulation of a simple circuit representing one phase of a permanent magnet synchronous motor connected in series to an alternating voltage source and a capacitor with variable capacitance. The voltage source was of fixed amplitude but variable frequency, the frequency corresponding at all times to the electrical frequency of the motor. The capacitance of the capacitor varied continuously according to the speed of the motor, so that the resonant frequency of the resulting inductive-capacitive circuit matched at all times the electrical frequency of the motor. This test was inconclusive since as soon as the Back EMF exceeded the supply voltage, the direction of the current reversed and the motor operated in generator mode. In light of this observation, Mr. Bisson concluded that to power a motor beyond the speed at which the Back EMF exceeds the supply voltage, the capacitor had to be precharged. This idea was the trigger for the project that led to the development of the Capacitive Boost Processor technology.

Having graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Mr. Bisson did not have all the knowledge necessary to increase the level of maturity of the technology. For this reason, he began a master’s degree in electrical engineering at the École de technologie supérieure of Montréal in the spring of 2017. Being employed full-time, Mr. Bisson opted for part-time studies allowing him to reconcile work and studies. Under the supervision of Professor Kamal Al-Haddad, he applied his concept to a three-phase permanent magnet synchronous machine ABB model BSM33C-6177, and made several improvements, including: The modular architecture, the addition of a 3-level inverter and the control system.

The master’s project consisted of demonstrating that the topology and its control algorithm, implemented only from commercially available components, are able to precisely control an aeronautical thruster at the desired speed and power. The project also consisted of quantifying the system’s performance in order to determine the potential for increasing power density efficiency. Mr. Bisson submitted his master’s thesis in December 2021. For his work, he received a mention of excellence from the evaluation committee and was included on the ÉTS honour roll.

The Capacitive Boost Processor is currently at TRL 3 (Critical analytical and experimental function and/or proof of concept). To date, precise simulation results have been published to demonstrate the increase in power density and the reduction of current harmonics in the motor phases.

Unfortunately, circumstances have made it impossible to produce a physical prototype. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent shortage of semiconductors having struck at the time when the production of a prototype was planned during the master’s degree, the experimentation of a real system had to be put aside. However, the simulation model and the results were considered reliable by the review committee.

The concept is feasible with commercially available components. A first prototype is therefore within reach.

On April 22, 2022, the École de technologie supérieure filed US provisional patent application 63/333,594 and on April 19, 2023, the École de technologie supérieure filed international application PCT/CA2023/050525. Mr. Bisson started the company Revoltron with the aim of developing and commercializing the technology, more specifically for aeronautical propulsion applications.

Mr. Bisson subsequently made the decision to make the technology public and entirely royalty-free, believing that democratizing the technology would benefit its development and accelerate its deployment. This decision was made with the initial objective of the project in mind, which was to contribute to the fight against global warming. Mr. Bisson encourages scientists, engineers, inventors and companies wishing to collaborate in the fight against global warming to use the technology and develop it further.