The ever increasing progress of high-voltage high-power fully controlled semiconductor technology continues to have a significant impact on the development of advanced power electronic apparatus used to support optimized operations and efficient management of electrical grids, which, in many cases, are fully or partially deregulated networks. Developments advance both the HVDC power transmission and the flexible ac transmission system technologies. In this paper, an overview of the recent advances in the area of voltage-source converter (VSC) HVdc technology is provided. Selected key multilevel converter topologies are presented. Control and modeling methods are discussed. A list of VSC-based HVdc installations worldwide is included. It is confirmed that the continuous development of power electronics presents cost-effective opportunities for the utilities to exploit, and HVdc remains a key technology. In particular, VSC-HVdc can address not only conventional network issues such as bulk power transmission, asynchronous network interconnections, back-to-back ac system linking, and voltage/stability support to mention a few, but also niche markets such as the integration of large-scale renewable energy sources with the grid and most recently large onshore/offshore wind farms.

VSC-Based HVDC Power Transmission Systems: An Overview

In this paper, the principle of modularity is used to derive the different multilevel voltage and current source converter topologies. The paper is primarily focused on high-power applications and specifically on high-voltage dc systems. The derived converter cells are treated as building blocks and are contributing to the modularity of the system. By combining the different building blocks, i.e., the converter cells, a variety of voltage and current source modular multilevel converter topologies are derived and thoroughly discussed. Furthermore, by applying the modularity principle at the system level, various types of high-power converters are introduced. The modularity of the multilevel converters is studied in depth, and the challenges as well as the opportunities for high-power applications are illustrated.

Modular Multilevel Converters for HVDC Applications: Review on Converter Cells and Functionalities

Condition monitoring (CM) has already been proven to be a cost effective means of enhancing reliability and improving customer service in power equipment, such as transformers and rotating electrical machinery. CM for power semiconductor devices in power electronic converters is at a more embryonic stage; however, as progress is made in understanding semiconductor device failure modes, appropriate sensor technologies, and signal processing techniques, this situation will rapidly improve. This technical review is carried out with the aim of describing the current state of the art in CM research for power electronics. Reliability models for power electronics, including dominant failure mechanisms of devices are described first. This is followed by a description of recently proposed CM techniques. The benefits and limitations of these techniques are then discussed. It is intended that this review will provide the basis for future developments in power electronics CM.

Condition Monitoring for Device Reliability in Power Electronic Converters: A Review

This paper is related to faults that can appear in multilevel (ML) inverters, which have a high number of components. This is a subject of increasing importance in high-power inverters. First, methods to identify a fault are classified and briefly described for each topology. In addition, a number of strategies and hardware modifications that allow for operation in faulty conditions are also presented. As a result of the analyzed works, it can be concluded that ML inverters can significantly increase their availability and are able to operate even with some faulty components.

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Survey on Fault Operation on Multilevel Inverters

Reliability is one of the key issues for the application of Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) in power electronic converters. Many efforts have been devoted to the reduction of IGBT wear out failure induced by accumulated degradation and catastrophic failure triggered by single-event overstress. The wear out failure under field operation could be mitigated by scheduled maintenances based on lifetime prediction and condition monitoring. However, the catastrophic failure is difficult to be predicted and thus may lead to serious consequence of power electronic converters. To obtain a better understanding of catastrophic failure of IGBTs, the state-of-the-art research on their failure behaviors and failure mechanisms is presented in this paper. Moreover, various fault-tolerant design methods, to prevent converter level malfunctions in the event of IGBT failure, are also reviewed.

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Catastrophic failure and fault-tolerant design of IGBT power electronic converters - an overview

Press pack insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modules connected in series for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) converter applications are designed such that when a failure occurs, it occurs in a safe manner by the formation of a stable short circuit, while redundant modules take up the voltage blocking function of the failed module. One such design using individual pressure contacts is described and the events occurring from the initiation of the short circuit to its final failure due to open circuit are reported from an electronics packaging materials design point of view. Experiments to hasten the failure under accelerated test conditions on modules were performed and interrupted at various stages of operation under a short circuit condition. The formation and subsequent aging of the metallurgical alloy under short circuit conditions was investigated by analyzing cross sections of the alloy forming the short circuit. Liquid metal corrosion along with the formation of intermetallics with poor conductivities lead to the final failure by open circuit

D. Schneider

Papers

On the operation of a press pack IGBT module under short circuit conditions