scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question
Journal ArticleDOI

Toward Reliable Power Electronics: Challenges, Design Tools, and Opportunities

14 Jun 2013-IEEE Industrial Electronics Magazine (IEEE)-Vol. 7, Iss: 2, pp 17-26
TL;DR: The performance of power electronic systems, especially in terms of efficiency and power density, has continuously improved by the intensive research and advancements in circuit topologies, control schemes, semiconductors, passive components, digital signal processors, and system integration technologies.
Abstract: A new era of power electronics was created with the invention of the thyristor in 1957. Since then, the evolution of modern power electronics has witnessed its full potential and is quickly expanding in the applications of generation, transmission, distribution, and end-user consumption of electrical power. The performance of power electronic systems, especially in terms of efficiency and power density, has been continuously improved by the intensive research and advancements in circuit topologies, control schemes, semiconductors, passive components, digital signal processors, and system integration technologies.

Content maybe subject to copyright    Report

Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review serves to provide a clear picture of the state-of-the-art research in this area and to identify the corresponding challenges and future research directions for capacitors and their dc-link applications.
Abstract: DC-link capacitors are an important part in the majority of power electronic converters which contribute to cost, size and failure rate on a considerable scale. From capacitor users' viewpoint, this paper presents a review on the improvement of reliability of dc link in power electronic converters from two aspects: 1) reliability-oriented dc-link design solutions; 2) conditioning monitoring of dc-link capacitors during operation. Failure mechanisms, failure modes and lifetime models of capacitors suitable for the applications are also discussed as a basis to understand the physics-of-failure. This review serves to provide a clear picture of the state-of-the-art research in this area and to identify the corresponding challenges and future research directions for capacitors and their dc-link applications.

882 citations


Cites background from "Toward Reliable Power Electronics: ..."

  • ...…rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors give an overview and discuss some development trends in the technologies used for wind power systems, and several state-of-the-art wind turbine concepts, as well as the corresponding power electronic converters and control structures are reviewed, respectively.
Abstract: Wind power is still the most promising renewable energy in the year of 2013. The wind turbine system (WTS) started with a few tens of kilowatt power in the 1980s. Now, multimegawatt wind turbines are widely installed even up to 6-8 MW. There is a widespread use of wind turbines in the distribution networks and more and more wind power stations, acting as power plants, are connected directly to the transmission networks. As the grid penetration and power level of the wind turbines increase steadily, the wind power starts to have significant impacts to the power grid system. Therefore, more advanced generators, power electronic systems, and control solutions have to be introduced to improve the characteristics of the wind power plant and make it more suitable to be integrated into the power grid. Meanwhile, there are also some emerging technology challenges, which need to be further clarified and investigated. This paper gives an overview and discusses some development trends in the technologies used for wind power systems. First, the developments of technology and market are generally discussed. Next, several state-of-the-art wind turbine concepts, as well as the corresponding power electronic converters and control structures, are reviewed, respectively. Furthermore, grid requirements and the technology challenges for the future WTS are also addressed.

736 citations


Cites background from "Toward Reliable Power Electronics: ..."

  • ...The reliability research in power electronics has been carried out for decades and now is moving from a solely statistical approach that has been proven to be unsatisfactory in the automotive industry, to a more physical-based approach which involves not only the statistics but also the investigation and modeling of the root cause behind the failures [46]–[48]....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
18 May 2015
TL;DR: The most successful generator-converter configurations are addressed along with few promising topologies available in the literature from the market based survey, and the past, present and future trends in megawatt WECS are reviewed in terms of mechanical and electrical technologies, integration to power systems, and control theory.
Abstract: This paper presents a comprehensive study on the state-of-the-art and emerging wind energy technologies from the electrical engineering perspective. In an attempt to decrease cost of energy, increase the wind energy conversion efficiency, reliability, power density, and comply with the stringent grid codes, the electric generators and power electronic converters have emerged in a rigorous manner. From the market based survey, the most successful generator-converter configurations are addressed along with few promising topologies available in the literature. The back-to-back connected converters, passive generator-side converters, converters for multiphase generators, and converters without intermediate dc-link are investigated for high-power wind energy conversion systems (WECS), and presented in low and medium voltage category. The onshore and offshore wind farm configurations are analyzed with respect to the series/parallel connection of wind turbine ac/dc output terminals, and high voltage ac/dc transmission. The fault-ride through compliance methods used in the induction and synchronous generator based WECS are also discussed. The past, present and future trends in megawatt WECS are reviewed in terms of mechanical and electrical technologies, integration to power systems, and control theory. The important survey results, and technical merits and demerits of various WECS electrical systems are summarized by tables. The list of current and future wind turbines are also provided along with technical details.

694 citations


Cites background from "Toward Reliable Power Electronics: ..."

  • ...electronics technology is reported to be one of the major source for the failure or downtime of wind turbines [258]....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The generation mechanism of leakage current is investigated and the concepts of dc-based and ac-based decoupling networks are proposed to not only cover the published symmetrical inductor-based topologies but also offer an innovative strategy to derive advanced inverters.
Abstract: Single-phase voltage source transformerless inverters have been developed for many years and have been successful commercial applications in the distributed photovoltaic (PV) grid-connected systems. Moreover, many advanced industrial topologies and recent innovations have been published in the last few years. The objective of this paper is to classify and review these recent contributions to establish the present state of the art and trends of the transformerless inverters. This can provide a comprehensive and insightful overview of this technology. First, the generation mechanism of leakage current is investigated to divide the transformerless inverters into asymmetrical inductor-based and symmetrical inductor-based groups. Then, the concepts of dc-based and ac-based decoupling networks are proposed to not only cover the published symmetrical inductor-based topologies but also offer an innovative strategy to derive advanced inverters. Furthermore, the transformation principle between the dc-based and ac-based topologies is explored to make a clear picture on the general law and framework for the recent advances and future trend in this area. Finally, a family of clamped highly efficient and reliable inverter concept transformerless inverters is derived and tested to offer some excellent candidates for next-generation high-efficiency and cost-effective PV grid-tie inverters.

553 citations


Cites background from "Toward Reliable Power Electronics: ..."

  • ...of the unscheduled maintenance and 59% of the associated cost [15], [16]....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An overview of the major failure mechanisms of IGBT modules and their handling methods in power converter systems improving reliability is presented in this article, where fault-tolerant strategies for improving the reliability of power electronic systems under field operation are explained and compared in terms of performance and cost.
Abstract: Power electronics plays an important role in a wide range of applications in order to achieve high efficiency and performance. Increasing efforts are being made to improve the reliability of power electronics systems to ensure compliance with more stringent constraints on cost, safety, and availability in different applications. This paper presents an overview of the major failure mechanisms of IGBT modules and their handling methods in power converter systems improving reliability. The major failure mechanisms of IGBT modules are presented first, and methods for predicting lifetime and estimating the junction temperature of IGBT modules are then discussed. Subsequently, different methods for detecting open- and short-circuit faults are presented. Finally, fault-tolerant strategies for improving the reliability of power electronic systems under field operation are explained and compared in terms of performance and cost.

466 citations


Cites background from "Toward Reliable Power Electronics: ..."

  • ...Additionally, the industrial and energy sectors are following the same trend by aiming to improve the reliability of power electronics systems with costeffective and sustainable solutions [4]....

    [...]

References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI

4,010 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on inverter technologies for connecting photovoltaic (PV) modules to a single-phase grid and categorize the inverters into four classifications: 1) the number of power processing stages in cascade; 2) the type of power decoupling between the PV module(s) and the single phase grid; 3) whether they utilizes a transformer (either line or high frequency) or not; and 4) the kind of grid-connected power stage.
Abstract: This review focuses on inverter technologies for connecting photovoltaic (PV) modules to a single-phase grid. The inverters are categorized into four classifications: 1) the number of power processing stages in cascade; 2) the type of power decoupling between the PV module(s) and the single-phase grid; 3) whether they utilizes a transformer (either line or high frequency) or not; and 4) the type of grid-connected power stage. Various inverter topologies are presented, compared, and evaluated against demands, lifetime, component ratings, and cost. Finally, some of the topologies are pointed out as the best candidates for either single PV module or multiple PV module applications.

3,530 citations

Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 1956
TL;DR: The aircraft designer today is faced with the necessity of estimating not only the strength of a structure, but also its life — a task with which he was not confronted before.
Abstract: Cumulative damage in fatigue is a problem which in recent years has become of interest to designers in almost all branches of structural engineering. To the aircraft designer however — especially under present-day conditions of operation — it is of paramount importance. During its lifetime, an aeroplane is subjected to repetitions of loads of various magnitudes and frequencies, and operating conditions involve take-off and landing at high loads, and flying at high speeds, aircraft which are large and flexible and which, in the attempt to achieve high structural efficiency, have been designed to an absolute practical minimum of weight. The aircraft designer today therefore is faced with the necessity of estimating not only the strength of a structure, but also its life — a task with which he was not confronted before.

3,293 citations


"Toward Reliable Power Electronics: ..." refers methods in this paper

  • ...■ Lifetime prediction: as the amplitude and average temperature level of the thermal cycling are different when the wind is fluctuating, the Palmgren–Miner linear cumulative damage model [24] is applied in the form of...

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a questionnaire survey was carried out to determine the industrial requirements and expectations of reliability in power electronic converters, and the survey was subjective and conducted with a number of high-profile semiconductor manufacturers, integrators, and users in the aerospace, automation, motor drive, utility power, and other industry sectors.
Abstract: A questionnaire survey was carried out to determine the industrial requirements and expectations of reliability in power electronic converters. The survey was subjective and conducted with a number of high-profile semiconductor manufacturers, integrators, and users in the aerospace, automation, motor drive, utility power, and other industry sectors. According to the survey, power semiconductor devices ranked the most fragile components. It was concluded that main stresses were from the environment, transients, and heavy loads, which should be considered during power electronic system design and normal operation. This paper has also highlighted that there is a significant need identified by the responders for better reliability-monitoring methods and indicators.

1,558 citations

Book
01 Jan 1981
TL;DR: Practical Reliability Engineering as mentioned in this paper is the most widely used and widely used reliability textbook for engineering courses, with a focus on practical aspects of engineering, including mathematics of reliability, physics of failure, graphical and software methods of failure data analysis, reliability prediction and modelling.
Abstract: With emphasis on practical aspects of engineering, this bestseller has gained worldwide recognition through progressive editions as the essential reliability textbook. This fifth edition retains the unique balanced mixture of reliability theory and applications, thoroughly updated with the latest industry best practices.Practical Reliability Engineering fulfils the requirements of the Certified Reliability Engineer curriculum of the American Society for Quality (ASQ). Each chapter is supported by practice questions, and a solutions manual is available to course tutors via the companion website.Enhanced coverage of mathematics of reliability, physics of failure, graphical and software methods of failure data analysis, reliability prediction and modelling, design for reliability and safety as well as management and economics of reliability programmes ensures continued relevance to all quality assurance and reliability courses.Notable additions include:New chapters on applications of Monte Carlo simulation methods and reliability demonstration methods.Software applications of statistical methods, including probability plotting and a wider use of common software tools.More detailed descriptions of reliability prediction methods.Comprehensive treatment of accelerated test data analysis and warranty data analysis.Revised and expanded end-of-chapter tutorial sections to advance students practical knowledge.The fifth edition will appeal to a wide range of readers from college students to seasoned engineering professionals involved in the design, development, manufacture and maintenance of reliable engineering products and systems.www.wiley.com/go/oconnor_reliability5

1,106 citations

Trending Questions (1)
What are the challenges and opportunities of using ebsilon in power plant design?

The challenges and opportunities of using Ebsilon in power plant design are not mentioned in the provided text.