Multiobjective design optimization of IGBT power modules considering power cycling and thermal cycling

Insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) power modules find widespread use in numerous power conversion applications where their reliability is of significant concern. Standard IGBT modules are fabricated for general-purpose applications while little has been designed for bespoke applications. However, conventional design of IGBTs can be improved by the multiobjective optimization technique. This paper proposes a novel design method to consider die-attachment solder failures induced by short power cycling and baseplate solder fatigue induced by the thermal cycling which are among major failure mechanisms of IGBTs. Thermal resistance is calculated analytically and the plastic work design is obtained with a high-fidelity finite-element model, which has been validated experimentally. The objective of minimizing the plastic work and constrain functions is formulated by the surrogate model. The nondominated sorting genetic algorithm-II is used to search for the Pareto-optimal solutions and the best design. The result of this combination generates an effective approach to optimize the physical structure of power electronic modules, taking account of historical environmental and operational conditions in the field.

Real-time temperature estimation for power MOSFETs considering thermal ageing effects

This paper presents a novel real-time power-device temperature estimation method that monitors the power MOSFET's junction temperature shift arising from thermal aging effects and incorporates the updated electrothermal models of power modules into digital controllers. Currently, the real-time estimator is emerging as an important tool for active control of device junction temperature as well as online health monitoring for power electronic systems, but its thermal model fails to address the device's ongoing degradation. Because of a mismatch of coefficients of thermal expansion between layers of power devices, repetitive thermal cycling will cause cracks, voids, and even delamination within the device components, particularly in the solder and thermal grease layers. Consequently, the thermal resistance of power devices will increase, making it possible to use thermal resistance (and junction temperature) as key indicators for condition monitoring and control purposes. In this paper, the predicted device temperature via threshold voltage measurements is compared with the real-time estimated ones, and the difference is attributed to the aging of the device. The thermal models in digital controllers are frequently updated to correct the shift caused by thermal aging effects. Experimental results on three power MOSFETs confirm that the proposed methodologies are effective to incorporate the thermal aging effects in the power-device temperature estimator with good accuracy. The developed adaptive technologies can be applied to other power devices such as IGBTs and SiC MOSFETs, and have significant economic implications.

New SR drive with integrated charging capacity for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) provide much promise in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and, thus, are a focal point of research and development. Existing on-board charging capacity is effective but requires the use of several power conversion devices and power converters, which reduce reliability and cost efficiency. This paper presents a novel three-phase switched reluctance (SR) motor drive with integrated charging functions (including internal combustion engine and grid charging). The electrical energy flow within the drivetrain is controlled by a power electronic converter with less power switching devices and magnetic devices. It allows the desired energy conversion between the engine generator, the battery, and the SR motor under different operation modes. Battery-charging techniques are developed to operate under both motor-driving mode and standstill-charging mode. During the magnetization mode, the machine's phase windings are energized by the dc-link voltage. The power converter and the machine phase windings are controlled with a three-phase relay to enable the use of the ac-dc rectifier. The power converter can work as a buck-boost-type or a buck-type dc-dc converter for charging the battery. Simulation results in MATLAB/Simulink and experiments on a 3-kW SR motor validate the effectiveness of the proposed technologies, which may have significant economic implications and improve the PHEVs' market acceptance.

Real-time load-side control of electric power systems

Two trends are emerging from modern electric power systems: the growth of renewable (e.g., solar and wind) generation, and the integration of information technologies and advanced power electronics. The former introduces large, rapid, and random fluctuations in power supply, demand, frequency, and voltage, which become a major challenge for real-time operation of power systems. The latter creates a tremendous number of controllable intelligent endpoints such as smart buildings and appliances, electric vehicles, energy storage devices, and power electronic devices that can sense, compute, communicate, and actuate. Most of these endpoints are distributed on the load side of power systems, in contrast to traditional control resources such as centralized bulk generators. This thesis focuses on controlling power systems in real time, using these load side resources. Specifically, it studies two problems.

(1) Distributed load-side frequency control: We establish a mathematical framework to design distributed frequency control algorithms for flexible electric loads. In this framework, we formulate a category of optimization problems, called optimal load control (OLC), to incorporate the goals of frequency control, such as balancing power supply and demand, restoring frequency to its nominal value, restoring inter-area power flows, etc., in a way that minimizes total disutility for the loads to participate in frequency control by deviating from their nominal power usage. By exploiting distributed algorithms to solve OLC and analyzing convergence of these algorithms, we design distributed load-side controllers and prove stability of closed-loop power systems governed by these controllers. This general framework is adapted and applied to different types of power systems described by different models, or to achieve different levels of control goals under different operation scenarios. We first consider a dynamically coherent power system which can be equivalently modeled with a single synchronous machine. We then extend our framework to a multi-machine power network, where we consider primary and secondary frequency controls, linear and nonlinear power flow models, and the interactions between generator dynamics and load control.

(2) Two-timescale voltage control: The voltage of a power distribution system must be maintained closely around its nominal value in real time, even in the presence of highly volatile power supply or demand. For this purpose, we jointly control two types of reactive power sources: a capacitor operating at a slow timescale, and a power electronic device, such as a smart inverter or a D-STATCOM, operating at a fast timescale. Their control actions are solved from optimal power flow problems at two timescales. Specifically, the slow-timescale problem is a chance-constrained optimization, which minimizes power loss and regulates the voltage at the current time instant while limiting the probability of future voltage violations due to stochastic changes in power supply or demand. This control framework forms the basis of an optimal sizing problem, which determines the installation capacities of the control devices by minimizing the sum of power loss and capital cost. We develop computationally efficient heuristics to solve the optimal sizing problem and implement real-time control. Numerical experiments show that the proposed sizing and control schemes significantly improve the reliability of voltage control with a moderate increase in cost.

Hybrid power system intelligent operation and protection involving plug-in electric vehicles

Two key solutions to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and increase the overall energy efficiency are to maximize the utilization of renewable energy resources (RERs) to generate energy for load consumption and to shift to low or zero emission plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) for transportation. The present U.S. aging and overburdened power grid infrastructure is under a tremendous pressure to handle the issues involved in penetration of RERS and PEVs. The future power grid should be designed with for the effective utilization of distributed RERs and distributed generations to intelligently respond to varying customer demand including PEVs with high level of security, stability and reliability. This dissertation develops and verifies such a hybrid AC-DC power system. The system will operate in a distributed manner incorporating multiple components in both AC and DC styles and work in both grid-connected and islanding modes. ^ The verification was performed on a laboratory-based hybrid AC-DC power system testbed as hardware/software platform. In this system, RERs emulators together with their maximum power point tracking technology and power electronics converters were designed to test different energy harvesting algorithms. The Energy storage devices including lithium-ion batteries and ultra-capacitors were used to optimize the performance of the hybrid power system. A lithium-ion battery smart energy management system with thermal and state of charge self-balancing was proposed to protect the energy storage system. A grid connected DC PEVs parking garage emulator, with five lithium-ion batteries was also designed with the smart charging functions that can emulate the future vehicle-to-grid (V2G), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-house (V2H) services. This includes grid voltage and frequency regulations, spinning reserves, micro grid islanding detection and energy resource support. ^ The results show successful integration of the developed techniques for control and energy management of future hybrid AC-DC power systems with high penetration of RERs and PEVs.^

An Islanding Detection Method based on Impedance Estimation and Grid Identification for Grid-Tie Distributed Power Generation Systems

Power system policies are broadly on track to escalate the use of renewable energy resources in electric power generation. Integration of dispersed generation to the utility network not only intensifies the benefits of renewable generation but also introduces further advantages such as power quality enhancement and freedom of power generation for the consumers. However, issues arise from the integration of distributed generators to the existing utility grid are as significant as its benefits. The issues are aggravated as the number of grid-connected distributed generators increases. Therefore, power quality demands become stricter to ensure a safe and proper advancement towards the emerging smart grid. In this regard, system protection is the area that is highly affected as the grid-connected distributed generation share in electricity generation increases. Islanding detection, amongst all protection issues, is the most important concern for a power system with high penetration of distributed sources. Islanding occurs when a portion of the distribution network which includes one or more distributed generation units and local loads is disconnected from the remaining portion of the grid. Upon formation of a power island, it remains energized due to the presence of one or more distributed sources. This thesis introduces a new islanding detection technique based on an enhanced multi-layer scheme that shows superior performance over the existing techniques. It provides improved solutions for safety and protection of power systems and distributed sources that are capable of operating in grid-connected mode. The proposed active method offers negligible non-detection zone. It is applicable to micro-grids with a number of distributed generation sources without sacrificing the dynamic response of the system. In addition, the information obtained from the proposed scheme allows for smooth transition to stand-alone operation if required. The proposed technique paves the path towards a comprehensive protection solution for future power networks. The proposed method is converter-resident and all power conversion systems that are operating based on power electronics converters can benefit from this method. The theoretical analysis is presented, and extensive simulation results confirm the validity of the analytical work.

Transport properties of strongly correlated metals: A dynamical mean-field approach

The temperature dependence of the transport properties of the metallic phase of a frustrated Hubbard model on the hypercubic lattice at half-filling is calculated. Dynamical mean-held theory, which maps the Hubbard model onto a single impurity,Anderson model that is solved self-consistently, and becomes exact in the limit of large dimensionality, is used. As the temperature increases there is a smooth crossover from coherent Fermi liquid excitations at low temperatures to incoherent excitations at high temperatures. This crossover leads to a nonmonotonic temperature dependence for the resistance, thermopower, and Hall coefficient, unlike in conventional metals. The resistance smoothly increases from a quadratic temperature dependence at low temperatures to large values which can exceed the Mott-Ioffe-Regel value ha/e(2) (where a is a lattice constant) associated with mean free paths less than a lattice constant. Further signatures of the thermal destruction of quasiparticle excitations are a peak in the thermopower and the absence of a Drude peak in the optical conductivity. The results presented here are relevant to a wide range of strongly correlated metals, including transition metal oxides, strontium ruthenates, and organic metals.

A New Modular Marx Derived Multilevel Converter

A new Modular Marx Multilevel Converter, M(3)C, is presented. The M(3)C topology was developed based on the Marx Generator concept and can contribute to technological innovation for sustainability by enabling wind energy off-shore modular multilevel power switching converters with an arbitrary number of levels. This paper solves both the DC capacitor voltage balancing problem and modularity problems of multilevel converters, using a modified cell of a solid-state Marx modulator, previously developed by authors for high voltage pulsed power applications. The paper details the structure and operation of the M(3)C modules, and their assembling to obtain multilevel converters. Sliding mode control is applied to a M(3)C leg and the vector leading to automatic capacitor voltage equalization is chosen. Simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed M(3)C topology.

Buildings Sustainability: The HVAC Contribution

A very important part of the globally produced energy is consumed in buildings, being an important share frequently used in the HVAC systems. These ones are increasing both in performance and in complexity, taking advantage from the use of the recent advances in mechanical and power electronic devices, particularly in the speed variation field. However the improved efficiency only occurs while the HVAC unit is working in the conditions specified by the manufacturer, otherwise the energy consumption raises to values considerably higher than the nominal ones. The adequate maintenance enforces the system to run on its nominal performance and the contrary has undesirable impact both in the performance and in the system expected life time. Therefore, HVAC field maintenance assumes a very important role in the global building sustainability concept. This work presents some results of an incorrect use of HVAC and the associated electric energy overconsumption that can assume values 50% higher than those that occur when the installation is operated according to the adequate maintenance plan.

Tasasähkön hyödyntämismahdollisuudet sähkönjakelussa

Tässä työssä on tutkittu tasasähkönsiirron tuomia mahdollisuuksia sähkönjakelussa, kun pienjännitedirektiivin pienjännitemäärittelyn soveltamista laajennetaan koskemaan vaihtojännitteen lisäksi myös tasajännitettä. Aiemmin tasasähköjärjestelmiä on käytetty ainoastaan sähköistymisen alkuaikoina 1900-luvun alussa. Viime vuosikymmeninä on sähkönjakelussa käytetty pelkästään vaihtosähköverkkoja, koska tehoelektronisten laitteiden korkea hintataso ja tekniset ominaisuudet ovat mahdollistaneet tasasähkön käytön vain suurjännitteellä. Suomalaisten sähkönkäyttö on lisääntynyt muutamalla prosenttiyksiköllä vuosittain ja kasvun taantumista ei ole odotettavissa lähiaikoina. Samaan aikaan yhteiskunta muuttuu jatkuvasti yhä riippuvaisemmaksi sähköstä ja odotukset toteutuvasta sähkönlaadusta ovat jatkuvasti korkeammat. Sähkönlaadun näkökulmasta ilmasto on tuonut aiempia suurempia haasteita sähkön toimitusvarmuudelle, kun myrskyjen aiheuttamat tuhot ovat olleet yhä entisiä suurempia. Toimitusvarmuuden parantamiseksi ovat muutamat vuosikymmenen alun rajut myrskyt johtaneet pohdintaan tulevien haasteiden hoitamiseksi ja edelleen uuden 3-portaiseen 20/1/0,4 kV vaihtosähköjärjestelmän kehittämiseen. Tasasähkönsiirron avulla halutaan tuoda käyttöön niitä hyötyjä, joita järjestelmän vaihdolla on saavutettavissa. Täysimääräisellä tasajännitteen hyödyntämisellä voidaan saavuttaa mm. aiempaa edullisempia investointivaihtoehtoja,parempi sähkönlaatu, parempi hajautetun tuotannon liitettävyys verkkoon ja erilaisten asiakaskohtaisten laitteiden helppo integroitavuus osaksi jakelujärjestelmää. Tämän työn puitteissa on pohdittu sekä teknisiä ratkaisuja että järjestelmän teknistaloudellista käyttöaluetta. Lisäksi on pyritty hahmottamaan eri tekijöiden vaikutuksia sähkönjakeluun.

Tasasähköjakelu ja kiinteistöjen tasasähköverkot

Perinteisesti sähkönjakelu on toteutettu vaihtosähköjärjestelmänä, mutta varsinkin tehoelektroniikan kehittymisen ja halpenemisen myötä on paljon keskusteltu tasasähköisistä jakelujärjestelmistä. Tässä työssä on tutkittu ja koetettu tuoda esille tasasähkön hyödyntämismahdollisuuksia sähkönjakelussa, sekä erityisesti kiinteistöjen kuten kotien ja toimistojen sähköverkoissa. DC-verkko parantaa mm. järjestelmän luotettavuutta ja jännitteenlaatua. Myös hajautetun energiantuotannon ja energiavarastojen lisääminen sähkövoimajärjestelmään olisi yksinkertaisempaa tasasähköiseen verkkoon. Monet nykyajan kotien ja toimistojen sähkölaitteista olisi nykyiselläänkin ilman modifikaatioita liitettävissä DC-verkkoon. Monien laitteiden sisäinen käyttöjännite on nykyään tasajännitettä kuten esimerkiksi tietokoneiden ja viihde-elektroniikan. Näiden laitteiden tarvitsemissa lukuisissa tasasuuntaajissa hukataan paljon energiaa. Yhdistämällä laitteet DC-verkkoon voitaisiin suuntauksista luopua, jolloin järjestelmän kokonaishyötysuhde paranisi. Lisäksi kiinteistöissä tasajännitteellä voitaisiin hyödyntää entistä paremmin muun muassa aurinkoenergiaa, polttokennoja ja energiavarastoja eli uusiutuvia ja ympäristöystävällisiä energialähteitä.

Tehokerroinkorjatun hakkuriteholähteen toteutusvaihtoehdot

Hyötysuhteen merkitys tehoelektroniikan järjestelmissä kasvaa jatkuvasti kun käytössä olevien järjestelmien määrä lisääntyy ja toisaalta energian hinta kallistuu. Hyötysuhteen lisäksi verkkovirran käyrämuotovaatimukset asettavat omat haasteensa sähköverkkoon liitettävien tehoelektroniikkajärjestelmien suunnittelulle. Tässä työssä tutkitaan häviöiden syntyyn vaikuttavia tekijöitä hakkuriteholähteissä ja pyritään löytämään keinoja hyötysuhteen parantamiseksi. Työssä analysoidaan 300 W – 2 kW tehoalueelle soveltuvat, tehokerroinkorjattujen AC/DC-hakkuriteholähteiden topologiavaihtoehdot ja arvioidaan niiden soveltuvuutta tavanomaisen boost-topologian korvaajaksi. Tarkastelussa otetaan huomioon kustannukset, toimivuus sekä saavutettu hyötysuhteen parantuminen verrattuna perinteisellä topologialla toteutettuun teholähteeseen. Tarkasteltavat topologiat valitaan kirjallisuustutkimuksen perusteella. Valittujen topologioiden häviöt ja hyötysuhde selvitetään analyyttisin menetelmin sekä simuloimalla. Käytännön testausta varten suunnitellaan ja rakennetaan prototyyppi valitusta topologiasta.

Electrical machine in a Hybrid Electrical Vehicle

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) have attracted very much attention during the latest years. Increasing environmental concern and an increase in fuel prices are key factors for the growing interest towards the HEV. In a hybrid electric vehicle the power train consists of both a mechanical power system and an electric power transmission system. The major subsystems in the mechanical power system are the internal combustion engine which powers the vehicle; electric power transmission including an energy storage, power electronic inverter, hybrid control system; the electric motor drive that runs either in the generating mode or in the motoring mode to process the power flow between the energy storage and the electrical machine. This research includes two advanced electric motors for a parallel hybrid: induction machine and permanent magnets synchronous machine. In the thesis an induction motor and a permanent magnet motor are compared as propulsion motors. Electric energy storages are also studied.

Multichannel distribution strategy for electrical equipment marketing

The thesis examines System Integration and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) channel in the St. Petersburg drives market. The aim of the study was to increase understanding the relationship between OEM and SI and producers, problems and ongoing trends. The collected data was analyzed in order to find out which features of a power electronic drive product exercise a significant influence for the Russian companies decision. An essential part of this study was interviews as primary information sources, organized with SI and OEM companies which represented the basic SPb industry segments. The wholesalers and end users are left out from the analysis. The collected data was analyzed in order to find out which features of a power electronic drive product exercise a significant influence for the Russian companies decision.

IGBT-simulaatiomallien soveltuvuus laitetason hyötysuhdesimulaatioihin

Tehoelektroniikkalaitteiden tehon kasvun myötä niiden hyötysuhteesta on tullut yksi niiden tärkeimmistä ominaisuuksista. Suurilla tehoilla prosentuaalisesti pienetkin tehohäviöt ovat merkittäviä ja aiheuttavat laitteen käyttäjälle ylimääräisiä energiakustannuksia ja tarvetta hukkalämmön poistolle. Näistä syistä asiakkaat vaativat hyvällä hyötysuhteella toimivia laitteita, joten laitevalmistajat pyrkivät tekemään niistä sellaisia. Simulaatiomallit ovat arvokkaita työkaluja laitesuunnittelussa. Hyötysuhdeoptimoinnin kannalta tehohäviöt tulisi pystyä mallintamaan, jotta komponenttivalintojen, ohjaustapojen ja pääpiiritopologioiden vaikutusta hyötysuhteeseen voitaisiin arvioida. Tässä työssä perehdytään eristehilabipolaaritransistorista (IGBT) tehtyihin simulaatiomalleihin ja arvioidaan niiden soveltuvuutta IGBT:ssä syntyvien tehohäviöiden mallintamiseen. Lisäksi verrataan mallia mittaukseen ja pohditaan, millaiset vaatimukset simulaatiomalliin todellisuudessa kohdistuvat.