3D thermal model of power electronic conversion systems for wind energy applications

Abstract

Energy is vital for continual progress of human civilization. Accessing to low-cost, environmental friendly, renewable energy sources are keys to economic future for developing countries and around the globe. Wind energy systems are one of the most adequate option where power electronic converters are used for monitoring and conditioning the energy flow; however operating environmental conditions such as variable wind speed cause temperature fluctuations that derive degradation and failures in these systems. Therefore, proper thermal management and control are necessary to monitor their reliability and lifecycle. Besides, power capacity of these devices is being increased by new technological improvements such as multichip designs. Meanwhile, the heat path through the devices has also become more complex due to the heat coupling effect among several chips and it is not possible to be estimated by conventional methods found in literature. In this paper, a three dimensional finite element model (FEM) is implemented for accurate estimation of thermal profile of a power module. Based on the thermal characteristic obtained by the FEM, an electro thermal model was developed to predict the temperatures of each layer of the power module that cannot be measured during service. The work is essential as it solves massive heat transfer issues and it is important to provide health management of power electronics embedded in wind systems. Keywords-Insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT); two level converter; electro thermal model; junction temperature; 3D FEM.

The Sensitivity of an Electro-Thermal Photovoltaic DC–DC Converter Model to the Temperature Dependence of the Electrical Variables for Reliability Analyses

“…For reliability analyses, the parasitic series resistances are only considered as they contribute towards heat generation through Joule heating [24]. The thermal part can be expanded towards a 3-D heat diffusion model for every component [25] or can be simplified to a 1-D lumped thermal network that interconnects all of components on the PCB [26]. Not only is the heat generation and coupling of each component on the printed circuit board (PCB) included into the electro-thermal model, but also the temperature dependence of the electrical variables such as the capacitances, the parasitic series resistances and the solar panel itself [17].…”