A Technique for Mitigating Thermal Stress and Extending Life Cycle of Power Electronic Converters Used for Wind Turbines

Batunlu, Canraş; Albarbar, Alhussein

doi:10.3390/electronics4040947

Cited by 13 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 31 publications

(35 reference statements)

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“…Thermal resistance R th and capacitance C th for each individual of Foster equivalent thermal network, as shown in Figure 7b, were extracted by curve fitting using least square method. The equivalence of foster thermal [28] network is defined in Equation (17) as:…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Power Tracking Algorithms on Lifetime of Power Electronic Devices Used in Solar Systems

2016

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Abstract:In photovoltaic solar energy systems, power management algorithms (PMAs), usually called maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms, are widely used for extracting maximum available power at every point in time. However, tracking the maximum power has negative effects on the availability of solar energy systems. This is due, mainly, to the created disturbances and thermal stresses on the associated power electronic converters (PECs). This work investigates the effects of PMA on the lifetime consumption, thermal stresses and failures on DC-DC converters used in solar systems. Firstly theoretical analysis and modelling of photovoltaic solar systems including converter's electro thermal characteristics were developed. Subsequently, experiments on photovoltaic solar systems were carried out using two different PMAs, namely, perturb and observe (P&O) and incremental conductance (IC). Real-time data was collected, under different operating conditions, including thermal behavior using thermal imaging camera and dSPACE. Converters' thermal cycling was found to be approximately 3 • C higher with the IC algorithm. The steady state temperature was 52.7 • C, for the IC while it was 42.6 • C for P&O. Although IC algorithm offers more accurate power management tool, it causes more severe thermal stresses which, in this study, has led to approximately 1.4 times greater life consumption compared to P&O.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Temperature, T j , of each layer was represented for heating source. By applying forward rectangular Euler's rule, thermal equation in z-domain is [28]:…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Power Tracking Algorithms on Lifetime of Power Electronic Devices Used in Solar Systems

2016

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“…In order to detect such temperature induced failure occurring, accurate electro thermal modelling is essential. Proper thermal models with heat coupling effect analysis were considered in [10] [11]. These works studied a thermal impedance matrix that was convenient for thermal coupling effect estimations and most suitable way to represent actual heat path through the device.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The electro thermal and thermo mechanical test was performed by real-time application with dSPACE system. The case studies included a fixed and adjustable switching frequency of operation derived in [11]. The results were used to define total lifetime consumption (TLC) for the IGBT wire bonds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategy for enhancing reliability and lifetime of DC-AC inverters used for wind turbines

Batunlu

Albarbar²

2018

Microelectronics Reliability

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Lifetime of wind turbine inverters is below expectations therefore, novel design and drive strategies are timely required to achieve optimum life span. In this work, a novel driving strategy to mitigate stresses on inverters is proposed. First, an electro thermal analysis was carried out using finite element modelling methods. Subsequently, the outcomes of the models were validated using DC/AC IGBT based power inverter module interfaced to 1.1kW electrical outputs of a horizontal wind turbine operated under different wind speeds. Real time data was collected using both dSPACE system and high speed thermal imaging camera. The proposed driving method is based on adjusting the switching frequency according to wind speed. Edge detection scheme was embedded in Simulink to determine temperature fluctuations caused by variations in wind speed profile. Effects of these fluctuations are mitigated by regulating the switching frequency and power losses based on a look up table and interpolation method. The proposed strategy of operation reduces cyclic temperature depended lifetime span (total lifetime consumption) to 1.45 x 10-5 cycles compared to 1.88 x 10-5 when operated under conventional fixed frequency. Wire-bond thermal stress was also reduced from 54.5 MPa, for the fixed switching frequency, to 45.5 MPa. This represents about 21% reduction in total lifetime consumption of inverter's wire-bond which, brings huge benefits to wind energy industry.

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“…High average temperature may significantly reduce the reliability of power modules [11,12]. However, reliability strongly depends on thermal cycles mainly caused by these components [13,14]. Thermal cycles are the main source of failure in power modules, especially due to the effect of breaking the connections between the dies and bond wires, due to the mechanical fatigue caused by dilations and contractions resulting from these thermal cycles [14].…”

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confidence: 99%

Influence of PWM Methods on Semiconductor Losses and Thermal Cycling of 15-kVA Three-Phase SiC Inverter for Aircraft Applications

et al. 2020

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This paper presents the influence of different pulse width modulation (PWM) methods on losses and thermal stresses in SiC power modules used in a three-phase inverter. The variation of PWM methods directly impacts instantaneous losses on these semiconductors, consequently resulting in junction temperature swing at the fundamental frequency of the converter's output current. This thermal cycling can significantly reduce the lifetime of these components. In order to determine semiconductor losses, one needs to characterize SiC devices to calculate the instantaneous power. The characterization methodology of the devices, the calculation of instantaneous power and temperature of SiC dies, and the influence of the different PWM methods are presented. A 15-kVA inverter is built in order to obtain experimental results to confirm the characterization and loss calculation, and we show the best PWM methods to increase efficiency and reliability of the three-phase inverter for specific aircraft applications.Electronics 2020, 9, 620 2 of 18The authors in References [5,6] performed precise loss calculations in power converters based on the double pulse method (DPM) and the modified opposition method (MOM), respectively, to measure switching energy. Since the MOM method gives more precise results, especially for very fast components such as SiC and GaN, this method is used in the work presented here.Therefore, this paper aims to recall and give more details to explain the approach to precisely calculate losses in three-phase inverters using experimental data from an accurate characterization of switching energies of wide bandgap (WBG) components. This approach was first presented in Reference [6], and it allows us to show the influence of different pulse width modulation (PWM) methods on losses of a three-phase inverter with floating neutral point.PWM methods are used to optimize certain characteristics of the power converter. Some of them were created in the 1970s and 1980s to reduce losses in three-phase inverters [7]. They are based on preventing switching when the converter current is high, in each phase. Optimal PWM methods can be created, as shown in Reference [8], even for SiC-based power converters. However, the aim here is, unlike other papers, not to reduce losses, but to show the influence of PWM methods and other converter parameters on SiC-based converter losses, specifically on the temperature variation in SiC dies, which is directly related to the power module reliability.Although WBG components such as silicon carbide (SiC) or gallium nitride (GaN) transistors have higher performance than their silicon (Si) counterparts, their reliability data are either reduced or non-existent. Some works showed reduced reliability on SiC dies, when compared to Si-based switches, due to degradation of the oxide-semiconductor interface [9] or the body diode characteristics [10]. The lack of reliability data and the general feeling in the community about the low reliability of these components are hindering their use and consequ...

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A Technique for Mitigating Thermal Stress and Extending Life Cycle of Power Electronic Converters Used for Wind Turbines

Cited by 13 publications

References 31 publications

Effects of Power Tracking Algorithms on Lifetime of Power Electronic Devices Used in Solar Systems

Effects of Power Tracking Algorithms on Lifetime of Power Electronic Devices Used in Solar Systems

Strategy for enhancing reliability and lifetime of DC-AC inverters used for wind turbines

Influence of PWM Methods on Semiconductor Losses and Thermal Cycling of 15-kVA Three-Phase SiC Inverter for Aircraft Applications

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