High Temperature System Design for Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Abstract

The automotive semiconductor market is currently valued at around $10 billion worldwide, and is expected to rise to more than $14 billion by 2014. The steep rise of power modules for hybrid and electric vehicles is not yet included in this prognosis. Electronic systems have been the most rapidly growing element of vehicles in recent years, and this trend rise sharply with the introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). The key parameters that determine the suitability of a power device for high temperature environment are the devices maximum allowable junction temperature and its conduction loss. The power devices are cooled to an extent that their junction temperatures do not exceed the maximum allowable value. Increasing the maximum junction temperature allows a higher base plate or heat sink temperature. A higher heat sink temperature, allows a higher ambient air temperature or coolant temperature. The semiconductor devices with low conduction loss will generate less heat, and allows a higher heat sink temperature. The paper presents the developments of a novel 400V IGBT based power module well suitable for electric vehicle applications.

Prognostic System for Power Modules in Converter Systems Using Structure Function

“…This carried out by obtaining multiple thermal transients from the system to ensure that no information regarding the thermal transient is altered during filtration. The filtered curve is obtained using equation (1). Where T is the average temperature at a certain time instance, t is the total duration of the thermal transient (or last time instance/point), n is the number of curves to be averaged and a,b,c are the temperatures at a certain time instance, for a single measured curve.…”

“…Power converters that use insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT) modules are becoming more common in automotive, rail-traction, aerospace, renewable energy and several other applications where the combination of environmental and load-derived thermal cycling can result in large and unpredictable fluctuations in junction temperature [1]. An example of this is power converters used in airborne applications to drive electrical actuators in the close vicinity of the jet engine.…”

Extracting structure functions of power devices in induction motor drives

“…This number is growing in motor drive applications, automotive, renewable and other applications. [2] Power converters that use insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT) modules are becoming more common in automotive, rail-traction, aerospace, renewable energy and several other applications where the combination of environmental and load-derived thermal cycling can result in large and unpredictable fluctuations in junction temperature [3]. The power module is made up of different layers and several materials.…”