Power Converters Coolant: Past, Present, Future, and a Path Toward Active Thermal Control in Electrified Ship Power Systems

Abstract

Power converters have widespread applications in automotive, renewables, and power systems. The demand for power modules with low power consumption and high efficiency has increased due to advancements in semiconductor devices. So, power converters need to be highly efficient to reduce costs associated with energy dissipation and cooling requirements. This paper discusses various active thermal control methods for high-power power converters. It covers modulation and configuration techniques, ranging from single configurations to cascaded, modular, and multilevel converters. These concepts form the basis of power electronics building blocks, particularly relevant in all-electric ship systems. Power electronics building blocks represent a This article has been accepted for publication in IEEE Access.

Emerging Trends and Challenges in Thermal Management of Power Electronic Converters: A State of the Art Review

“…ATC scales down short and medium-term thermal cycles using temperature-related control parameters to regulate the junction temperatures in real-time. Thermal control aims to regulate the junction temperatures by adjusting the losses in the targeted devices through specific temperaturerelated control parameters [31]. These parameters include the switching frequency [32], [33], modulation technique [34], DC-link voltage [35], gate voltage [36], or distributing reactive power [37].…”

“…Summary of multilevel converter performance[31],[247],[250] Fault tolerance capability * Superior dynamic response * Lower number of required DC sources * Uniform blocking voltage in switches * Cost effective in three-level configuration * Uneven distribution of power loss * Limited to three-level configuration * Higher voltage level leads to an increase in the number of clamping diodes * Higher number of diodes results in low reliability * Static VAR compensation (SVC)…”