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Method for estimation of power losses and thermal distribution in power converters

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Abstract

The power loss estimation is a crucial step for power electronics design, especially for high-power-density systems. Many mathematical approaches are known for power loss estimation, but the system design time can be lowered significantly if a simulation approach is used. This paper discusses the MATLAB-based simulation method for estimating power losses in the three-phase VSI. This simulation is using a real characteristic of the used IGBT transistors for power loss estimation. Next, the model uses the simulated power losses and calculates temperatures at different points in the simulated model. For the visualization, Fusion360 was used to simulate the thermal spreading at the heatsink. Finally, the inverter power losses are measured at the different loads to confirm the accuracy of the model. The temperature of the heatsink is measured with a thermal imaging camera and surface mounted probes.

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Abbreviations

cosφ:

Power factor

E OFF :

Turn-off energy

E ON :

Turn-on energy

E REC :

Recovery energy

f sw :

Switching frequency

I C :

Collector current

I CM :

Maximum collector current

I CN :

Rated collector current

I F :

Diode forward current

M :

Modulation depth

P condD :

Diode conduction losses

P condT :

Transistor conduction losses

P OFF :

Turn-off losses

P ON :

Turn-on losses

P REC :

Reverse recovery losses

P SW :

Total switching losses

P TOT :

Total inverter losses

Q rr :

Reverse recovery charge

R HA :

Heatsink to ambient thermal resistance

T :

Temperature

T ambient :

Ambient temperature

t fn :

Nominal fall time of IGBT

T heatsink :

Heatsink temperature

T j :

Junction temperature

t rn :

The nominal rise time of IGBT

t rr :

Diode reverse recovery time

V CC :

DC-link voltage

V C0 :

Collector–emitter threshold voltage

V CEN :

Collector–emitter rated voltage

V f0 :

Diode forward threshold voltage

V FN :

Diode rated voltage

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the project: VEGA project No. 1/0085/21—Research of methods for increasing the efficiency of electric multiphase motor drive systems for automotive applications.

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  1. Department of Mechatronics and Electronics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Zilina, Žilina, Slovakia

    Slavomir Kascak & Patrik Resutik

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  1. Slavomir Kascak
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  2. Patrik Resutik
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Correspondence to Slavomir Kascak.

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The paper is an extended version of the paper for special issue ELEKTRO 2020.

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Kascak, S., Resutik, P. Method for estimation of power losses and thermal distribution in power converters. Electr Eng 104, 179–190 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00202-021-01303-8

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