In power electronics designs, the evaluation and prediction of potential fault conditions on semiconductors is essential for achieving safe operation and reliability, being short circuit (SC) one of the most probable and destructive failures. Recent improvements on Wide-Bandgap (WBG) semiconductors such as Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium nitrite (GaN) enable power electronic designs with outstanding performance, reshaping the power electronics landscape. In comparison to Silicon (Si), SiC and GaN power semiconductors physically present smaller chip areas, higher maximum internal electric fields, and higher current densities. Such characteristics yield a much faster rise of the devices’ internal temperatures, worsening their SC performance. In this way, this dissertation consists of a comprehensive investigation about SC on SiC MOSFETs, GaN HEMT, and GaN E-HEMT transistors, as well as contextualizing their particularities on SC performance by comparison with that of Si IBGTs. Moreover, an investigation towards how to prevent SC occurrences besides a review of available SC protection methods is presented.

This book discusses larger signal amplifiers (denoted as PA). Large signal amplifiers are dealing with signals whose magnitude is such that the operation of the active element can no longer be considered linear. They are usually designed to get as much power gain and efficiency as possible. That is why they are often called power amplifiers. In this book, two implementations of PA are considered. First, it is of interest to obtain large signals (current or voltage) at the output of a cascade of direct coupled amplifiers. In this case, linearity, frequency response, and speed are the most important requirements. Second are real power amplifiers where the power delivered to the load is of primary interest. Of course, efficiency, linearity, and high frequency response are of interest, too. A very special attention is paid to modern power electronic components such as Power BJT, VDMOS, IGBT, SiC MOS, and GaN HEMT. DC and switching properties of all these devices are studied in much detail. This book also includes a set of appendices which cover: solved problems, SPICE simulation results for selected set of circuits, and a short review of microelectronic technology process

High reliability and system lifetimes in the range of 30 years are essential for renewable energy systems such as photovoltaic power plants to minimise costs for the generated electric energy. At the same time such systems are used in regions with high solar irradiance and also harsh environmental conditions. Therefore, designs for photovoltaic inverters need to meet not only the key design criteria of high conversion efficiency but also need to be very robust and at the same time meet challenging cost targets. In this dissertation aspects concerning the lifetime and reliability of power semiconductors in photovoltaic central inverters are investigated. On key topic of the dissertation is the measurement of the voltage dependent failure rate due to cosmic radiation induced single-event-burnout of SiC and Si power semiconductors. The second topic is the development of a system level simulation to quantify the stress on the power semiconductors in a PV central inverters in various regions of the world. Further topics are the investigation of improved control concepts for the cooling system of PV central inverters and the monitoring of IGBT temperatures during converter operation.

The book deals with methods for the description and design of electromagnetic components. Both linear and nonlinear components are covered. For electrical simulations the necessary equivalent circuit diagrams are derived and a general methodology is developed. Possible influences on properties via material selection, winding design and premagnetisation of sections are treated. Measurement characterization, modeling, possible errors and model limits are dealt with extensively. In the last chapter examples are discussed.

Voltage source converters (VSCs), among other power converters, play a crucial role in supplying power to both local loads and the grid at the PCC. During stand-alone operation, VSCs ensure stable power for loads by regulating the output voltage. In grid-connected mode, the regulation shifts to controlling output current, such as converter side current (CSC) or grid side current (GSC), to inject sinusoidal current into the electrical grid. The nonlinear characteristics of the loads connected to the power converters result in significantly distorted output voltages. This capability is crucial for applications such as uninterruptible power supply (UPS), emphasizing the importance of precise output voltage control. Similarly, in grid-connected mode, the CSC or the GSC is regulated to inject low THD current. The aim is to mitigate grid current harmonics arising from dead time and distorted grid voltages. Therefore, the harmonic mitigation of the grid current control is investigated in this work. This work presents the implementation of the proportional resonant plus multi-resonant (PR-MR) and practical proportional resonant plus multi-resonant (PMR-MR) harmonic controllers in the voltage and current control loops to mitigate the high-order harmonic currents.

Increasing demand for efficiency and power density pushes Si-based devices to some of their inherent material limits, including those related to temperature operation, switching frequency, and blocking voltage. Recently, SiC-based power devices are promising candidates for high-power and high-frequency switching applications. Today, SiC MOSFETs are commercially available from several manufacturers. Although technology affiliated with SiC MOSFETs is improving rapidly, many challenges remain, and some of them are investigated in this work. The research work in this dissertation is divided into the three following parts. Firstly, the static and switching characteristics of the state-of-the-art 1.2 kV planar and double-trench SiC MOSFETs from two different manufacturers are evaluated. The effects of different biasing voltages, DC link voltages, and temperatures are analysed. The characterisation results show that the devices exhibit superior switching performances under different operating conditions. Moreover, several aspects of using the SiC MOSFET’s body diode in a DC/DC converter are investigated, comparing the body-diodes of planar and double-trench devices. Reverse recovery is evaluated in switching tests considering the case temperature, switching rate, forward current, and applied voltage. Based on the measurement results, the junction temperature is estimated to guarantee safe operation. A simple electro-thermal model is proposed in order to estimate the maximum allowed switching frequency based on the thermal design of the SiC devices. Using these results, hard- and soft-switching converters are designed, and devices are characterised as being in continuous operation at a very high switching frequency of 1 MHz. Thereafter, the SiC MOSFETs are operated in a continuous mode in a 10 kW / 100-250 kHz buck converter, comparing synchronous rectification, the use of the body diode, and the use of an external Schottky diode. Further, the parallel operation of the planar devices is considered. Thus, the paralleling of SiC MOSFETs is investigated before comparing the devices in continuous converter operation. In this regard, the impact of the most common mismatch parameters on the static and dynamic current sharing of the transistors is evaluated, showing that paralleling of SiC MOSFETs is feasible. Subsequently, an analytical model of SiC MOSFETs for switching loss optimisation is proposed. The analytical model exhibits relatively close agreement with measurement results under different test conditions. The proposed model tracks the oscillation effectively during both turn-on and –off transitions. This has been achieved by considering the influence of the most crucial parasitic elements in both power and gate loops. In the second part, a comprehensive short-circuit ruggedness evaluation focusing on different failure modes of the planar and double-trench SiC devices is presented. The effects of different biasing voltages, DC link voltages, and gate resistances are evaluated. Additionally, the temperature-dependence of the short-circuit capability is evaluated, and the associated failure modes are analysed. Subsequently, the design and test of two different methods for overcurrent protection are proposed. The desaturation technique is applied to the SiC MOSFETs and compared to a second method that depends on the stray inductance of the devices. Finally, the benefits of using SiC devices in continuous high-frequency, high-power DC/DC converters is experimentally evaluated. In this regard, a design optimisation of a high-frequency transformer is introduced, and the impact of different core materials, conductor designs, and winding arrangements are evaluated. A ZVZCS Phase-Shift Full-Bridge unidirectional DC/DC converter is proposed, using only the parasitic leakage inductance of the transformer. Experimental results for a 10 kW, (100-250) kHz prototype indicate an efficiency of up to 98.1% for the whole converter. Furthermore, an optimized control method is proposed to minimise the circulation current in the isolated bidirectional dual active bridge DC/DC converter, based on a modified dual-phase-shift control method. This control method is also experimentally compared with traditional single-phase shift control, yielding a significant improvement in efficiency. The experimental results confirm the theoretical analysis and show that the proposed control can enhance the overall converter efficiency and expand the ZVZCS range. Die steigende Nachfrage nach Effizienz und Leistungsdichte bringt Si-basierte eistungsbauteile an einige inhärente Materialgrenzen, die unter anderem mit der Temperaturbelastung, der Schaltfrequenz und der Blockierspannung in Zusammenhang stehen. In jüngster Zeit sind SiC-basierte Leistungsbauelemente vielversprechende Kandidaten für Hochleistungs- und Hochfrequenzanwendungen. Aktuell sind SiC-MOSFETs von mehreren Herstellern im Handel erhältlich. Obwohl sich die Technologie der SiC-MOSFETs rasch verbessert, werden viele Herausforderungen bestehen bleiben. Einige dieser Herausforderungen werden in dieser Arbeit untersucht. Die Untersuchungen in dieser Dissertation gliedern sich in die drei folgenden Teile: Im ersten Teil erfolgt, die statische und die transiente Charakterisierung der aktuellen 1,2 kV Planarund Doubletrench SiC-MOSFETs verschiedener Hersteller. Die Auswirkungen unterschiedlicher Gatespannungen, Zwischenkreisspannungen und Temperaturen werden analysiert. Die Ergebnisse der Charakterisierung zeigen, dass die Bauteile überlegene Schaltleistungen unter verschiedenen Betriebsbedingungen aufweisen. Darüber hinaus wird der Einsatz der internen SiC-Bodydioden in einem DC/DC-Wandler untersucht, wobei die Unterschiede zwischen Planar- und Doppeltrench-Bauteilen aufgezeigt werden. Das Reverse-Recovery-Verhalten wird unter Berücksichtigung der Gehäusetemperatur, der Schaltgeschwindigkeit, des Durchlassstroms und der angelegten Spannung bewertet. Anhand der Messergebnisse wird die Sperrschichttemperatur geschätzt, damit ein sicherer Betrieb gewährleistet ist. Ein einfaches elektrothermisches Modell wird vorgestellt, um die maximal zulässige Schaltfrequenz auf der Grundlage des thermischen Designs der SiC-Bauteile abzuschätzen. Anhand dieser Ergebnisse werden hart- und weichschaltende Umrichter konzipiert und die Bauteile werden im Dauerbetrieb mit einer sehr hohen Schaltfrequenz von 1 MHz untersucht. Danach werden die SiC-MOSFETs im Dauerbetrieb in einem 10 kW / 100-250 kHz-Tiefsetzsteller betrieben. Dabei wird die Synchrongleichrichtung, die Verwendung der internen Diode und die Verwendung einer externen Schottky-Diode verglichen. Außerdem wird die Parallelisierung von SiC-MOSFETs untersucht, bevor die Parallelschaltung der verschiedenen Bauelemente ebenso im kontinuierlichen Konverterbetrieb verglichen wird. Es wird der Einfluss der häufigsten Parametervariationen auf die statische und dynamische Stromaufteilung der Transistoren analysiert, was zeigt, dass eine Parallelisierung von SiC-MOSFETs möglich ist. Anschließend wird ein analytisches Modell der SiC-MOSFETs zur Schaltverlustoptimierung vorgeschlagen. Das analytische Modell zeigt eine relativ enge Übereinstimmung mit den Messergebnissen unter verschiedenen Testbedingungen. Das vorgeschlagene Modell bildet die Schwingungen sowohl beim Ein- als auch beim Ausschalten effektiv nach. Dies wurde durch die Berücksichtigung der wichtigsten parasitären Elemente in Strom- und Gatekreisen erreicht. Im zweiten Teil wird eine umfassende Bewertung der Kurzschlussfestigkeit mit Fokus auf verschiedene Ausfallmodi der planaren und double-trench SiC-Bauelemente vorgestellt. Die Auswirkungen unterschiedlicher Gatespannungen, Zwischenkreisspannungen und Gate-Widerstände werden ausgewertet. Zusätzlich wird die temperaturabhängige Kurzschlussfähigkeit ausgewertet und die zugehörigen Fehlerfälle werden analysiert. Anschließend wird die Auslegung und Prüfung von zwei verschiedenen Verfahren zum Überstromschutz evaluiert. Die „Desaturation“-Technik wird auf SiC-MOSFETs angewendet und mit einer zweiten Methode verglichen, welche die parasitäre Induktivität der Bauelemente nutzt. Schließlich wird der Nutzen des Einsatzes von SiC-Bauteilen in kontinuierlichen Hochfrequenz-Hochleistungs-DC/DC-Wandlern experimentell untersucht. In diesem Zusammenhang wird eine Designoptimierung eines Hochfrequenztransformators vorgestellt und der Einfluss verschiedener Kernmaterialien, Leiterausführungen und Wicklungsanordnungen wird bewertet. Es wird ein unidirektionaler ZVZCS Vollbrücken-DC/DC-Wandler vorgestellt, der nur die parasitäre Streuinduktivität des Transformators verwendet. Experimentelle Ergebnisse für einen 10 kW, (100-250) kHz Prototyp zeigen einenWirkungsgrad von bis zu 98,1% für den gesamten Umrichter. Abschließend wird ein optimiertes Regelverfahren verwendet, welches auf einem modifizierten Dual-Phase-Shift-Regelverfahren basiert, um den Kreisstrom im isolierten bidirektionalen Dual-Aktiv-Brücken-DC/DC-Wandler zu minimieren. Diese Regelmethode wird experimentell mit der herkömmlichen Single-Phase-Shift-Regelung verglichen. Hierbei zeigt sich eine deutliche Effizienzsteigerung durch die neue Regelmethode. Die experimentellen Ergebnisse bestätigen die theoretische Analyse und zeigen, dass die vorgeschlagene Regelung den Gesamtwirkungsgrad des Umrichters erhöhen und den ZVZCS-Bereich erweitern kann.

Smart grid technologies include sensing and measurement technologies, advanced components aided with communications and control methods along with improved interfaces and decision support systems. Smart grid techniques support the extensive inclusion of clean renewable generation in power systems. Smart grid use also promotes energy saving in power systems. Cyber security objectives for the smart grid are availability, integrity and confidentiality. Five salient features of this book are as follows: AI and IoT in improving resilience of smart energy infrastructure IoT, smart grids and renewable energy: an economic approach AI and ML towards sustainable solar energy Electrical vehicles and smart grid Intelligent condition monitoring for solar and wind energy systems

Vehicle Electrification in Modern Power Grids: Disruptive Perspectives on Power Electronics Technology and Control Challenges collects the newest advances in technology for electric vehicle integration into one practical volume for professionals and advanced researchers. The book not only summarizes and clarifies legislation and grid codes for the area, but also outlines the modeling and analytical techniques needed, including predicting power converter reliability and its remaining useful life. Specializing in microgrid clusters, the book provides advanced power electronics device technology from wide-band-gap (WBG) to DSP-based digital control platforms and new materials for passive filters. Blending cutting-edge research and practical technology, this book provides a centralized resource for advanced researchers and engineers looking to accelerate vehicle electrification in the power grid. - Reveals new, disruptive power electronics and modeling technologies to enable EV integration into the grid - Collects guidance on mechanisms for digital control for EV charging and modes of operation, from V2G to G2H - Provides legislation and grid codes needed by engineers working on vehicle electrification in power grids

Comprehensive Energy Systems, Seven Volume Set provides a unified source of information covering the entire spectrum of energy, one of the most significant issues humanity has to face. This comprehensive book describes traditional and novel energy systems, from single generation to multi-generation, also covering theory and applications. In addition, it also presents high-level coverage on energy policies, strategies, environmental impacts and sustainable development. No other published work covers such breadth of topics in similar depth. High-level sections include Energy Fundamentals, Energy Materials, Energy Production, Energy Conversion, and Energy Management. Offers the most comprehensive resource available on the topic of energy systems Presents an authoritative resource authored and edited by leading experts in the field Consolidates information currently scattered in publications from different research fields (engineering as well as physics, chemistry, environmental sciences and economics), thus ensuring a common standard and language