Primary objectives: Improve the cost-efficiency of high power converter systems through increased reliability, better understanding of failure mechanisms and tools for lifetime estimation.
Project summary:
Conversion of electric energy by power electronic converters has an increasingly important role in all parts of the power system. A common factor for many applications is high reliability requirements caused by maintenance challenges and/or high cost of downtime. The complexity of converter systems calls for high R&D-efforts in order to improve component designs and to increase the ability to identify and predict faults.
The project aims to improve the cost-efficiency of high power converter systems through increased reliability, better understanding of failure mechanisms and tools for lifetime estimation.
The initial phase of the project will focus on developing a set of reference circuits and components to be used for detailed analysis. A thorough review and comparison of existing lifetime testing methods will also be performed. A contribution towards standardisation of test methods is the expected outcome of this work.
Lifetime analysis of last generation IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) will be performed through a combination of power cycling tests and Finite Element analysis based on the proposed test schemes. The objective is to develop an improved and accurate lifetime model.
The project will also contribute towards more robust IGBT devices. A particular focus is the behavior during and after fault conditions. The task will be based on a combination of theoretical and experimental work.
The project has ambitious targets in the field of real-time condition monitoring and remaining lifetime estimation. The objective is to develop a model with the ability to online determine the remaining lifetime based on the accumulated stress in a device.
Finally, the project has a dedicated work package devoted to education. The objective is to bring recent research into education in the field of physics, reliability and design of power electronics. A close co-operation between SINTEF, NTNU and Technical University of Chemnitz is planned for this task.
