Introduction to Power Electronics
Undergraduate introduction to power conversion: switching power-poles and PWM, dc–dc converters (buck/boost/buck‑boost, CCM/DCM), average models and control (voltage- and peak‑current‑mode), diode/thyristor rectifiers, PFC, magnetic components and HF magnetics, inverter synthesis (single‑ and three‑phase, SVPWM), and utility applications.
Objectives
- Describe the role of Power Electronics as enabling technology in various applications such as flexible production systems, energy conservation, renewable energy, transportation, etc.
- Identify a switching power-pole as the basic building block and to use Pulse Width Modulation to synthesize the desired output.
- Design the switching power-pole using the available power semiconductor devices, their drive circuitry, and driver ICs and heat sinks. You will be able to model these in PSpice.
- Learn the basic concepts of operation of dc-dc converters in steady state in continuous and discontinuous modes and be able to analyze basic converter topologies.
- Using the average model of the building block, quickly simulate the dynamic performance of dc-dc converters and compare them with their switching counterparts.
- Design controllers for dc-dc converters in voltage and peak-current mode.
- Design, using simulations, the interface between the power electronics equipment and single-phase and three-phase utility using diode rectifiers and analyze the total harmonic distortion.
- Design the single-phase power factor correction (PFC) circuits to draw sinusoidal currents at unity power factor.
- Learn basic magnetic concepts, analyze transformer-isolated switch-mode power supplies and design high-frequency inductors and transformers.
- Learn basic concepts of soft-switching and their applications to dc-dc converters, compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and induction heating.
- Learn the requirements imposed by electric drives (dc and ac) on converters and synthesize these converters using the building block approach.
- Understand, simulate and design single-phase and three-phase thyristor converters.
- Learn the role of Power Electronics in utility-related applications which are becoming extremely important.
Textbooks
Power Electronics: A First Course
Ned Mohan, Siddharth Raju · Wiley
Power Electronics: Converters, Applications, and Design
Ned Mohan, Tore M. Undeland, William P. Robbins · Wiley
Modules
Description: This module defines power electronics as the interface between sources and loads, built around a power converter and its controller, and explains its role in modern energy and motion systems. It then surveys major application domains: renewable‑energy generation, electric and hybrid vehicles, efficiency improvements in appliances and lighting, information‑technology power supplies, and utility‑scale systems. Within utility applications it highlights HVDC transmission and FACTS technologies—such as SVC, STATCOM, TCSC, and UPFC—for voltage regulation and controlled power flow.
Description: This module focuses on basic building-block in commonly-used power electronics converters — its key ideas and working principles.
Description: This module focuses on designing the switching power‑pole—its constituent devices and their associated losses. It surveys diode and power‑transistor options and their conduction/switching characteristics, then analyzes turn‑on, turn‑off, and conduction losses to inform device selection and efficiency.
Description: This module focuses on practical considerations in implementing switching power-pole — its gate driver ICs, design considerations, and diode reverse recovery characteristics.
Description: This module focuses on dc-dc converters — its classifications, applications in AC Synthesis, and basic concepts in DC steady state.
Description: This module focuses on buck (step-down dc-dc) converters—its key ideas and steady-state working principles.
Description: This module focuses on boost (step-up dc-dc) converters—its key ideas and steady-state working principles.
Description: This module focuses on buck-boost (step-down/up dc-dc) converters—its key ideas and setady-state working principles.
Description: This module focuses on other considerations in dc-dc converters. It covers other DC-DC Converters: SEPIC and Cuk Converters, Synchronous-Rectified Buck Converters, and Interleaving in Converters. Topolgy selection and worst-case design is also considered.
Description: This module focuses on average representation of a switching power-pole and various converters in continuous conduction mode.
Description: This module focuses on discontinuous conduction mode (dcm) — working principles, and average representation.
Description: This module focuses on design of feedback controllers in power electronics. It covers the need for feedback controllers in power electronics, basic principles, and focus on regulated switch-mode power supplies.
Description: This module focuses on covers voltage-mode control regulated dc power supply.
Description: This module focuses on peak-current-mode and looks at how the controller design is simplified under discontinuous-conduction mode (DCM).
Description: This module focuses on characterizing the nonlinear loads — diode rectifiers and the definition for power factor, displacement power factor, total harmonic distortion.
Description: This module focuses on diode rectification of utility input for single-phase and three-phase.
Description: This module focuses on power factor correction circuits (pfc) for single-phase input.
Description: This module focuses on design of high-frequency inductors and transformers using area-product method.
Description: This module focuses on isolated switch-mode dc power supplies — flyback and forward converter.
Description: This module focuses on isolated switch-mode dc power supplies — full-bridge, half-bridge, and push-pull converter.
Description: This module focuses on soft-switching in dc-dc converters — ZVS (zero voltage switching).
Description: This module focuses on determining converter ratings in various applications — electric drives, UPS, and power systems.
Description: This module focuses on synthesis of dc and sinusoidal ac voltages.
Description: This module focuses on synthesis of single-phase ac.
Description: This module focuses on synthesis of three-phase ac.
Description: This module focuses on space-vector pulse-width-modulated inverters which allows for full utilization of the DC bus voltage.
Description: This module focuses on ancillary topics in switch-mode inverters — six-Step operation, three-Level inverters, bi-directional power flow, and matrix Converters.
Description: This module focuses on thyristor converters — applications, basic principles, and single-phase thyristor converters.
Description: This module focuses on thyristor converters in their inverter mode of operation.
Description: This module focuses on three-phase thyristor converters and its applications in high voltage DC transmission systems.
Description: This module focuses on utility-related applications of power electronics.