Submit to Electronics Review for Electronics Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Challenges and New Trends in Power Electronic Devices Reliability

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Published Papers

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Power Electronics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2021) | Viewed by 43838

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special issue Challenges and New Trends in Power Electronic Devices Reliability book cover image

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Elio Chiodo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Napoli “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
Interests: reliability analysis; Bayesian inference; statistical modeling; power system

Dr. Pasquale De Falco

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Engineering, University of Napoli Parthenope, 80133 Naples, Italy
Interests: electrical power systems; electric vehicles; optimization models; data analysis; forecasting techniques
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Luigi Pio Di Noia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, University of Naples Federico II, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Interests: design of high-performance electrical machine; hybrid and full electric propulsion; electrical machine diagnosis and prognostic; energy storage system; reliability analysis of electrical drives
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The popularity of electric transportation and the development of smart grid technologies have led the requirement for better performance from power electronic converters and components. In particular, these power electronic devices may operate under high stress, various environmental scenarios, and in overload conditions. Nevertheless, due to their central roles in electrical systems, the necessity to consider the reliability and availability of the devices has become fundamental; this can be assessed both from a technical and economical point of view considering the final scope of the device. Traditional approaches usually consider historical failure data and/or past observed scenarios; however, considering the rapid evolution of the technologies and the high reliability values attained by such components, these data are quite scarce, thus complicating the reliability of our estimations. The goal of this Special Issue is to collect innovative contribution on the reliability assessment of power electronic devices and related components.

The area of interest of this Special Issue includes the following topics:

Risk analysis of power electronic devices;
Forecasting system for the reliability of the components;
Statistical methods for power electronics reliability evaluation (Bayesian inference, statistical modeling, nonparametric approaches, etc.);
Accelerated testing for the failure rate estimation;
Dielectric and thermal stress strength models of power electronics devices;
High reliability power electronics architecture for electric powertrain;
Risk analysis of battery storage system under critical condition;
Fault-tolerant control algorithms based on RAMS logic;
Predictive maintenance for the condition monitoring of power electronic devices;
Reliability challenges in smart grid installations.

Prof. Dr. Elio Chiodo
Dr. Pasquale De Falco
Dr. Luigi Pio Di Noia
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Electronics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (12 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

3 pages, 169 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Challenges and New Trends in Power Electronic Devices Reliability

by Elio Chiodo, Pasquale De Falco and Luigi Pio Di Noia

Electronics 2021, 10(8), 925; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10080925 - 13 Apr 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1986

Abstract

Power electronic devices are expected to play an ever more fundamental role in unlocking the potentialities of smart power systems and in developing more electric ground and air transportation systems [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and New Trends in Power Electronic Devices Reliability)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

13 pages, 1602 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reliability Analysis and Repair Activity for the Components of 350 kW Inverters in a Large Scale Grid-Connected Photovoltaic System

by Filippo Spertino, Angela Amato, Gabriele Casali, Alessandro Ciocia and Gabriele Malgaroli

Electronics 2021, 10(5), 564; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10050564 - 27 Feb 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3049

Abstract

The reliability of photovoltaic (PV) generators is strongly affected by the performance of Direct Current/Alternating Current (DC/AC) converters, being the major source of PV underperformance. However, generally, their reliability is not investigated at component level: thus, the present work presents a reliability analysis and the repair activity for the components of full bridge DC/AC converters. In the first part of the paper, a reliability analysis using failure rates from literature is carried out for 132 inverters (AC rated power of 350 kW each) with global AC power of 46 MW in a large scale grid-connected PV plant. Then, in the second part of the work, results from literature are compared with data obtained by analyzing industrial maintenance reports in the years 2015–2017. In conclusion, the yearly energy losses involved in the downtime are quantified, as well as their availability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and New Trends in Power Electronic Devices Reliability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 16208 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Study of the Single Event Effect in AlGaN/GaN HEMT Based on a Cascode Structure

by Yanan Liang, Rui Chen, Jianwei Han, Xuan Wang, Qian Chen and Han Yang

Electronics 2021, 10(4), 440; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10040440 - 10 Feb 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3203

Abstract

An attractive candidate for space and aeronautic applications is the high-power and miniaturizing electric propulsion technology device, the gallium nitride high electron mobility transistor (GaN HEMT), which is representative of wide bandgap power electronic devices. The cascode AlGaN/GaN HEMT is a common structure typically composed of a high-voltage depletion-mode AlGaN/GaN HEMT and low-voltage enhancement-mode silicon (Si) MOSFET connected by a cascode structure to realize its enhancement mode. It is well known that low-voltage Si MOSFET is insensitive to single event burnout (SEB). Therefore, this paper mainly focuses on the single event effects of the cascode AlGaN/GaN HEMT using technical computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation and heavy-ion experiments. The influences of heavy-ion energy, track length, and track position on the single event effects for the depletion-mode AlGaN/GaN HEMT were studied using TCAD simulation. The results showed that a leakage channel between the gate electrode and drain electrode in depletion-mode AlGaN/GaN HEMT was formed after heavy-ion striking. The enhancement of the ionization mechanism at the edge of the gate might be an important factor for the leakage channel. To further study the SEB effect in AlGaN/GaN HEMT, the heavy-ion test of a cascode AlGaN/GaN HEMT was carried out. SEB was observed in the heavy-ion irradiation experiment and the leakage channel was found between the gate and drain region in the depletion-mode AlGaN/GaN HEMT. The heavy-ion irradiation experimental results proved reasonable for the SEB simulation for AlGaN/GaN HEMT with a cascode structure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and New Trends in Power Electronic Devices Reliability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 9867 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

On the Lifetime Estimation of SiC Power MOSFETs for Motor Drive Applications

by Carmelo Barbagallo, Santi Agatino Rizzo, Giacomo Scelba, Giuseppe Scarcella and Mario Cacciato

Electronics 2021, 10(3), 324; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10030324 - 30 Jan 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4016

Abstract

This work presents a step-by-step procedure to estimate the lifetime of discrete SiC power MOSFETs equipping three-phase inverters of electric drives. The stress of each power device when it is subjected to thermal jumps from a few degrees up to about 80 °C was analyzed, starting from the computation of the average power losses and the commitment of the electric drive. A customizable mission profile was considered where, by accounting the working conditions of the drive, the corresponding average power losses and junction temperatures of the SiC MOSFETs composing the inverter can be computed. The tool exploits the Coffin–Manson theory, rainflow counting, and Miner’s rule for the lifetime estimation of the semiconductor power devices. Different operating scenarios were investigated, underlying their impact on the lifetime of SiC MOSFETs devices. The lifetime estimation procedure was realized with the main goal of keeping limited computational efforts, while providing an effective evaluation of the thermal effects. The method enables us to set up any generic mission profile from the electric drive model. This gives us the possibility to compare several operating scenario of the drive and predict the worse operating conditions for power devices. Finally, although the lifetime estimation tool was applied to SiC power MOSFET devices for a general-purpose application, it can be extended to any type of power switch technology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and New Trends in Power Electronic Devices Reliability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 5669 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Energy-Saving Research on New Type of LED Sensor Lamp with Low-Light Mode

by Chun-Te Lee and Ping-Tsan Ho

Electronics 2020, 9(10), 1649; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9101649 - 10 Oct 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2939

Abstract

In general, the sensor lamps in the corridors, stairwells, or toilets of buildings will change from completely dark to full brightness when someone passes by. It will make the human eyes feel very uncomfortable, and when the sensor lamp is completely dark, the whole corridor and stairwell will be dark, making women and children feel insecure at night. If the lighting is changed to be sensor-less, there is a serious problem of wasted energy. To solve this dilemma, we developed a new type of “LED sensor lamp with low-light mode” that changes the original “full dark mode” to “low-light mode”. As such, when someone approaches the sensor lamp, their eyes will not be uncomfortable with the momentary illumination. Furthermore, when no one passes by, the sensor lamp will stay in low-light mode, so that people returning home at night no longer have to go through dark corridors, thereby achieving safety, aesthetics, and energy-saving purposes. This new sensor lamp’s power consumption in low-light mode is only 1/10 of the high-light mode, but its brightness can be up to half of the high-light mode, making it very suitable for parking lots, corridors, stairways, or toilets of buildings. It only requires the replacement of the lamp but not the original lamp socket, yet the basic brightness can be maintained. Take the general 15W T8 LED lamp (sensor-less) as an example: if it is replaced by this new type of sensor lamp, and the place where it is installed is rarely passed by people, the power saving rate will be as high as 90%. Assuming that there are 12 passers-by per hour, the saving rate is still 81%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and New Trends in Power Electronic Devices Reliability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 3546 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multi-Chip IGBT Module Failure Monitoring Based on Module Transconductance with Temperature Calibration

by Chenyuan Wang, Yigang He, Chuankun Wang, Lie Li and Xiaoxin Wu

Electronics 2020, 9(10), 1559; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9101559 - 23 Sep 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4941

Abstract

The Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) is the component with the highest failure rate in power converters, and its reliability is a critical issue in power electronics. IGBT module failure is largely caused by solder layer fatigue or bond wires fall-off. This paper proposes a multi-chip IGBT module failure monitoring method based on the module transconductance, which can accurately monitor IGBT module chip failures and bond wire failures. The paper first introduces the failure mechanism and module structure of the multi-chip IGBT module; then, it proposes a reliability model based on the module transconductance and analyzes the relationship between chip failure, bond wire failure, and the transmission characteristic curve of the IGBT module. Finally, the module transconductance under chip failure and bond wire failure is measured and calculated through simulation, and the temperature is calibrated, which can eliminate the influence of temperature on health monitoring. The results show that the method has a high sensitivity to chip failures and bond wire failures, can realize the failure monitoring of multi-chip IGBT modules, and is of great significance for improving the reliability of power converters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and New Trends in Power Electronic Devices Reliability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 4713 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Fusion Algorithm for Online Reliability Evaluation of Microgrid Inverter IGBT

by Chuankun Wang, Yigang He, Chenyuan Wang, Xiaoxin Wu and Lie Li

Electronics 2020, 9(8), 1294; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9081294 - 12 Aug 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2380

Abstract

Due to the diversity of distributed generation sources, microgrid inverters work under complex and changeable conditions. The core device of inverters, an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), bears a large amount of thermal stress impact, so its reliability is related to the stable operation of the microgrid. The effect of the IGBT aging process cannot be considered adequately with the existing reliability evaluation methods, which have not yet reached the requirements of online evaluation. This paper proposes a fusion algorithm for online reliability evaluation of microgrid inverter IGBT, which combines condition monitoring and reliability evaluation. Firstly, based on the microgrid inverter topology and IGBT characteristics, an electrothermal coupling model is established to obtain junction temperature data. Secondly, the segmented long short-term memory (LSTM) algorithm is studied, which can accurately predict the aging process of the IGBT and judge the aging state via the limited monitoring data. Then, the parameters of the electrothermal coupling model are corrected according to the aging process. Besides, the fusion algorithm is applied to the practical case. Finally, the data comparison verifies the feasibility of the fusion algorithm, whose cumulative damage degree and estimated life error are 5.10% and 5.83%, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and New Trends in Power Electronic Devices Reliability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 3242 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of Reverse Recovery Current of High-Power Thyristor in Pulsed Power Supply

by Jiufu Wei, Zhenxiao Li and Baoming Li

Electronics 2020, 9(8), 1292; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9081292 - 12 Aug 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2845

Abstract

The instantaneous overvoltages from the load side can cause damages of high-power thyristors in conventional pulsed power supply topologies, especially in cases of numerous pulse-forming units that operate together with discharge time intervals. The instantaneous overvoltages from the load side, which leads to high reverse recovery currents in high-power thyristors, can be induced by load mutations in the electromagnetic launching field. This paper establishes circuit models of PPS topologies, and investigates effects of the initial voltage of the energy-storage capacitor, the discharge time intervals, and the load resistance on the reverse recovery currents in high-power thyristors. To overcome the shortcomings of conventional PPS topologies, an improved PPS topology is developed. The improved PPS topology applies coupling inductor and resistance-capacitance snubber techniques, which can absorb the surge energy from the load side and reduce the reverse recovery currents in high-power thyristors. The simulation technique has been applied to validate theoretical analysis and the proposed model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and New Trends in Power Electronic Devices Reliability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

31 pages, 4423 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Forecasting the Reliability of Components Subjected to Harmonics Generated by Power Electronic Converters

by Giovanni Mazzanti, Bassel Diban, Elio Chiodo, Pasquale De Falco and Luigi Pio Di Noia

Electronics 2020, 9(8), 1266; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9081266 - 07 Aug 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2314

Abstract

This paper aims at refining an experimentally based reliability model for the insulation of power components subjected to the randomly varying harmonics generated by power electronic converters. Compared to previous papers of the same authors and to the existing literature, here the model is re-formulated from the theoretical viewpoint focusing on the foremost role played by low percentiles of time to failure—in particular by the 1st percentile—selected as the rated life in the framework of modern probabilistic design of components. This is not only more correct from the viewpoint of component design, but also on the safe side as for the reliability of devices. Moreover, the application of the model is broadened to treat the whole sequence of odd voltage harmonics from the 5th to the 25th, i.e., those taken as the most significant in power systems according to international standards. The limits to voltage distortion set in Standard EN50160 are the reference for establishing parametrically a series of typical distorted voltage waveshape analyzed in the applicative part, which account for the possible phase-shift angles between voltage harmonics. The effect of current harmonics is also considered, from both the theoretical and applicative viewpoint. As a last, but not least novelty, the reliability model is used here for life and reliability estimates not only of Medium Voltage (MV)/Low Voltage (LV) capacitors and cables—already studied in the previous stages of this investigation—but also of induction motors and transformers in the presence of harmonics from power converters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and New Trends in Power Electronic Devices Reliability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 1719 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Validation of Forward Voltage Method to Estimate Cracks of the Solder Joints in High Power LED

by Federica Pinti, Alberto Belli, Lorenzo Palma, Massimo Gattari and Paola Pierleoni

Electronics 2020, 9(6), 920; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9060920 - 01 Jun 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2792

Abstract

The Light Emitting Diode (LED) has many advantages compared to traditional lamps, such as a long lifetime, color rendering and energy saving. It requires good thermal management, since as the temperature increases, the lifetime decreases. Furthermore, the presence of cracks in the Solder Joint of an LED (SJL) compromises the correct dispersion of heat and causes the joint fatigue. This can lead to a decrease in the lifetime of the assembled LED. In this study, we validated that an SJL can be considered faulty if the Forward Voltage (Vf) acquired before and after thermal cycles increases by more than 2%. The voltage measurement method was validated by comparing the results with the techniques commonly used to evaluate the defects of a solder joint as the X-ray analysis and the metallographic section. The failure analysis results present the probability of failure and the lifetime of the SJL achieved by analyzing the data using the Norris–Landberg Model. The lifetime calculated over 1800 SJLs considered in the validation process is greater than 20 years for 95.9% of the tested LEDs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and New Trends in Power Electronic Devices Reliability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 5065 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Reliability Evaluation of PV Systems with Integrated Battery Energy Storage Systems: DC-Coupled and AC-Coupled Configurations

by Monika Sandelic, Ariya Sangwongwanich and Frede Blaabjerg

Electronics 2019, 8(9), 1059; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics8091059 - 19 Sep 2019

Cited by 44 | Viewed by 6670

Abstract

Deployment of a battery energy storage system for the photovoltaic (PV) application has been increasing at a fast rate. Depending on the number of power conversion units and their type of connection, the PV-battery system can be classified into DC- and AC-coupled configurations. The number of the components and their electrical loading directly affects the reliability of each of the configurations. Hence, in order to assure high efficiency and lifetime of the PV-battery system, reliability assessment of power conversion units (representing the most reliability-critical system components) is necessary. With respect to that, in this paper, a reliability assessment of the PV-battery system is performed and a comparison of the DC- and AC-coupled configuration reliability is conducted. In the analysis, all parts of the power conversion system, i.e., DC/DC and DC/AC converter units, are taken into consideration and component-, converter- and system-level reliability is assessed. A case study of 6 kW PV system with integrated 3 kW/7.5 kWh battery system has shown that higher reliability is achieved for DC-coupled configuration. The obtained results indicate that the probability of failure for the 15% of the population for DC-coupled configuration occurs 7 years later than that is a case for AC-coupled configuration. Finally, the presented analysis can serve as a benchmark for lifetime and reliability assessment of power conversion units in PV-battery systems for both configuration types. It provides information about differences in electrical and thermal loading of the power conversion units and resulting reliability of the two configurations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and New Trends in Power Electronic Devices Reliability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Editorial, Research

28 pages, 5816 KiB

Open AccessReview

Two Decades of Condition Monitoring Methods for Power Devices

by Giovanni Susinni, Santi Agatino Rizzo and Francesco Iannuzzo

Electronics 2021, 10(6), 683; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10060683 - 15 Mar 2021

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4539

Abstract

Condition monitoring (CM) of power semiconductor devices enhances converter reliability and customer service. Many studies have investigated the semiconductor devices failure modes, the sensor technologies, and the signal processing techniques to optimize the CM. Furthermore, the improvement of power devices’ CM thanks to the use of the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence technologies is rising in smart grids, transportation electrification, and so on. These technologies will be widespread in the future, where more and more smart techniques and smart sensors will enable a better estimation of the state of the health (SOH) of the devices. Considering the increasing use of power converters, CM is essential as the analysis of the data obtained from multiple sensors enables the prediction of the SOH, which, in turn, enables to properly schedule the maintenance, i.e., accounting for the trade-off between the maintenance cost and the cost and issues due to the device failure. From this perspective, this review paper summarizes past developments and recent advances of the various methods with the aim of describing the current state-of-the-art in CM research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and New Trends in Power Electronic Devices Reliability)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Challenges and New Trends in Power Electronic Devices Reliability

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Published Papers (12 papers)

Editorial

Research

Review

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI