Switch Voltage Rating Selection Considering Cost-Oriented Redundancy and Modularity-based Trade-offs in Modular Multilevel Converter

Modular Multilevel Converters (MMCs) find increasing applications in medium to high-voltage systems. In such systems, reliability-oriented selection of power electronic switches becomes essential because higher modularity implies an increased number of components. The trade-off between the impact of higher modularity on converter reliability...

Lifetime Analysis of IGBT Power Modules in Passively Cooled Tidal Turbine Converters

Thermal cycling is one of the major reasons for failure in power electronic converters. For submerged tidal turbine converters investigating this failure mode is critical in improving the reliability, and minimizing the cost of energy from tidal turbines. This paper considers a submerged tidal turbine converter which is passively cooled by...

A study on passive cooling in subsea power electronics

This paper proposes a simplified approach to model the thermal behavior of the insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) in a subsea power electronic converter. The models are based on empirical relations for natural convection in water, and IGBT datasheet values. The proposed model can be used in the design of subsea converters and in the...