Effect of current distortion and unbalanced loads on semiconductors reliability

This article presents a reliability analysis of a 4-wire grid-tied inverter under different loading conditions, considering unbalanced loads and harmonic distortion in the current consumed. The proposed power converter is used as a case study to assess the impact of current disturbances on the semic...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Lledó Ponsati, Tomàs, Bahman, Amir Sajjad, Lannuzzo, Francesco, Montesinos Miracle, Daniel|||0000-0003-3983-0514, Galceran Arellano, Samuel|||0000-0001-6378-0997
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/367594
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/367594
https://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3133019
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Power electronics
En
Reliability
Harmonic analysis
Inverters
Power harmonic filters
Harmonic distortion
Delays
Distortion
Electrònica de potència
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria elèctrica
Descripción
Sumario:This article presents a reliability analysis of a 4-wire grid-tied inverter under different loading conditions, considering unbalanced loads and harmonic distortion in the current consumed. The proposed power converter is used as a case study to assess the impact of current disturbances on the semiconductors’ reliability. The 4-wire inverter analyzed is implemented with a 3-leg SiC MOSFET power module and a neutral wire connected to the midpoint of the DC-link. The analysis is founded on the literature’s reliability curves for power switches. As key take-home findings, the addition of harmonic content in the load current plays a dominant role in the semiconductors’ expected lifetime, especially for the low-frequency harmonics, e.g., third harmonic. Furthermore, the phase delay of the harmonic current content is revealed as a critical factor in the semiconductor’s reliability. Additionally, the existence of unbalanced loads substantially modifies the reliability of the semiconductors of the inverter. The results confirm that converters’ reliability is highly dependent on the loading conditions and harmonic content, so identifying the most critical conditions is inevitable.