Ui-Min Choi

Method for Detecting an Open-Switch Fault in a Grid-Connected NPC Inverter System

This paper proposes a fault-detection method for an open-switch fault in the switches of grid-connected neutral-point-clamped inverter systems. The proposed method can not only detect the fault condition but also identify the location of the faulty switch. In the proposed method, which is designed by incorporating a simple switching control in the conventional method, the fault condition is detected on the basis of the radius of the Concordia current pattern, and the location of the faulty switch can be identified. By using the proposed method, it is possible to detect the open-switch fault and identify the faulty switch within two fundamental periods, without using additional sensors or performing complex calculations. Simulations and experiments are carried out to confirm the reliability of the proposed fault-detection method.

Study and Handling Methods of Power IGBT Module Failures in Power Electronic Converter Systems

Power electronics plays an important role in a wide range of applications in order to achieve high efficiency and performance. Increasing efforts are being made to improve the reliability of power electronics systems to ensure compliance with more stringent constraints on cost, safety, and availability in different applications. This paper presents an overview of the major failure mechanisms of IGBT modules and their handling methods in power converter systems improving reliability. The major failure mechanisms of IGBT modules are presented first, and methods for predicting lifetime and estimating the junction temperature of IGBT modules are then discussed. Subsequently, different methods for detecting open- and short-circuit faults are presented. Finally, fault-tolerant strategies for improving the reliability of power electronic systems under field operation are explained and compared in terms of performance and cost.

Diagnosis and Tolerant Strategy of an Open-Switch Fault for T-Type Three-Level Inverter Systems

This paper proposes a new diagnosis method of an open-switch fault and fault-tolerant control strategy for T-type three-level inverter systems. The location of the faulty switch can be identified by the average of the normalized phase current and the change of the neutral-point voltage. The proposed fault-tolerant strategy is explained by dividing into two cases: the faulty condition of half-bridge switches and neutral-point switches. The performance of the T-type inverter system improves considerably by the proposed fault-tolerant algorithm when a switch fails. The proposed method does not require additional components and complex calculations. Simulation and experimental results verify the feasibility of the proposed fault diagnosis and fault-tolerant control strategy.

Simple Neutral-Point Voltage Control for Three-Level Inverters Using a Discontinuous Pulse Width Modulation

This paper proposes a neutral-point voltage balancing method for a three-level inverter that uses discontinuous pulse width modulation (DPWM). The performance of a three-level inverter system is affected by the neutral-point voltage unbalancing. Therefore, the voltages of series connected dc-link capacitors should be equal. Generally, the offset voltage is added to reference voltages in the conventional voltage balancing method. However, when using DPWM, the performance of conventional balancing method is limitary because turn-on and turn-off switching occurs at regular intervals. The proposed method is implemented by adjusting the discontinuous pulsewidth of positive and negative cycle. The proposed method maintains low switching losses and achieves the effective voltage balancing, without additional hardware and complex calculations. Simulation and experimental results confirm the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.

New Modulation Strategy to Balance the Neutral-Point Voltage for Three-Level Neutral-Clamped Inverter Systems

This paper proposes a new modulation strategy that balances the neutral-point voltage for three-level neutral-clamped inverter systems. The proposed modulation replaces the P-type or N-type small switching states with other switching states that do not affect the neutral-point voltage. The zero and medium switching states are employed to help the neutral-point voltage balancing. This method little bit increases the switching events and output total harmonic distortion. However, this method has a strong balancing ability at all regions. Further, it is very simple to implement in both space vector modulation and carrier-based PWM methods. Simulation and experimental results verify the validity and feasibility of the proposed new modulation strategy.

Reliability Improvement of a T-Type Three-Level Inverter With Fault-Tolerant Control Strategy

This paper proposes a fault-tolerant control strategy for a T-type three-level inverter when an open-circuit fault occurs. The proposed method is explained by dividing fault into two cases: the faulty condition of half-bridge switches and neutral-point switches. In case of the open-circuit fault in a neutral-point switch, two methods will be proposed and compared based on thermal analysis and neutral-point voltage oscillation. The reliability of T-type inverter systems is improved considerably by the proposed algorithm when a switch fails. The proposed method does not require any additional components. Simulation and experimental results verify the validity and feasibility of the proposed fault-tolerant control strategy.

Open-Circuit Fault Diagnosis and Fault-Tolerant Control for a Grid-Connected NPC Inverter

This paper presents an open-circuit fault detection method for a grid-connected neutral-point clamped (NPC) inverter system. Further, a fault-tolerant control method under an open-circuit fault in clamping diodes is proposed. Under the grid-connected condition, it is impossible to identify the location of a faulty switch by the conventional methods which usually use the distortion of outputs because the distortion of the outputs is the same in some fault cases. The proposed fault detection method identifies the location of the faulty switch and the faulty clamping diode of the NPC inverter without any additional hardware or complex calculations. In the case of the clamping diode faults, the NPC inverter can transfer full rated power with sinusoidal currents by the proposed fault-tolerant control. The feasibility of the proposed fault detection and the fault-tolerant control methods for the grid-connected NPC inverter are verified by simulation and experimental results.

Advanced Accelerated Power Cycling Test for Reliability Investigation of Power Device Modules

This paper presents an apparatus and methodology for an advanced accelerated power cycling test of insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modules. In this test, the accelerated power cycling test can be performed under more realistic electrical operating conditions with online wear-out monitoring of tested power IGBT module. The various realistic electrical operating conditions close to real three-phase converter applications can be achieved by the simple control method. Further, by the proposed concept of applying the temperature stress, it is possible to apply various magnitudes of temperature swing in a short cycle period and to change the temperature cycle period easily. Thanks to a short temperature cycle period, test results can be obtained in a reasonable test time. A detailed explanation of apparatus such as configuration and control methods for the different functions of accelerated power cycling test setup is given. Then, an improved in situ junction temperature estimation method using on-state collector-emitter voltage VCE_ON and load current is proposed. In addition, a procedure of advanced accelerated power cycling test and test results with 600 V, 30 A transfer molded IGBT modules are presented in order to verify the validity and effectiveness of the proposed apparatus and methodology. Finally, physics-of-failure analysis of tested IGBT modules is provided.

Control Strategy of Two Capacitor Voltages for Separate MPPTs in Photovoltaic Systems Using Neutral-Point-Clamped Inverters

The centralized topology with three-level inverters are widely used in photovoltaic (PV) systems due to their less installation costs and complexity. However, the common maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is a disadvantage of the centralized topology particularly under the partial shading and panel mismatch conditions. In this system, if PV modules are separately connected to the split capacitor voltage, the MPPT efficiency can be improved by the proposed control strategy. By the proposed method, the two capacitor voltages can be controlled asymmetrically to perform the separate MPPTs of each PV module connected to separate capacitors. The outputs can be generated without distortion even if two capacitors are asymmetrically regulated. Simulation and experimental results verify the validity and feasibility of the proposed methods.

Method to Minimize the Low-Frequency Neutral-Point Voltage Oscillations With Time-Offset Injection for Neutral-Point-Clamped Inverters

This paper proposes a method to reduce the low-frequency neutral-point voltage oscillations. The neutral-point voltage oscillations are considerably reduced by adding a time-offset to the three phase turn-on times. The proper time-offset is simply calculated considering the phase currents and dwell time of small and medium voltage vectors. The proposed method does not affect the outputs and there is no increase in the switching frequency. Further, it does not require additional hardware or complex calculations. Simulation and experimental results verify the validity and feasibility of the proposed strategy.