An Investigation into the Thermal Benefits of Multilevel Converters

Abstract

This paper investigates the benefits of distributing thermal load across multiple devices on a single heatsink, with a focus on how this might be a benefit in the use of multilevel converters. The analysis uses finite element modelling to derive trends in performance, which combined with real world data permits for a bulk analysis in to whether multilevel converters have thermal benefits, and if so, to how great an extent. The paper concludes that there are significant and quantifiable benefits to distributing the thermal load, but high order multilevel converters may yield little benefit over lower order systems.