Lookup Table-based Electro-Thermal Real-Time Simulation of Output Series Interleaved Boost Converter for Fuel Cell Applications

Abstract

Due to the high dependency between reliability of power device and its junction temperature, monitoring their thermal behavior in real time is very essential. In this paper, a lookup table-based electro-thermal real-time simulation model is developed to quickly estimate the junction temperature of the power devices. Output series interleaved boost converter with high voltage gain and low input current ripple, which is dedicated for fuel cell application, is selected as a case study. The thorough design and implementation process are presented and the developed model is simulated with a 200 nanoseconds time step on NI FlexRIO PXIe-7975R real-time platform. Moreover, the effectiveness and accuracy of the FPGA-based electrothermal model are validated by comparison the results from PLECS software.

Real-Time Thermal Evaluation of Power Converters in Microgrids by Device Current Reconstruction

“…To this end, thermal evaluation using real-time testing platforms (e.g., OPAL-RT, dSPACE and RT Box) is becoming attractive. For example, in [9]- [11], the junction temperature is evaluated through device voltage and current, and in [12], it is mapped to the conduction and switching losses through a look-up table. These approaches have promoted the real-time thermal evaluation of power electronics systems in different application scenarios, thus providing more possibilities for enhancing the reliability.…”

“…These approaches have promoted the real-time thermal evaluation of power electronics systems in different application scenarios, thus providing more possibilities for enhancing the reliability. However, in [9], the device voltage and current are still sampled using a physical circuit, and in [10]- [12], the simulation of switching transients is a must. These approaches can be challenging due to the requirement of high sampling rate, indicating that the hardware platforms should be facilitated with corresponding powerful sensors or tools.…”

“…Inspired by [9]- [12] and [13], this article introduces a simplified approach to evaluate the thermal performances of power devices based on device current reconstruction. Threephase DC-AC converters in microgrids are selected as the study case.…”

Stability and Reliability Validation of Microgrid Systems

“…However, thermal measurement normally involves advanced and costly facilities in practice, showing much inconvenience to be accommodated to miscellaneous applications. Concerning the real-time testing platforms like OPAL-RT and dSPACE, the simulation of switching transients is still a must in the literature [108]- [110], requiring considerably high sampling rate. Hence, inspired by [108]- [112], a simplified approach is introduced in this chapter for real-time thermal evaluation of power converters using fundamental-frequency AC currents [C4].…”