Power Electronics

The course can be taken as a single course. Students belonging to Master in Electrical Engineering are prioritised, while other students can sign up provided available laboratory and lecturer capacity.

The course will introduce the student to power electronic components and basic circuits for DC-DC and DC-AC energy conversion. Familiarizing with hardware, measurement techniques and safety is ensured through extensive laboratory work during the course.

Power Electronic fundamentals:

- Basic functionality of semiconductor switches

- Driver circuits

- Established and future transistor technology

- Electric circuit design and analysis

- Energy sources and conversion

- Magnetic design and analysis

- Simulations using SPICE and MATLAB/Simulink

Power Electronic circuits

- Switched circuits

- Rectifier circuits

- Line controlled thyristor converters

- DC-DC switched mode converters (Buck, Boost, Buck-boost)

- Flyback converters

- Full-bridge converter

- DC-AC inverters

- Hard and soft switching

- Power factor correction

- Snubber circuits

- Practical converter design

- Application of power electronic converters

A relevant undergraduate Bachelor Engineering program with minimum 25 credits mathematics, 5 credits statistics, 7,5 credits physics

Application code: 9371

After passing this course, the student shall have the following learning outcome:

Knowledge:

- The candidate will be able to explain the use of transistors, thyristors and diodes in switched circuits

- The candidate will be able to explain how power conversion can be performed using power electronics and pulse with modulation

- The candidate will know the basic converter topologies (Buck, Boost, Buck-Boost and full-bridge) for converting one DC voltage into another.

- The candidate will be able to explain how DC can be converted to AC using power electronic switches

- The candidate will know the principle of resonant and soft switching converters

- The candidate will know the main sources of energy losses in power electronic circuits

- The candidate will have knowledge on running experiments and conducting measurements in a laboratory environment

Skills:

- The candidate will be able to derive mathematical models for electrical circuits with linear and switched elements

- The candidate will be able to simulate power electronic circuits in SPICE and Simulink

- The candidate will be able to calculate component values for DC-DC converters

- The candidate will be able to design driver circuits controlling power transistors

- The candidate will be able to design and build inductors based on prefabricated cores

- The candidate will be able to design a controller for DC to AC converters with desired output frequency and voltage

- The candidate can apply power factor correction and snubber circuits to increase power quality in power electronic converters

- The candidate will be able to perform measurements, analysis and troubleshooting on power electronic circuits

- The candidate will be able to realize control algorithms by using rapid prototyping systems (dSpace)

General competence:

- The candidate will have basic knowledge on the use of power electronics in energy production, motor drives and power supplies.

- The candidate will aware of power electronics role towards sustainable societies and electrification, reduced energy consumption, and renewable energy.

Recommended prerequisites

ELE-3606 Control Engineering, ELE-3609 Signal Distribution and Transmission, MAT-3800 Linear Algebra II, MAT-3801 Numerical Methods

Language of instruction and examination

More info about the coursework requirements

- Completed the required HSL courses within laboratory work and safety is required be approved before gaining access to the laboratory.

- 4 (out of 4) approved laboratory exercises.

Re-sit examination