This thesis investigates a novel induction machine topology that uses a rotating power electronic converter. Steady-state and dynamic performance of the topology is studied to understand its operational principle. Furthermore the potential of improving its efficiency and power factor is investigated. The topology is referred to as wound rotor induction machine with rotating power electronic converter (WRIM-RPEC).     The WRIM-RPEC topology offers the possibility to magnetize the induction machine from the rotor side by introducing a reactive voltage in the rotor. Thus, the power factor of the machine can be improved. Constant speed variable load operation can be achieved by setting the frequency of the introduced voltage. Two options of rotor winding and converter configuration in the WRIM-RPEC system are investigated. The wound rotor windings can either be open-ended and fed by a three-phase back-to-back converter or Y-connected and fed by a single three-phase converter. The dc-link in both converter configurations contains only a floating capacitor. These two configurations give different dc-link voltages at the same torque and speed.     Two analytical steady-state models of the topology are developed in this thesis. The first model can be used to analyze the operating condition of the motor at specific speed and torque. Particularly, the operating range of speed and torque of the topology is investigated. The second model is used to analyze variable power factor operation, including unity power factor operation. Analytical calculations and measurements are carried out on a 4-pole, 1.8kW induction machine and the results are compared.      A dynamic mathematic model is then developed for the WRIM-RPEC system for the back-to-back converter configuration. The mathematic model is then applied in Matlab/Simulink to study the dynamic performance of the system including starting, loading and phase-shifting. The simulation results are compared with measurements on the 4-pole, 1.8kW induction machine. Moreover, the simulation model using the existing Simulink blocks are studied to compare with the results obtained from the mathematic model. Furthermore, the dynamic performance of the WRIM-RPEC system with the single converter configuration is investigated. In addition, harmonic spectra analysis is conducted for the stator and rotor currents.     In the last part of the thesis, efficiency improvement is investigated on the 4-pole induction machine when it is assumed to drive a pump load. It is shown that the efficiency can be further improved by decreasing the rotor resistance. Due to space constraints it is however difficult to decrease the rotor resistance in a 4-pole induction machine. An investigation is thus carried out on a standard 12-pole, 17.5kW squirrel-cage induction machine with inherent low power factor. The cage rotor is redesigned to a wound rotor to enable the connection of converter to the rotor windings. An analytical model is developed to design the wound rotor induction machine. The machine performance from calculations is then compared with FEM simulations with good agreement. The analytical model is further used to design several WRIMs with different dimensions and rotor slot numbers. Power factor and efficiency improvement is then explored for these WRIMs. A promising efficiency increase of 6.8% is shown to be achievable. / <p>QC 20161111</p>

M. Tech. (Engineering: Electrical, Department Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology), Vaal University of Technology / The global trends towards energy efficiency have facilitated the need for technological advancements in the design and control of power electronic converters for energy processing. The proposed design is intended to make the practical implementation of converters easier. The development of a universal bidirectional galvanic isolated switch module will be used to drive any MOSFET or IGBT in any position in any topology whether the load is AC or DC. Semiconductor switches are required and are also integrated for fast switching times in power converter applications The structure of the power switch module consists of an opto-coupler which will provide an isolation barrier for maximum galvanic isolation between the control circuitry and power stage. It also consists of a high performance gate drive circuit for high speed switching applications with a floating supply. / Telkom South Africa Ltd, TFMC Pty Ltd, M-TEC, THRIP

Un des enjeux majeur de l’électronique de puissance est de pouvoir étendre l’utilisation des modules de puissance à haute température, supérieure à 200°C. Or, en température, l’endommagement des joints de brasure est un des principaux modes de défaillance des modules de puissance. C’est pourquoi, l’objectif de cette thèse consiste à développer un procédé d’assemblage alternatif : le procédé de report intermétallique (IMC) en phase liquide transitoire (TLPB) à partir du système binaire cuivre-étain. Ce procédé est très attractif car il permet de former à basse température (250°C), un joint entièrement constitué de phases IMCs qui sont réputées pour leur stabilité à très haute température (supérieure à 600°C pour la phase Cu3Sn). Afin d’optimiser le procédé, l’influence des paramètres d’assemblage sur les mécanismes de croissance des phases IMCs a été déterminée. Cette étude a permis de mettre en évidence la nécessité d’insérer une barrière de diffusion de type IMC entre les substrats et le métal d’apport afin de modifier les processus de diffusion atomique aux interfaces et ainsi d’éviter la formation d’une importante porosité au sein des joints IMCs. Après avoir mis au point un procédé de report innovant et optimal, la fiabilité des assemblages IMCs a été évaluée à partir d’essais expérimentaux et de modèles numériques par éléments finis. Il a été montré que la fiabilité en cyclage thermique des joints IMCs est très supérieure à celle des alliages de brasure de référence SnAgCu. Le procédé de report IMC développé au cours de cette thèse est donc un excellent candidat au remplacement des alliages de brasure pour des applications à haute température. / To meet the future requirements of power electronics, the packaging technologies of power modules must withstand higher operation temperatures, higher than 200°C. However, an increase of the operation temperatures leads to a significant decrease of the solder joints reliability and thus to the failure of the power modules. That’s why the main objective of this PhD thesis is to develop an alternative bonding technic for high temperature applications: the Transient Liquid Phase Bonding process (TLPB) based on the copper-tin binary system. This process is very attractive because it allows the formation, at low temperature, of a joint entirely composed of intermetallic (IMC) compounds which are well known for their high thermal stability. To optimize the process, the influence of the main bonding parameters on the growth of the IMC phases has been first investigated. The results indicate that the deposition of an IMC diffusion barrier is required to alter the atomic diffusion motion at the interfaces between the Cu substrates and the Sn interlayer and to avoid the formation of large pores along the bond mid-plane. After the development of an innovative and optimal bonding process, the reliability of the IMC assemblies has been investigated through experimental tests and finite element simulations. The IMC joints show a higher thermal cycling reliability than the reference SnAgCu solder alloys. Hence, the IMC bonding process developed during this PhD thesis is an excellent alternative to the soft solder alloys for high temperature applications.

De nombreux systèmes utilisent des convertisseurs électroniques de puissance fonctionnant en modulation de largeur d'impulsions (MLI) comme organe de réglage ou de commande. On peut en particulier citer les entraînements à vitesse variable, les alimentations à découpage ou les filtres actifs. L'objectif du travail est de contribuer à l'étude en temps discret du fonctionnement de ces systèmes lorsqu'ils sont munis d'une commande numérique dont la période d'échantillonnage est synchronisée sur la période de modulation de largeur d'impulsions. Pour cela nous avons développé une méthode originale qui consiste à écrire les équations différentielles qui décrivent la dynamique du système en remplaçant sur chaque période de modulation les fonctions binaires qui représentent les états successifs (ON ou OFF) des semi-conducteurs de puissance par un développement limité en série de Fourier. En introduisant de manière judicieuse dans les équations différentielles du système, des termes harmoniques des fonctions binaires qui décrivent les états des interrupteurs, cette manière de procéder nous a permis de décomposer l'étude en deux étapes : · dans une première étape en limitant le développement en série de Fourier des fonctions binaires décrivant les états des interrupteurs à leur premier terme (c'est-à-dire à leurs valeurs moyennes) nous avons construit un modèle discret d'ordre zéro qui rend compte de l'effet moyen de la découpe MLI, · dans une deuxième étape nous avons construit un modèle dynamique approché de l'écart existant entre le modèle d'ordre zéro et le modèle détaillé du système. Ce modèle fournit une bonne estimation des ondulations induites par la découpe MLI dans les grandeurs du système. Pour le cas des entraînements par moteurs synchrones à aimants permanents alimentés par onduleurs de tension nous avons ainsi pu mettre en évidence que l'étude de la stabilité des boucles des courants du moteur à partir du modèle d'ordre zéro reste valable en présence des ondulations dues à la MLI pour autant qu'on utilise une MLI symétrique avec rafraîchissement des références une fois par période. / Nowadays, a large number of systems are using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) Power Electronic Converters as control part. These systems can, for example, be variable-speed drives, switching power supplies or active filters. The goal of this work is to contribute to the study of operation of this type of system when they are equipped with a digital control part of which the sampling period is synchronized on the modulation one. After having shown how the equations of these systems can be written down and indicated how their evolution in closed loop operation can be described by using iterative maps, we have tried to develop an approach which allows simplifying this study. The iterative map method has been used in order to take into account the “sequential “character of these systems, i.e. the fact that the control signals are sequences of events which correspond to the changes of the state of the converter semiconductor switches. Therefore we have developed an original method which consists in replacing on each modulation period, in the differential equations describing the system dynamics, the binary functions representing the successive ON or OFF states of the power semiconductors, by a limited Fourier series development of these functions. This method has allowed splitting the study of these systems into two steps: • in the first step a “zero order” model was built. This first model, which provides the average effect of the PWM pulse pattern, has been obtained by limiting the Fourier series development of the binary functions describing the states of the converter switches, to their first term, the one corresponding to their average values on the PWM period, • in the second step we have introduced an approached dynamic model characterising the error between the zero order model and the exact model of the system. This model was built by considering a well chosen number of harmonic terms of the binary functions describing the ON-OFF states of the switches in the differential equations of the system. By combining the error model and the zero order model we have been able to estimate in which measure the ripples induced by the PWM modulation affect the results of the system stability study made by using the zero order model. For the case of Permanent Magnets Synchronous Motors fed by Voltage Source Inverters we have shown that the study of the stability of the motor currents loops made with the zero order model remains valid in the presence of ripples induced by the PWM, as long as a symmetrical modulation is used, with references which are refreshed one time on each switching period.

The declining cost of photovoltaic (PV) modules has enabled the vision of ubiquitous photovoltaic (PV) power to become feasible. Emerging PV technologies are facilitating the creation of intentionally non-flat PV modules, which create new applications for this sustainable energy generation currently not possible with the traditional rigid, flat silicon-glass modules. However, since the photovoltaic cells are no longer coplanar, there are significant new requirements for the power electronics necessary to convert the native form of electricity into a usable form and ensure maximum energy harvest. Non-uniform insolation from cell-to-cell gives rise to non-uniform current density in the PV material, which limits the ability to create series-connected cells without bypass diode or other ways to shunt current, which is well known in the maximum power tracking literature. This thesis presents a modeling approach to determine and quantify the variations in generation of energy due to intentionally non-flat PV geometries. This will enable the power electronics circuitry to be optimized to harvest maximum energy from PV pixel elements – clusters of PV cells with similar operating characteristics. This thesis systematically compares different geometries with identical two-dimensional projection "footprints" for energy harvest throughout the day. The results show that for the same footprint, a semi-cylindrical surface harvests more energy over a typical day than a flat plate. The modeling approach is then extended to demonstrate that by using non flat geometries for PV panel, the availability of a remotely located stand-alone power system can be increased when compared to a flat panel of same footprint. These results have broad application to a variety of energy scavenging scenarios in which either total energy harvested needs to be maximized or unusual geometries for the PV active surfaces are required, including building-integrated PV. This thesis develops the analysis of the potential energy harvest gain for advanced non-planar PV collectors as a necessary first step towards the design of the power electronics circuits and control algorithms to take advantage of the new opportunities of conformal and non-flat PV collectors.

LEDs are being developed as the next generation lighting source due to their high efficiency and long life time, with a potential to save $15 billion per year in energy cost by 2020. State of the art LEDs are capable of emitting light at ~115 lm/W and have lifetime over 50,000 hours. It has already surpassed the efficiency of incandescent light sources, and is even comparable to that of fluorescent lamps. Since the total luminous flux generated by a single LED is considerably lower than other light sources, to be competitive the total light output must be increased with higher forward currents and packages of multiple LEDs. However, both of these solutions would increase the junction temperature, which degrades the performance of the LED--as the operating temperature goes up, the light intensity decreases, the lifetime is reduced, and the light color changes. The word "junction" refers to the p-n junction within the LED-chips. Critical to the temperature rise in high powered LED sources is the very large heat flux at the die level (100-500 W/cm2) which must be addressed in order to lower the operating temperature in the die. It is possible to address the spreading requirements of high powered LED die through the use of power electronic substrates for efficient heat dissipation, especially when the die are directly mounted to the power substrate in a chipon- board (COB) architecture. COB is a very attractive technology for packaging power LEDs which can lead improved price competiveness, package integration and thermal performance. In our work high power LED-chips (>1W/die) implementing COB architectures were designed and studied. Substrates for these packaging configurations include two types of power electronic substrates; insulated-metal-substrates (IMS) and direct-bonded-copper (DBC). To lower the operating temperature both the thermal impedance of the dielectric layer and the heat spreading in the copper circuit layers must be studied. In the analysis of our architectures, several lead free solders and thermal interface materials were considered. We start with the analysis of single-chip LED package and extend the result to the multi-chip arrays. The thermal resistance of the system is only a function of geometry and thermal conductivity if temperature-independent properties are used. Thus through finite element analysis (ANSYS) the effect of geometry and thermal conductivity on the thermal resistance was investigated. The drawback of finite element analysis is that many simulations must be conducted whenever the geometry or the thermal conductivity is changed. To bypass same of the computational load, a thermal resistance network was developed. We developed analytical expressions of the thermal resistance, especially focusing on the heat spreading effect at the substrate level. Finally, multi-chip LED arrays were analyzed through finite element analysis and an analytical analysis; where die-spacing is another important factor to determine the junction temperature. With this thermal analysis, critical design considerations were investigated in order to minimize device temperatures and thereby maximizing light output while also maximizing device reliability.

This dissertation proposes several simple, robust, and non-intrusive condition monitoring methods for induction motors fed by closed-loop inverters and claw-pole generators with built-in rectifiers. While the flexible energy forms synthesized by power electronic converters greatly enhance the performance and expand the operating region of induction motors and claw-pole generators, they also significantly alter the fault behavior of these electric machines and complicate the fault detection and protection. In this dissertation, special characteristics of the connected closed-loop inverter and rectifier have been thoroughly analyzed, with particular interest in their impact on fault behaviors of the induction motor and the claw-pole generator. Based on the findings obtained from the theoretical and experimental analysis, several sensorless thermal, mechanical, and insulation monitoring methods are proposed by smartly utilizing special features and capabilities of the connected power electronic converter. A simple and sensitive stator turn-fault detector is proposed for induction motors fed by closed-loop inverter. In addition, a stator thermal monitoring method based on active DC current injection and direct voltage estimation is also proposed to prevent the closed-loop controlled induction motors from thermally overloading. The performance of both methods is demonstrated by extensive experimental results. Methods to detect serpentine belt slip, serpentine belt defect, rotor eccentricity have been proposed for claw-pole generators using only the available electric sensor information. Methods to detect and protect stator turn faults in claw-pole generators are also presented in this dissertation. Lastly, a novel method to detect the generalized bearing roughness fault is proposed. All the proposed condition monitoring techniques have been validated by experimental results.

Στην παρουσα διπλωματική εργασιά μοντελοποιήθηκε και εξομοιώθηκε η λειτουργία ενός ηλεκτροκινητήριου συστήματος που αποτελείται από μία τριφασική ασύγχρονη μηχανή και έναν ηλεκτρονικό μετατροπέα ισχύος τοπολογίας “Matrix” με τη βοήθεια ηλεκτρονικού υπολογιστή, χρησιμοποιώντας το περιβάλλον Simulink του λογισμικού Matlab και το πρόγραμμα Vector Fields Opera που χρησιμοποιείται για ανάλυση με μέθοδο πεπερασμένων στοιχείων. Στόχος της διπλωματικής αυτής εργασίας ήταν η διερεύνηση και αξιοποίηση της δυνατότητας «συνεργασίας» μεταξύ των δύο αυτών προγραμμάτων. Συγκεκριμένα εξομοιώθηκε η λειτουργία της ασύγχρονης μηχανής της οποίας το μοντέλο είχε δημιουργηθεί στο περιβάλλον του Opera, κατά την τροφοδοσία της μέσω του ηλεκτρονικού μετατροπέα ισχύος τύπου “Matrix”, το μοντέλο του οποίου είχε δημιουργηθεί στο Simulink του Matlab. Στο κεφάλαιο 1 παρουσιάζονται τα σημαντικότερα σημεία της τεχνολογίας των τριφασικών ηλεκτρονικών μετατροπέων ισχύος τοπολογίας “Matrix” και οι βασικές τεχνικές και μέθοδοι που χρησιμοποιούνται για τον έλεγχο του μετατροπέα προκειμένου να γίνει αντιληπτός ο τρόπος λειτουργίας του, ενώ στο κεφάλαιο 2 αναφέρονται οι βασικές αρχές λειτουργίας της τριφασικής ασύγχρονης μηχανής. Στα κεφάλαια 3 και 4 παρουσιάζονται το μοντέλο της μηχανής και του μετατροπέα, όπως δημιουργήθηκαν στα αντίστοιχα προγράμματα και παρουσιάζεται η εξομοίωση της μεμονωμένης λειτουργίας τους. Συγκεκριμένα στο κεφάλαιο 3, μετά την παρουσίαση του μοντέλου της μηχανής, εξομοιώνεται η λειτουργία της στο πρόγραμμα Opera με ημιτονοειδή τάση τροφοδοσίας και στο κεφάλαιο 4 παρουσιάζεται η εξομοίωση της λειτουργίας του μετατροπέα με ωμικό-επαγωγικό φορτίο. Στο κεφάλαιο 5 γίνεται η «σύνδεση» των δύο μοντέλων και εξομοιώνεται η λειτουργία του συστήματος σε δύο διαφορετικές περιπτώσεις. Πρώτα για σταθερή σε μέτρο και συχνότητα τάση εξόδου του μετατροπέα με την οποία τροφοδοτείται η ασύγχρονη μηχανή (κινητήρας) της οποίας μεταβάλλουμε το μηχανικό φορτίο και στη συνέχεια για λειτουργία του κινητήρα υπό σταθερό φορτίο και μεταβολή της συχνότητας και του μέτρου της τάσεως εξόδου του μετατροπέα. Τέλος στα κεφάλαια 6 και 7 εξετάζεται η λειτουργία της μηχανής όταν σε αυτήν παρουσιάζεται ένα βραχυκύκλωμα μεταξύ κάποιων σπειρών του τυλίγματος μίας φάσης του στάτη και εξομοιώνεται η λειτουργία της μηχανής με ημιτονοειδή τάση τροφοδοσίας (κεφάλαιο 6) καθώς και όταν τροφοδοτείται μέσω του μετατροπέα, τόσο εν κενώ όσο και με μηχανικό φορτίο (κεφάλαιο 7). / In this degree thesis a model of an electromotion system consisting of an asynchronous machine and a power electronic Matrix topology converter was created and then simulated with the help of an electronic computer, using the software of Matlab Simulink and Vector fields Opera software which makes use of the finite elements method. The main objective of this work was the examination and the utilization of the interaction capability between these two software. Particularly, it is simulated the behavior of the asynchronous machine, the model of which was designed in the Opera environment, fed by the Matrix converter which its model was designed in Simulink. In the first chapter there are presented the most important parts of the three-phase power electronic Matrix topology converter and the basic techniques and methods that are used for the control of the converter in order to understand its function, while in the second chapter the fundamentals of the asynchronous machine are mentioned. In chapters 3 and 4, the models of the asynchronous machine and of the Matrix converter are presented as they were designed in Opera and Simulink and also there are presented the simulations of these two models separately. in addition, in the third chapter, after the presentation of the machine’s model, it’s function is simulated with the use of software Opera for sinusoidal power supply and in chapter 4 it is given a simulation of the function of the Matrix converter for a R-L load. In the fifth chapter we have the “connection” of the two models and the simulation of the function of the “whole” system in two different cases. First the simulation is carried out for a stable in amplitude and frequency output voltage supply of the Matrix converter with which the asynchronous machine (induction motor) is supplied while the mechanical load connected to the motor is modified and secondly it is presented the simulation of the system for a stable, during the simulation time, mechanical load but with modification of the amplitude and frequency of the converter’s output voltage with which the motor is supplied. Concluding, in chapters 6 and 7, the function of the motor is examined in the case that there is a stator inter turn short circuit in a phase winding and in chapter 6 a simulation of the function of the motor with this fault is carried out for sinusoidal supply, while in chapter 7 there are presented simulations of the same model of the motor with the fault, being supplied by the matrix converter in the cases that the motor is rotating with load torque and without any mechanical load.

Σκοπός της παρούσας εργασίας ήταν να γίνει μια εκτενής καταγραφή και παρουσίαση των ηλεκτρονικών μετατροπέων που χρησιμοποιούνται για τη διασύνδεση των Ανανεώσιμων Πηγών Ενέργειας (Α.Π.Ε) στο δίκτυο. Αφού γίνεται αρχικά μια αναφορά στις Α.Π.Ε και στα Ηλεκτρονικά Ισχύος, στη συνέχεια παρουσιάζονται οι διαφορετικές τοπολογίες των ηλεκτρονικών μετατροπέων που μπορούν να χρησιμοποιηθούν σε κάθε εφαρμογή. Για τους μετατροπείς, εξηγείται πρώτα η λειτουργία τους και στη συνέχεια αναφέρονται τα πλεονεκτήματα και μειονεκτήματα της κάθε τοπολογίας προκειμένου να παρέχεται στον αναγνώστη η δυνατότητα γρήγορης, εύκολης και άμεσης σύγκρισης. Επίσης, παρουσιάζονται κατάλληλα συστήματα για την αποθήκευση της ενέργειας προερχόμενη από Α.Π.Ε. Τέλος, προσομοιώνεται το ίδιο φωτοβολταϊκό σύστημα χρησιμοποιώντας τρεις διαφορετικούς μετατροπείς, διαφορετικής τοπολογίας ο κάθε ένας, προκειμένου να συγκριθούν και να αναλυθούν τα αποτελέσματα με βάση τη θεωρητική ανάλυση που έχει προηγηθεί. / The aim of this dissertation was to present the power-electronic systems for the grid integration of renewable energy sources. Once both the renewable energy sources and the power electronics are discussed, different topologies of power converters that can be used in such systems are presented. Converters’ operation is firstly explained, followed by a list of advantages and disadvantages of them so as the reader can make an easy, fast and direct comparison. Storage systems appropriate for renewable energy sources systems are also shown. At the end, a simulation of a photovoltaic system with three different kinds of inverter is performed in order to compare and analyze the results based on the theoretical analysis previously presented.

Ce travail de thèse est consacré à la conception et à la fabrication de diodes JBS en carbure de silicium. Une première partie de ce travail a consisté à concevoir par simulation une protection périphérique de la diode la plus efficace possible en réduisant sa sensibilité à la technologie (charges dans l’oxyde et activation des dopants). L’impact de la géométrie de l’anode de la diode JBS sur le champ électrique maximum sous le contact Schottky en inverse et la résistance série de la diode à l’état passant a été étudié. Une nouvelle architecture de diode JBS, à base de tranchées implantées, a été proposée pour pallier les limitations liées aux faibles profondeurs d’implantation d’Al. Une deuxième partie de ce travail a concerné le développement de briques technologiques, indispensables à la fabrication de la diode JBS, tels que les contacts métalliques et la gravure. Enfin, la fabrication complète et la caractérisation électrique de diodes ont été réalisées afin de valider les éléments de conception et l’intégration des briques technologiques développées durant cette thèse. / This study was dedicated to the design and to the fabrication of SiC JBS diodes. The first part of this work includes the design of robust efficient edge termination of the diode with special care to its technology sensitivity. The impact of anode layout of JBS diode on the maximum electric field under Schottky contact and on the on-state resistance has been investigated. A new structure of JBS diode, trenched and implanted, has been proposed to overcome the low Al implantation depth. A second part of this work has been focused on the development of technological steps required for the fabrication of JBS diodes such as metal contact and SiC etching. Finally, full fabrication and electrical characterization of diodes have been carried out in order to validate the design and the integration of technological steps developed during this thesis work.