Multiscale Electrothermal Design of a Modular Multilevel Converter for Grid-Tied Applications

Xuhui Feng, Ramchandra Kotecha, Sreekant Narumanchi, Akanksha Singh, Barry Mather, Ke Wang, Boxue Xu, Jin Wang

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

4 Scopus Citations

Abstract

As a key feature of modular multilevel converters (MMCs), a large number of semiconductor devices are employed in the converter and distributed over a stack of submodules. Each submodule has a strict temperature limit that imposes constraints on the operating range of the converter. Different loading conditions/losses in the submodules lead to unavoidable temperature variations inside the MMC, which consequently affect the system-level performance and reliability. This paper is focused on the electrothermal analysis and design of a medium-voltage silicon carbide (SiC)-based MMC system, from submodule power semiconductors to the overall MMC system integration of multiple submodules. Loss calculations are performed to estimate the cooling requirements and aid thermal design at different levels. The performance of forced-air cooling approach is analyzed within a numerical modeling framework. Maximum temperature of the SiC power modules is predicted using numerical tools. Thermal design of the MMC cabinet with various arrangement of air inlet(s) and outlet(s) is investigated and compared from a cooling performance perspective.

Original languageAmerican English
Pages5657-5664
Number of pages8
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021
Event13th IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition, ECCE 2021 - Virtual, Online, Canada
Duration: 10 Oct 202114 Oct 2021

Conference

Conference13th IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition, ECCE 2021
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityVirtual, Online
Period10/10/2114/10/21

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 IEEE.

NREL Publication Number

  • NREL/CP-5400-82054

Keywords

  • CFD
  • electrothermal
  • heat transfer
  • MMC
  • SiC

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Multiscale Electrothermal Design of a Modular Multilevel Converter for Grid-Tied Applications'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this