Reliability of Power Electronics Devices and Converter Systems

Power electronics, such as renewable energy generation systems, electric vehicles, and smart grids, are key in energy conversion and management. However, industrial experience indicates that the power converter is one of the weakest components in the system. Thus, there is a pressing need to improve the reliability of power converters and reduce the system downtime induced by the failure of power converters. The failure mechanism, thermal network model, junction temperature estimation, lifetime prediction, condition monitoring, and power electronics system thermal control are becoming increasingly important.