Early failure detection of insulated-gate bipolar transistor semiconductor devices for the power converters of wind turbines

Moeini, Rana (2020). Early failure detection of insulated-gate bipolar transistor semiconductor devices for the power converters of wind turbines. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

There has been a remarkable increase in the use of wind power generation over the past ten years. However, costly unplanned downtimes caused by reliability issues are a problem. The most common power semiconductor failure mechanisms are bond wire lift off and solder fatigue. Failure detectors should ideally be sensitive enough to detect the early signs of failure and the progress of failure, as well as being applicable during normal operation of a three-phase converter. The junction temperature of an IGBT module has been widely used as a potential failure detector. However, restricting monitoring to purely junction temperature is highly likely to lead to false alarms as the temperature naturally changes with wind conditions. The research in this thesis explores new methods for monitoring the health of IGBTs in an operational wind turbine using a combination of thermal and electrical modelling and a lab-based three-phase converter. The main key findings to the existing knowledge are finding a new method of temperature detection, which is uncoupled with the common failure mechanisms (the bond wire lift-off and solder fatigue) in wind turbines, but also introduce a new temperature estimation method that is uncoupled with progress of the failure.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):