Programme

Construction features and operating characteristics of the semiconductor components (power diodes, thyristors, power MOSFETs, GTOs, IGBTs) and the passive components (inductors and capacitors) that are being used in power electronic converters; conduction losses and switching losses in the semiconductor components, cooling systems of the power electronic converters.
Structure and operating characteristics of diode rectifiers and thyristors power converters for application in either single-phase or three-phase power grids. Switching power converters: configuration and operating characteristics of different types of DC /DC power converters such as Buck, Boost, Buck-Boost and Full-bridge converters with either bipolar or unipolar PWM; DC/AC voltage source power converters: structure and operating characteristics of switching power converters for use as either inverter or rectifier mode of operation in either single-phase or three-phase power circuits; discussion of sinusoidal PWM techniques and Space-Vector PWM and their application in the regulation of DC / AC converters; current-controlled power converters: modulation techniques with control the output current by means of either hysteresis band or predetermined switching time.
Power switching supplies: conceptual structure and main components, including high-frequency transformers. Operating characteristics of power converter topologies used in power switching supplies such as Flyback, Forward, Push-Pull and Full-Bridge. Overview of resonant power converters: converters with resonant load; ZVS and ZCS converters; DC converters with resonant link.
Use of power electronic converters in the main application fields such as electric drives used in industry or in the fields of biomedical equipment, assistive technology and rehabilitation; the UPS or emergency systems for the power supply of either ICT systems or electro-medical equipment; distributed generation of electrical power from renewable sources and the optimized management of energy storage systems.

Core Documentation

Power Electronics: Converters, Applications, and Design, 3rd Edition
Ned Mohan, Tore M. Undeland, William P. Robbins
ISBN: 978-0-471-22693-2

Additional teaching material used by the lecturer during the lessons and exercises, which is made available to students enrolled in the course on the Moodle portal of the Department of Engineering.

Type of delivery of the course

The course includes theoretical lectures dedicated to the analysis of various fundamental aspects, such as the operating characteristics of power electronic devices, the circuit configurations being used to realize the static conversion of the electric power by implementing the desired strategies of regulation of electrical quantities, the applications of the electronic power converters in the industrial field and in civil installations. Practice lessons are also carried out, some of which are aimed at deepening technological problems connected with the construction and use of electronic power modules, while the others are aimed at developing the ability to simulate the different circuit configurations of electronic power converters through suitable models developed in software environments (eg Matlab-Simulink) widely used in the technical-scientific field. Some practice lessons are also performed in the laboratory to experimentally illustrate the operating characteristics of the main configurations of electronic power converter.

Attendance

Attendance is not mandatory but strongly recommended to fully benefit from the wide range of technical information made available through theoretical lessons and practical exercises.

Type of evaluation

Interview lasting about 30 minutes and typically articulated in the technical discussion of at least two of the topics covered in the course. During the interview it is required to illustrate the operating characteristics of the devices and / or of the power electronic circuits used to carry out the conversion of the electric power and the regulation of the flow of this power in the electric circuits, whether they are in direct current or in single-phase or polyphase alternating current. The test is passed if a grade of between eighteen and thirty is achieved. The vote is assigned by the examining committee taking into account both the degree of knowledge of the topics covered, and the ability to expose the various aspects concerning the specific topics covered by the interview in a logical and exhaustive manner.