Modelling and improvement of thermal cycling in power electronics for motor drive applications

It is well known that the dynamical change of the thermal stress in the power devices is one of the major factors that have influences on the overall efficiency and reliability of power electronics. The main objective of this paper consists of identifying the main parameters that affect the thermal cycling of power devices in a motor drive application and modelling their impact on the thermal stress. The motor drive system together with the thermal cycling in the power semiconductors have been modelled, and after investigating the dynamic behavior of the system, adverse temperature swings are identified during the acceleration and deceleration periods of the motor. The main causes for these adverse thermal cycles have been presented and, consequently, the influence of the deceleration slope, modulation technique and reactive current on the thermal cycles has been analyzed. Finally, the improved thermal response of the power devices is validated through experimental results.