Specifications for power modules are defined!

It has been 6 months since FLAGCHIP project opened its sails towards new advancements in condition and health monitoring of power electronics. In this direction, there is a need to explore new converter topologies, innovative control techniques, and advanced semiconductor materials like wide bandgap and ultra-wide bandgap technologies.

One of FLAGCHIP’s early goals is to develop two sets of power modules (namely, Type 1 and Type 2 – both types are customized for the FLAGCHIP project) which will be mounted on the pilots (SINTEF & SuperGrid), while ensuring the compatibility of the module designs with components developed in parallel actions of the project, e.g. the chips, (new) implemented sensing techniques, and the hosting pilot lines. In order to do so, the first thing that needs to be defined is the specifications of the module design so that it can meet the above requirements.

Dr Cyril Buttay and his team from INSA Lyon, along with the feedback of other FLAGCHIP partners, articulated a specification document outlining the parameters that should be taken into account for the design of power modules.

Namely, the power module parameters that should be carefully considered in order to define the specs are the following:
1. The electrical function:
• Power circuit topologies
• Auxiliary features (sensing elements, balancing circuits for the series connection of chips, circuits for signal conditioning, gate drive circuits sensors)
2. The electrical parameters (e.g. mean & max voltage between drain and source, mean voltage between DC terminals and phase output, leakage current at nominal operating voltage etc.)
3. The electrical insulation (Max voltage between terminals, partial discharge level, clearance distance (terminals to terminals) etc.)
4. The thermal characteristics:
• Thermal performance (e.g. max, min and target chip junction temperature)
• Thermal interface (cooling medium that conforms with the environmental and thermal performance specifications, power consumption of cooling system, connections etc.)
5. The mechanical interface: since the power modules are customized, they cannot just be implemented in the MV inverter. The whole interface needs to be redesigned. This work is performed by SuperGrid Institute.
6. The environmental impact: toxicity, flammability, fire behavior, PFAS content etc. are aspects that should be considered for all components in the modules but have a special importance for cooling fluids.

Once the specs are set, the team of Dr Buttay will focus on the selection of cooling fluids. Since the fluid is expected to be used for both cooling and isolation, the selection requires a careful assessment of thermo-physical and dielectric properties, along with the environmental aspects.

 

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