BEE208

Version

1.2

Unit Name

Power Electronics and Converters

Unit Code

BEE208

Unit Duration

1 Semester

Award

Bachelor of Science (Engineering)

Duration 3 years

Year Level

Two or Three

Unit Creator / Reviewer

Dr Imtiaz Madni and Dr Ali Marzoughi

Core/Elective:

Sub-discipline

Pre/Co-requisites

BSC102

Credit Points

Total Course Credit Points 81 (27 x 3)

Mode of Delivery

Online or on-campus.

Unit Workload

(Total student workload including “contact hours” = 10 hours per week)
Pre-recordings / Lecture – 1.5 hours
Tutorial – 1.5 hours
Guided labs / Group work / Assessments – 2 hours
Personal Study recommended – 5 hours

Unit Description and General Aims

This unit examines the application of electronics to energy conversion and control. The objective of this unit is for students to obtain detailed knowledge of the fundamental principles of different types of converters, design of power circuits including rectifiers, inverters, and DC-DC converters; modeling, analysis, and control techniques; analysis and design of magnetic components and filters; and characteristics of power semiconductor devices. Numerous application examples will be presented such as variable speed drives, switching control systems, power supplies, inverters and rectifiers for renewable power systems, and power amplifiers.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this Unit, students are expected to be able to:

Understand the principles behind different power electronic devices, typical circuits based on the devices, and their applications.
Bloom’s Level 2
Design linear and switched mode power supplies (SMPS), including the selection of the components used.
Bloom’s Level 6
Explain the principles of controlling the power conversion devices and their application in power systems and industrial drives.
Bloom’s Level 5
Explain and compare the different types of inverters and the techniques used.
Bloom’s Level 4
Discuss the commonly applied modulation and control techniques used for power electronic devices.
Bloom’s Level 5
Select appropriate power electronic drives and conversion devices for specific applications.
Bloom’s Level 5

Student assessment

Assessment Type	When assessed	Weighting (% of total unit marks)	Learning Outcomes Assessed
Assessment 1 Type: Weekly quizzes Description: Students will need to complete multiple-choice quiz questions to demonstrate a good understanding of the fundamental concepts	Weekly	10%	All (Topics 2 to 11)
Assessment 2 Type: Test (Invigilated) Description: Students will need to answer some short and/or long answer questions and/or solve some numerical problems.	Due After Topic 6	20%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (Topics 1 to 6)
Assessment 3 Type: Practical (Report) Description: Students will need to complete this practical project using software.	Due After Topic 9	25%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (Topics 1 to 9)
Assessment 4 Type: Exam (Invigilated) Description: An examination with a mix of theoretical short/detailed answer questions and some engineering problems.	Exam Week	40%	All (All topics)
Attendance / Tutorial Participation Example: Presentation, discussion, group work, exercises, self-assessment/reflection, case study analysis, application.	Continuous	5%	-

Overall Requirements: Students must achieve a result of 50% or above in the exam itself to pass the exam and must pass the exam to be able to pass the unit. An overall final unit score of 50% or above must be achieved to pass the unit once all assessment, including the exam, has been completed.

this is the sample template:

Prescribed and Recommended Readings

Required textbook(s)

Power Electronics in Energy Conversion Systems, 1st Edition, Behrooz Mirafzal, Ph.D 2022, McGraw Hill
Rashid, M. H. (2017). Power Electronics Handbook, 4th Edition, Butterworth-Heinemann – ISBN: 978-0128114070

Reference Materials

Krein, Philip T. Elements of Power Electronics. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN: 9780195117011.
Rashid, Muhammad H. SPICE for Power Electronics and Electric Power. 2nd ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2006. ISBN: 9780849334184.
Erickson, Robert W. Fundamentals of Power Electronics. New York, NY: Chapman & Hall, 1997. ISBN: 9780412085413.
EIT reference book on Variable Speed Drives (Course code VSD)
The number of peer-reviewed journals and websites (advised during lectures).
An example of such webpage is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_control_(motor)
 Mohan, Ned, Tore Undeland, and William Robbins. Power Electronics: Converters, Applications, and Design. 2nd ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1995. ISBN: 9780471584087.
Barnes, M. (2003). Practical Variable Speed Drives and Power Electronics, 1st Edition, Newnes – ISBN: 978-0750658089

Unit Content

Topic 1

Power electronic devices, typical applications, and circuits

Power diodes, their types and working principles
Power transistors, their types and working principles
Thyristors, their types and working principles
Gate turn off thyristors, their types and working principles
IGBT and IGCT, their construction and working principles
Introduction to reluctance
Basics of inductance and capacitance designs

Topic 2

Introduction to uncontrolled rectifiers

Uncontrolled/diode rectifiers
Half-wave and full-wave rectifiers
Single and three phase rectifiers
Topologies of rectifiers – bridge vs centre tap
Load regulation

Topic 3

Controlled Rectifiers, their types, control methods, and DC drives in the industry

Introduction to phase controlled rectifier circuits
Basic phase-controlled concept
Single phase half wave phase controlled rectifier circuits
Single phase full wave phase controlled rectifier circuits
Three phase phase-controlled rectifier circuits half and full wave
Linear regulated power supplies

Topic 4

Switched mode power supply circuits, design, and component ratings

Need for switched mode power supply
Working principle of a switched mode power supply
Typical circuit of a switched mode power supply
Output wave form of a switched mode power supply
Effect of a filter on the output waveform
Design aspects of a switched mode power supply
Component selection
Control of switched mode power supply
Stability issues

Topic 5

DC/DC Converters

Introduction to DC/DC converters
Buck converters
Boost converters
Continuous conduction mode (CCM) and discontinuous conduction mode (DCM)
Buck-boost converters
CCM and DCM of buck-boost converters
Flyback converters
Current-fed DC/DC converters

Topic 6

Inverter basic principle, voltage and current source inverters, and line-commutated inverters

Basic principle of an inverter using switching as the basis of getting an AC output from DC input
Voltage source and current source inverters
Line commutated inverters
Introduction of Multilevel inverters
Comparison of different types and their applications
Waveforms obtainable with different types of inverters

Topic 7

Modelling and control of power electronics

Direct circuit averaging
Feedback control systems
Switching sequence and duty cycle
Switched vs dynamic models
Current mode control

Topic 8

Pulse width modulated AC drives, open and closed loop drives

Pulse width modulation principle
Simple circuit applying PWM such as UPS with fixed output frequency/voltage
Importance of DC bus and choice of DC bus voltage
The advantage of a PWM circuit and limitations
PWM application to AC motors using VVVF principle
Problems when applying PWM AC drives with a high carrier frequency
Control strategies to obtain coordinated V/F control in open loop drives
Performance improvement using feedback methods

Topic 9

Vector controlled and sensor-less AC drives

Vector control principles/applications
Space vector control techniques
Sensorless vector control principles/applications
Field oriented control (FOC) of induction motors
Direct circuit averaging
Feedback control systems
Switching sequence and duty cycle
Switched vs dynamic models
Current mode control

Topic 10

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) filtering

AC and DC interference systems
Time-domain limits
Frequency-domain limits
Harmonics and DC ripples
Power line filter design
Sine wave and dv/dt filter designs

Topic 11

Applications of Power Electronics Converters

Renewable energy: solar and wind
Variable speed drives
HVDC and STATCOM
Uninterrupted power supplies (UPS)
Wireless power transfer and EMI/EMC filters
AC drives with induction and synchronous motors – the main differences
Torque-speed characteristics of different mechanical equipment
Energy saving calculations when using variable speed drives

Topic 12

Power Electronics and Sustainability

The key role of power electronics in a sustainable future
Power electronics, the key element of future sustainable power systems and energy
The environmental considerations of power electronics’ component
Unit review

In the final week, students will have an opportunity to review the contents covered so far. Opportunity will be provided for a review of student work and to clarify any outstanding issues. Instructors/facilitators may choose to cover a specialized topic if applicable to that cohort.