Abstract
This paper proposes and investigates the application of the gradient heat flux sensor (GHFS) for measuring the local heat flux in power electronics. Thanks to its thinness, the sensor can be placed between the semiconductor module and the heat sink. The GHFS has high sensitivity and yields direct measurements without an interruption to the normal power device operation, which makes it attractive for power electronics applications. The development of systems for monitoring thermal loading and methods for online detection of degradation and failure of power electronic devices is a topical and crucial task. However, online condition monitoring (CM) methods, which include heat flux sensors, have received little research attention so far. In the current research, an insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) module-based test setup with the GHFS implemented on the base plate of one of the IGBTs is introduced. The heat flux experiments and the IGBT power losses obtained by simulations show similar results. The findings give clear evidence that the GHFS can provide an attractive condition monitoring method for the thermal loading of power devices.
Highlights
Alongside the growing complexity and power density of the modern power systems, the thermal management of these systems becomes crucial
In the tests performed in the current study, the gradient heat flux sensor (GHFS) has the thickness of 0.2 mm, the volt‐watt temperature is limited by the melting point of bismuth, which is 544 K
The measurements obtained in the test were the collector‐emitter voltage Vce, the collector current Ic of the S2 insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) module, and the heat flux density q measured by the GHFS
Summary
Alongside the growing complexity and power density of the modern power systems, the thermal management of these systems becomes crucial. An insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) power module as a key component of the wind power converter is prone to a number of potential failure modes because of the thermal stress As it experiences high voltages and currents, the IGBT module suffers from high switching and conduction losses. The need for real-time and direct monitoring of the thermal load cycles of IGBT devices has made the heat flux sensor (HFS) an attractive approach to be adopted in wind power converters. This3study of 14 transient aims to adopt the heat flux measurements in a power device using a gradient heat flux sensor (GHFS). The GHFS allows direct measurements of the heat flux based on the Seebeck effect of the layered materials. The application of the heat flux sensor in the test setup and an analysis of the test results are described in Sections 4 and 5, respectively.
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