Asymmetric power device rating selection for even temperature distribution in NPC inverter

Abstract

A major drawback of the NPC inverter is an unequal power loss distribution among the power devices which leads to unequal temperature stress among them. Therefore, certain power devices experience higher temperature stress, which is the main cause of power device module failure and thus both the power rating and lifetime of the NPC inverter are limited by the most stressed devices. In this paper, an asymmetric power device rating selection method for the NPC inverter is proposed in order to balance the lifetimes of the power devices. The thermal distribution of the power devices is analyzed based on 30 kW NPC inverter as a case study. Analytical power loss and thermal impedance models depending on the chip size are derived. Finally, using these models, the junction temperatures of the power devices depending on the chip size is discussed and a proper chip size for an even temperature distribution in the NPC inverter is selected.