Guest Editorial Special Issue on Failure Mechanisms, Fault Characterization, and Condition Monitoring of Power Electronics Components and Systems

Abstract

This Special Issue aims to integrate the knowledge base on failure mechanisms, fault characterization, and condition monitoring of power electronics components. In today’s world, power electronics and energy conversion systems play a crucial role in enabling electrification of transportation, modern integrated grid and renewable energy systems to name a few. These systems are often subjected to mechanical and electrical stresses, temperature swings, and vibration that contribute to increased equipment failures, where failed components cause unexpected interruptions, serious safety issues, or significant operational losses. In order to overcome these issues, active fault prognostics and health management techniques have been gaining interest lately. These techniques involve comprehensive understanding of failure mechanisms/modes obtained by accelerated aging tests, multiphysics modeling and physics-of-failure analyses. Based on the identified failure precursors from these analyses, online/insitu condition monitoring and early warning tools are developed for various components and systems. Data sets obtained by monitoring tools can be used to update the lifetime prediction algorithms and actively predict failures. Moreover, these steps are essential for training and data processing in AI and ML techniques which can potentially leverage PHM solutions. Finally, research in various active life extension and health management techniques is of particular interest for power converters.