Lifetime Analysis of IGBT Power Modules in Passively Cooled Tidal Turbine Converters

Faisal Wani,George Lavidas,Udai Shipurkar,Antonio Jarquin-Laguna,Jianning Dong,Henk Polinder,Kaswar Mostafa

doi:10.3390/en13081875

Faisal Wani, George Lavidas + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/en13081875

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Journal: Energies	Publication Date: Apr 12, 2020
Citations: 7	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Delft University of Technology, University of Edinburgh

Abstract

Thermal cycling is one of the major reasons for failure in power electronic converters. For submerged tidal turbine converters investigating this failure mode is critical in improving the reliability, and minimizing the cost of energy from tidal turbines. This paper considers a submerged tidal turbine converter which is passively cooled by seawater, and where the turbine has fixed-pitch blades. In this respect, this study is different from similar studies on wind turbine converters, which are mostly cooled by active methods, and where turbines are mostly pitch controlled. The main goal is to quantify the impact of surface waves and turbulence in tidal stream velocity on the lifetime of the converter IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) modules. The lifetime model of the IGBT modules is based on the accumulation of fatigue due to thermal cycling. Results indicate that turbulence and surface waves can have a significant impact on the lifetime of the IGBT modules. Furthermore, to accelerate the speed of the lifetime calculation, this paper uses a modified approach by dividing the thermal models into low and high frequency models. The final calculated lifetime values suggest that relying on passive cooling could be adequate for the tidal converters as far as thermal cycling is concerned.

Highlights

Power electronic converters in tidal turbine drive trains regulate the power capture from the turbine, and convert the generated electricity into a grid compliant form at fixed voltage and frequency
The main objective of this paper is to analyze whether passive cooling is a feasible option for a subsea converter from the reliability viewpoint
Because the passive cooling system is considered here, this means that the lifetime calculation has to be done in a slightly modified manner

Summary

Introduction

Power electronic converters in tidal turbine drive trains regulate the power capture from the turbine, and convert the generated electricity into a grid compliant form at fixed voltage and frequency. The converter can be placed either onshore, on floating platforms, or they can be seabed-mounted adjacent to the generator. This configuration is more suitable for array applications as it minimizes cabling costs [1], involves no hanging cables, and is out of view. Submerged power converter means limited access for maintenance, and reliability is paramount [1]. Capacity factor, could be a major contributor to lowering the levelized cost of energy (LCoE)

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