Simulation paradigm to study circuit performance in presence of component level fault

Abstract

Objectives: To study the use of simulation tool to understand the circuit behavior in presence of faulty component and use of part stress method for failure rate computation. Methods/ statistical analysis: The behavior of circuit under test (CUT) is studied in normal and faulty conditions using MATLAB simulation tool. Diode open circuit and short circuit faults are separately introduced to study the circuit performance. In developed prototype real faulty diode is purposely connected to verify the performance. After that reliability computation, part failure rates of components are estimated using military handbook MIL-HDBK- 217F of the CUT. Findings: In this work, a method is presented in which circuit performance in presence of faulty component is studied and individual component failure rates are estimated for reliability understanding. Close match in results of simulation tool and hardware prototype is observed. Such approach is good choice for understanding the behavior of power electronics circuit. Novelty/Applications: The proposed technique is useful in fault modeling of power supplies and power stations. Semiconductor power electronics devices are prone to failure, therefore reliability oriented designs of power supplies, converters, inverters and other power converting circuits is important issue. The component failure rates and circuit reliability should be estimated by using part stress method or suitable reliability estimating software. Individual component failure rates provide idea about long lasting behavior; fault precursors and fault signatures help to understand the circuit performance in presence of faulty component. Keywords: Component level fault study; simulation based fault diagnosis; simulation based fault signatures; component failure rate estimation; diode fault in rectifier