Converter Power Losses Computation by FPGA-based HIL Simulator : Invited Paper

Converter losses play a crucial role in the process of power converter design. Especially semiconductor components and heat sink selection are strongly dependent on the total power converter losses and thus affect the power converter size and its price. The most popular techniques for determination of the losses are based on the computer simulation of the power converter. These kinds of simulations could be very time consuming, because on one side, the simulation needs very short step-time for differential equations calculation to model power converter switching. On the other side, the temperature dynamics of heat sink are commonly slow and depend on power cycles of converter. With the help of FPGA-based hardware in the loop (HIL), the simulation could run real-time and it is possible to test different scenarios, different modulation techniques and see their influences on converter losses. This approach can lead to reduction of losses to the state, when it is possible to reduce the size of converter. Furthermore, the HIL simulation could be used for testing and developing control algorithm in real time conditions. It also offers flexibility in the easy change of model parameters and monitoring values which are not or hardly obtainable in real machine. This paper presents the FPGA-based HIL simulator of induction motor drive with three phase voltage source inverter based on Semikron IGBT modules.