IGBT Lifetime Estimation in a Modular Multilevel Converter for bidirectional point-to-point HVDC application

This paper deals with the lifetime estimation of one modular multilevel converter submodule in a bidirectional point-to-point HVDC application. A mission profile of a reversible link is considered, then power losses are calculated and an electro-thermal simulation is carried out. Finally, a rain flow counting method is used for organizing thermal profiles and the life consumption is computed thanks to a new extrapolation method of aging data coming from manufacturer and the application of the Miner's rule.