Evaluation of Power Semiconductors Power Cycling Capabilities for Adjustable Speed Drive

This paper analyzes the power cycling capability of semiconductor under various conditions for adjustable speed drive (ASD). An analysis is made that calculates the mean time to failure (MTTF) of the semiconductor under various conditions, including low speed operation capability, high speed thermal capability and overload capability. After that, the MTTF estimations of the IGBT under different heatsink design and different drive ratings are studied. This paper will show that the MTTF of the inverter may be very short under some very common operating conditions. Thus, it is prudent to size the drive properly in order to avoid earlier failure.

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