METHODIC: a new CAD for electrothermal coupling simulation in power converters

The power dissipated in a component makes it into a real thermal generator. This changes the electrical parameters of the component and vice versa. This phenomenon is known as electrothermal coupling. Proper design of power converters requires taking this electrothermal coupling into account. In this paper, a method for optimizing thermal dimensioning of power converters is described, taking into account electrothermal coupling. It is based on experimental loss models for IGBTs and diodes. The results have been used to build a CAD (METODIC) in C++ for Windows 95. METODIC offers power electronic engineers tools to analyze quickly the effects of a range of electrical or thermal parameters on the behavior of the component.