An approach to building more compact power electronic converters

An approach to constructing high power density power electronic converters is presented. The largest volume contributors in state-of-the-art construction technology are discussed. A concept to reduce the volume of converters by means of increasing the level of integration and better thermal management is introduced. Hybrid integration of power electronic circuits through partitioning the circuit into sub-circuits on the basis of components’ characteristics such as heat density, volumetric aspects and cost per volume is discussed. These sub-circuits are referred to as Integrated Power Electronic Modules (IPEMs) and are manufactured in suitable integration technologies. The concept is applied to a case study, a converter for 2 kW AC drive, as part of the demonstrator program running under European Centre for Power Electronics (ECPE) “Industrial Drives — System Integration”. The electrical circuit schematic of the converter is partitioned into three IPEMs: Planar Ceramic IPEM, Planar PCB IPEM and 3D Passive IPEM. Suitable technologies for implementation of each IPEM and their volume reduction potential are discussed.