Sensitivity Analysis for EMC and Thermal Optimization in Power Electronic Circuits

Designing power electronic (PE) circuits involves addressing the influence of parasitic elements already during the simulation phases. However, a challenge lies in a priori estimating those and understanding their influence with respect to key design objects. To enhance the performance and reliability of such circuits, sensitivity analysis (SA) can be employed to examine how input parameters affect output characteristics in different domains, including electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), thermal management, or power efficiency. This paper explores the application of SA, through computation of Cotter indices, to a three-level passive neutral-point-clamped (PNPC) inverter intended for aerospace applications. We perform SA on common mode (CM), differential mode (DM) voltage, and power losses in three different sections of the system. We show that among 82 input parameters, one can identify 10 most influential parameters to guide design efforts in finding optima in the multi-domain design space of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and thermal management.