Calorimeter for loss determination of power electronic circuits - a novel approach with reduced measurement time

Power loss measurement of power electronic components and overall systems is sometimes difficult by use of electrical quantities and in few applications even not possible. The calorimetric power loss measurement is an established method to identify the overall system losses with a suitable accuracy. This paper presents a novel method with an open chamber calorimeter under accurate air mass flow, air pressure, humidity measurement and temperature control. The benefits are the approximately halved measurement time compared to established systems and the possibility to control the chamber temperature. So it is possible to measure the power losses at different ambient temperatures.