A Comparative Study on Lifetime Models in IGBT Power Modules

With the high speed extend of the wind turbine generation, lifetime estimation model for the core components in wind turbine converter is important for design and maintenance. Several lifetime models were proposed, which consider the long term effect. However, the effects of a huge amount of small stress cycles are usually ignored in most models. Lifetime models with and without considering the effects of small stress cycles are compared, and errors between different models are studied. The results show that some models have a huge error when the minor stress cycles are not considered. The reliability analysis is important for converter design to achieve an expected lifetime and reduce the failure rate.