Module: Power Electronics

Module Specifications.

Current Academic Year 2024 - 2025

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Date posted: September 2024

Module Title	Power Electronics
Module Code	EE419 (ITS) / EEN1038 (Banner)
Faculty	Engineering & Computing	School	Electronic Engineering
Module Co-ordinator	-
Module Teachers	-
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	5
Pre-requisite	Not Available
Co-requisite	Not Available
Compatibles	Not Available
Incompatibles	Not Available

None
The exam element of the module assessment will be reassessed by a resit exam in August. An individual student assignment may be used to reassess the CA element of the module assessment.

Description

Conventional sources of energy based on fossil fuels are being replaced by renewable sources of energy. These sources of energy are variable. Hence, accompanying circuitry is required to regulate their output. Furthermore, the Internet of Things relies on power management solutions to efficiently handle the power requirements of sensors and internet-connected devices. Both these aims can be achieved through the application of power electronics. The aim of this module is to impart an introductory understanding of power electronics and, working from first principles, to introduce the techniques of analysis and design of power semiconductor-controlled circuits and systems. The semiconductor devices are assumed ideal, thus allowing the focus of attention to be on the energy converter topologies used and their application.

Learning Outcomes

1. analyse and design an uncontrolled rectifier and controlled rectifier.
2. analyse and design non-isolated DC-DC converters e.g. switched mode power supplies.
3. analyse and design isolated DC-DC converters e.g. transformer-based isolation.
4. analyse and design AC inverters.
5. use appropriate software tools to simulate power electronic circuits.
6. analyse the behavior of nonlinear mathematical descriptions that are common to power electronic circuits in order to design appropriate controllers.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full-time hours per semester
Lecture	24	Formal lecture (recorded and made available via the web)
Tutorial	12	Problem-based learning
Laboratory	12	Computer based lab/hands on lab.
Assignment Completion	24	Computer based assignment
Independent Study	53	Revision of material & preparation for Examination
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

POWER ELECTRONICS SYSTEM SOFTWARE TOOLS
Introduction to software to model, simulate and analyse nonlinear ordinary differential equations used to model power electronic circuits.

ISOLATED AND NON-ISOLATED DC-DC CONVERTERS
What are DC-DC converters? What are the advantages, disadvantages, and justification for selecting non-isolated DC-DC converters or isolated DC-DC converters? How do different circuit topologies operate? What are the expected waveforms produced by these circuits? How to derive nonlinear ODEs to model the system. How to design DC-DC converters to meet design criteria such as voltage ripple or current ripple. How can the nonlinear ODEs be linearised so that classical control theory techniques can be applied? What effect do nonidealities have on the performance of the system?

SINGLE PHASE RECTIFIERS
Why do AC signals need to be rectified? What circuits can be employed to achieve this? What are the expected waveforms of the signals? What effect do different loads have on the waveforms? How can the shape of the output waveform be controlled? How to analyse different circuit setups and determine the power factor?

INVERTERS
What applications would require an inverter? What circuits can be employed to invert a DC signal? What waveforms are produced from different topologies? What considerations must be made when designing an inverter? How do engineers analyse an inverter to assess if it meets the specification? How to design an inverter to reduce the effects of harmonics? Why harmonics are a consideration in the AC grid.

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment	25%	Examination Weight	75%

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Course Work Breakdown
Assignment	Individual assignment: Design, simulation and analysis of power electronic circuit in an appropriate software environment.	25%	Sem 1 End

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories: Resit category 1: A resit is available for both* components of the module. Resit category 2: No resit is available for a 100% continuous assessment module. Resit category 3: No resit is available for the continuous assessment component where there is a continuous assessment and examination element.
* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a Continuous Assessment/Examination split; where the module is 100% continuous assessment, there will also be a resit of the assessment
This module is category 1

Indicative Reading List

Daniel W. Hart: 1997, Introduction to power electronics, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, N.J., 0-02-351182-6
Ned Mohan, William P. Robbins and Tore M. Undeland: 0, Power electronics: converters, applications, and design, Mohan, Ned; Robbins, William P; Undeland, Tore M, 9780471226932
Robert W. Erickson and Dragan Maksimovic: 0, Fundamentals of power electronics, Kluwer Academic, 9780792372707
Simon Ang and Alejandro Oliva: 0, Power-switching converter, 9781439815335

Other Resources

None