Simple Design Scheme for a 300 kW Modular NPC Inverter Using Thermal RC Network Analysis

Abstract

This paper proposes a simple design scheme for a modular NPC inverter using thermal RC network analysis. The proposed design process is an efficient and straightforward approach to designing the heatsink for a 300 kW modular neutral-point-clamped inverter. The heatsink design plays a crucial role in achieving high power density of a power converter because the weight and size of the heatsink are primarily influenced by its type. The structure and dimensions of the heatsink are mainly determined based on the generated heat by losses of the power semiconductor switches. In this paper, a thermal RC network model was established using parameters from the power switch module and was applied to the simulation of the power converter. The thermal losses of the power semiconductor switches were calculated via this process, and the heatsink was designed according to the calculated thermal losses. The proposed design scheme was analyzed and compared with the thermal fluid dynamic model. To validate the feasibility of the proposed design process, The simulation results were compared with experimental results.