Power electronics refers to control and conversion of electrical power from one form to another by power semiconductor devices that are usually operate as switches. This course offers a comprehensive coverage of power electronic devices and circuits. It provides a basic knowledge of circuitry for the control and conversion of electrical power with high efficiency. It begins with the introduction of power semiconductor devices, their basic operations and characteristics. The required semiconductor physics background would have been covered in ELET2420 (semiconductor devices) which is a prerequisite for this course. The application of these devices to the design of controlled rectifiers, inverters, choppers, cyclo-converters, and dual converter circuits are presented. Typical commercial and industrial applications along with their waveform analyses are also discussed. These converters can change and regulate the voltage, current, or power; dc-dc converters, ac-dc rectifiers, dc-ac inverters, and ac-ac cyclo-converters are in common use. Several low and high power applications are included. All high power circuits require some form of cooling and protection from over-current and/or over-voltages. The components, circuit design techniques and application of several cooling and protection circuits are presented.
- Lecturer: Louis-Ray Harris