• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.291-296
• /
• 2022

Capacitor is one of the reliability-critical components in power converters. The lifetime of the capacitor decreases as the operating temperature increases, and power losses caused by capacitor current are the main cause of the capacitor temperature increase. Therefore, various studies are being conducted to improve the lifetime of the capacitor by reducing the current of DC-link capacitors. In this study, pulse width modulation methods proposed for improving the lifetime of DC-link capacitors of the three-level NPC inverter are comparatively analyzed. The lifetime evaluation of the DC-link capacitor under different modulation methods is performed at component level first and then system level by considering all capacitors by applying Monte Carlo simulation. Furthermore, their effects on the efficiency and THD of the output current are also considered.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
• /
• 2000.11a
• /
• pp.243-245
• /
• 2000

In general, aluminum electrolytic capacitors are used in the DC link of PWM inverters fur ac motor drives. The capacitor usually has the shortest lifetime in the system and then determines the lifetime of the inverter system. In this paper, a method of capacitor lifetime estimation is proposed by using an ESR(equivalent series resistance) model and a heat transfer model of capacitor, from which internal operating temperature is estimated. Then, the lifetime is predicted by Arrhenius's equation. A practical example is presented.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.535-540
• /
• 2022

DC-link capacitors are reliability-critical components in a photovoltaic (PV) inverter. Typically, the lifetime of a DC-link capacitor is evaluated by considering the voltage and hot-spot temperature of the capacitor under the specific operating condition of the PV inverter. However, the output of the PV inverter is determined by solar irradiation and ambient temperature, which vary with the seasons; accordingly, the hot-spot temperature of the capacitor also changes. Therefore, the mission profile of the PV system should be considered to effectively evaluate the reliability of the DC-link capacitor. In this study, the reliability of the DC-link capacitor of a three-level NPC inverter is comparatively analyzed with and without considering the mission profiles of the PV system, where two mission profiles recorded in Arizona and Iza are considered. The accumulated damage of the DC-link capacitor is calculated based on the lifetime model by analyzing its thermal loading. Afterward, a reliability evaluation of the DC-link capacitor is performed at the component level and then at the system level by considering all capacitors by means of Monte Carlo analysis. Results reveal the importance of performing a mission-profile-based reliability evaluation during the design of high-reliability PV inverters to achieve the target reliability performance.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
• /
• 2007.05a
• /
• pp.1712-1717
• /
• 2007

This paper presents a derating design approach for reliability improvement of an aluminum electrolytic capacitor. The capacitor, usually mounted in a printed circuit board, is used to stabilize the circuit. The main failure mechanism of interest is dry-up of the electrolyte that is mainly caused by two stresses-temperature and voltage. The lifetime under these stresses is modeled as a function of these stresses and time using accelerated life testing. Quantitative variation in the lifetime, according to variations in these stresses, is investigated to perform the derating design of the capacitor so that the stress levels are selected to achieve required reliability measures for reliability improvement. Moreover, sensitivity analysis shows which stress would be a more important factor determining the lifetime.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
• /
• v.29 no.6
• /
• pp.270-275
• /
• 2019

Mica capacitor is being adopted for high voltage firing unit of guided weapon system because of its superior impact enduring property relative to ceramic capacitor. Reliability of localized mica high voltage capacitors was verified through environmental test like terminal strength test, humidity test, thermal shock test and accelerated life test for application to high voltage firing unit. Failure mode of mica capacitor is a decrease of insulation resistance and its final dielectric breakdown. Main constants of accelerated life model were derived experimentally and voltage constant and activation energy were 5.28 and 0.805 eV respectively. Lifetime of mica capacitor at normal use condition was calculated to be 38.5 years by acceleration factor, 496, and lifetime at accelerated condition and this long lifetime confirmed that mica high voltage capacitor could be applied for firing unit.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
• /
• 2000.07a
• /
• pp.57-60
• /
• 2000

An aluminum electrolytic capacitor is used in DC Link of ac motor drive system. In this case it usually has the shortest lifetime in the system and then determines the system lifetime. Therefore life estimation of the electrolytic capacitor is needed for maintenance of th circuit. In this paper a method for life estimation is presented with a ESR(equivalent series resistance) model and a heat transfer model of capacitor that can be used to estimate operating temperature it is investigated through a simple example using ESR and heat transfer.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers P
• /
• v.65 no.4
• /
• pp.285-291
• /
• 2016

A light-emitting diode (LED) has been increasingly applied to various industrial fields and general lightings because of its high efficiency, low power consumption, environment-friendly characteristic and long lifetime. To drive the LED lighting, a power converter with the constant output current is needed. Among many power converters, the flyback converter is chosen by many converter designers due to high power density, structural simplicity, and miniaturization. In this converter, an electrolytic capacitor is generally chosen for the stabilization of the DC voltage because of having the large capacitance and the low price. However, the disadvantages are the short expected life time and 120Hz ripple currents on the converter output node. In this paper, a single-stage dimmable PFC DCM flyback converter without the electrolytic capacitor is proposed to prolong the lifetime of the LED driver. For the long lifetime of the converter, the polyester film capacitor with the small capacitance is substituted for the electrolytic capacitor on the output node and an LC resonant filter is added to damp 120Hz ripple current. The proposed converter is verified through the simulation and the experimental works.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
• /
• 2007.11a
• /
• pp.212-214
• /
• 2007

Regenerative energy which is generated during brake periods of DC traction might cause malfunction or destruction of rectifier or any other power conversion devices caused the increment of DC line voltage. Regenerative energy storage system using super-capacitor is one of the method to control the DC line voltage safely. And super-capacitor is very important device as energy storage device. Therefore, In this paper, we designed the regenerative energy storage system using super-capacitor and propose the method about predicting the lifetime of super-capacitor established in storage system. According to the this research, we can estimate the proper replacement moment for the existed super-capacitor due to the safety of the system. And improve the reliability of regenerative energy storage system using super-capacitor.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.20 no.5
• /
• pp.410-414
• /
• 2007

To prevent degradation of battery efficiency generated by serious current variation in rechargeable batteries, we researched a hybrid battery combining a super capacitor and a rechargeable battery. The hybrid battery shows high efficiency in a lifetime and a voltage drop. The hybrid battery was composed of a rechargeable battery, a current regulator and a super capacitor that can be used with supporting power. Before the experiment, the hybrid battery was simulated for current regulation and an electric current in a super capacitor by using the Pspice program. After that, we compared the efficiency of the hybrid battery with the efficiency of the normal battery. In this result, we demonstrated that the hybrid battery has a higher efficiency and a longer lifespan than the normal battery.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
• /
• 1987.11a
• /
• pp.191-192
• /
• 1987