Design Tools for Power Electronics: Trends and Innovations

Abstract: Numerical simulation is a standard procedure in the design of power electronic systems. With simulation, one can test new concepts immediately without the need to order components and assembling which might be time-consuming and expensive. If something fails, there is no destruction but information about too high voltages and/or currents. Critical operating states just before failure can be exactly reproduced, and currents, voltages and junction temperatures can be easily monitored in simulation which makes it comparably easy to identify problematic designs. Expensive equipment for measurement, power supply and load which is essential for testing prototypes is not needed in a first design stage. Further advantages of simulation are the ability to easily visualize fields, flows and distributions of physical properties, and the ability of automated paramete