A Mission-profile-based Reliability Assessment Software Tool for the Design of Power Electronic Systems-Video

Abstract: Because of the high cost of failure associated with power electronic systems, reliability is becoming a key factor in many energy conversion applications. Thus, a realistic lifetime estimation of power electronics is needed in order to improve the reliability performance of the system, and inherently, reduce the overall lifecycle cost. However, current reliability-oriented design practices for power electronics are still mainly based on “rule-of-thumb” overdesign approaches, and typically do not consider the real-life environmental and loading conditions of the system. In this webinar, a mission-profile-based reliability assessment software tool is introduced, and its applicability in the early design and development stages of power electronic products is demonstrated. The tool allows for quick lifetime prediction under realistic environmental and operating mission profiles, and thus, facilitating the reliability-oriented design and optimization of power electronic systems. Firstly, the main framework and concept of the reliability assessment tool are briefly presented, highlighting its unique features and limitations. Secondly, the six-step model-based reliability assessment procedure implemented within the tool is discussed and exemplified on the power electronic system of an Electric Vehicle (EV) application. Finally, the webinar ends with a short discussion on the future trends and research directions of reliability-oriented design practices for power electronics.