MEng Mechatronic Engineering / Course details

Building on the second year Power Electronics, Machines and Drives course, this unit provides a deeper and more specialised treatment of some of the main power electronics circuits and applications: high power DC/DC converters, rectifiers, semiconductor and passive component losses and thermal management, gate drives and single and three-phase DC/AC inverters.

Develop an understanding of modern power electronic converters and systems, their applications, the analytic skills to characterise circuit operation and synthesis skills for power electronics design.

ILO 1 - Evaluate the role of power electronics in building a sustainable society, based on electric vehicle and wind generation case studies.

ILO 2 - Analyse the 3 classes of DC/DC converter; calculate stresses on components; sketch circuit diagrams and waveforms; determine conduction modes; select circuit parameters.

ILO 3 - Evaluate strategies for voltage synthesis (Pulse Width Modulation) and current control, and calculate parameters for single- and three- phase inverters.

ILO 4 - Examine laboratory measurements and simulation results on power converter circuits, interpret AC and DC waveforms.

ILO 5 - Sketch and explain diagrams and idealised waveforms for uncontrolled diode rectifiers with source inductance and for inverters as active rectifiers, including for grid integration of renewable energy.

ILO 6 - Calculate steady-state thermal values and losses, to determine operating points and ratings of power electronic components. Compare cost and energy to use resources effectively and efficiently.

Lectures using a mix of Powerpoint, worked examples on a visualiser, demonstrations and animations/videos.

In-lecture kahoot on-line quizzes.

On-line assessed quizzes through Blackboard.

Laboratory, with pre-lab simulation using Matlab/Simulink, for comparison with in-lab measurements.

Supporting material, including animations and simulations, on Blackboard.

Laboratory:

Investigation of single and three phase inverters, with current loop PI tuning.

Weighting: 10%

On-line Quiz (2 equally weighted parts)

Length: 2x3 hours

How and when feedback is provided: Through Blackboard, 1 week after quiz closes. General class feedback also provided on Blackboard.

Weighting: 10%

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Power Electronics: Converters, Applications and Design, 3rd Ed.  Mohan, Ned; Undeland, Tore M.; Robbins, William P.; Published by Wiley, 2003, available as ebook. 
Fundamentals of power electronics. Erickson, Robert W. (Robert Warren), 1956- Kluwer Academic 2001
Principles of power electronics. Kassakian, John G. Addison-Wesley, 1991
Power Electronics Handbook. Rashid, Muhammad H. Elsevier Science, 2017