EEE3025 : Power Electronics - Design & Applications
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Professor Volker Pickert
- Lecturer: Dr Salaheddine Ethni
- Owning School: Engineering
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
The aim of this course is to introduce the fundamentals and applications of power electronics, which is the field of engineering that deals with the design and control of circuits that convert and regulate electrical energy. By taking this course, students will:
- Learn about the key power electronics converters and their applications in various domains, such as renewable energy systems, electric vehicles, smart grids, and industrial drives.
- Gain a comprehensive overview of the power electronics components that are essential for building any power electronics system, such as switches, diodes, transistors, capacitors, inductors, transformers, and filters.
- Acquire the skills and techniques necessary to analyse and synthesise power electronics circuits for controlling the flow of energy by using modern power electronics devices, such as MOSFETs, IGBTs, and SiC devices. The course will cover the principles of steady-state and dynamic analysis, switching characteristics, losses, efficiency, and thermal management.
- Apply the theoretical knowledge learned in the course to practical problems by simulating, designing, building, and testing a custom power converter. The course will include laboratory sessions and a project work, where students will design, implement, and evaluate a power electronics converter for a specific application.
Outline Of Syllabus
In the first semester, students will work on a power dc/dc converter case study, where they will learn the basics of power electronics, develop a simulation model of a power converter and simulate its behaviour at different operational points, and design, build and test a power converter based on the previous analytical and simulation work.
In the second semester, students will explore the key power electronics components, associated technologies, and applications. They will also understand how power electronics shapes society, the impacts it has on the environment, and the ethical issues involved. During the course, students will learn about the performance of several modern switching power devices and the role of passive components in energy management. They will also learn how to select the right active and passive component for given specifications. They will analyse and synthesise circuits for all key conversion stages: ac-dc, dc-dc, dc-ac, and ac-ac. They will learn about the impact of electromagnetic interference caused by power electronics converters and how to minimize it. They will also learn about the different protection circuits and cooling systems to avoid overheating. They will also study the interaction between the converter, the grid, and the load. Finally, the course will cover specific essential control schemes.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | Sem 2: 1 x 1hr industrial lecture (provided by industrial presenter) + 1 x 1hr research lecture (provided by a researcher) |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 14:00 | 14:00 | Sem 1 : Writing report and submission. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 5 | 1:00 | 5:00 | Semester 2 : 5 x 1hr lectures every 2nd week addressing one specific challenge in power electronics including solutions to solve these challenges. |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 44:00 | 44:00 | Sem 2 : Revision for final exam. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 15 | 2:00 | 30:00 | Sem 1 : 5 x 2hr lectures Sem 2 : 10 x 2hr lectures |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 2:00 | 2:00 | Sem 2 : Final Exam in Assessment Period. |
| Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 1 | 20:00 | 20:00 | Sem 2 : Tutorial questions for home learning and self-study. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 6 | 2:00 | 12:00 | Sem 1 : 6 x 2hr Practical work in the laboratory. |
| Guided Independent Study | Reflective learning activity | 1 | 71:00 | 71:00 | Reviewing lecture notes; general reading, revision on attended lectures, tutorials and laboratory exercises. |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures provide the core material and give students the opportunity to engage with set questions and query material covered in the lecture.
Tutorial sessions will assist students to help with problem solving through tutorial sheets.
Additional tutorial sheets will be provided at the start of the module for home learning and self-study. Further problem solving is practiced during private study.
Practical knowledge is gained due to the attendance of the laboratory where students will design, build and test a power converter and to the attendance of the cluster room where students will learn about modelling of power converters.
One industrial lecture provides students to hear about real challenges in power electronics.
One research lecture will give students to hear about latest research activities.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 120 | 2 | A | 75 | Closed Book examination. |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical/lab report | 1 | M | 25 | Based on experimental work with a maximum of 1000 words. |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lab exercise | 1 | M | Milestone 1-lab work. Feedback on the achievement of first practical work. Feedback will include technical and practical understanding. |
| Lab exercise | 2 | M | 1st quarter in semester 2. Discussions will take place in class to enhance individual and class feedback. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Summative assessments:
The examination allows students to demonstrate their ability to solve engineering problems focused on power electronics, assessing knowledge outcomes in 1, 2 and 4.
The laboratory report assesses skill outcome 1-2.
Formative assessment:
The in-lab demonstration of results will give students the opportunity to receive immediate feedback on the correctness of their results and help identify any issues with the constructed board. Assessment will take place early at after milestone 1 of the experiment to provide early feedback allowing student guidance which will help them with their practical work so they can finish in time.
In semester 2 students will be asked to conduct a test and answers will be discussed in-class allowing students to reflect what they learned so far.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- EEE3025's Timetable