An introduction to power electronics
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Power electronics is a term to refer to all areas in electrical engineering to deal with solid-state electronics for the conversion and control of electrical power. Different to other electronic systems, power electronics process always high amount of electrical energy.
Power conversion is done with semiconductor devices. Examples are thyristors, transistors and diodes.
The most typical convertors are from alternating current to direct current. These are called rectifiers, and are found in most consumer electronics. Other conversion systems can be from DC to AC, this is called an inverter. From DC to DC is called a DC-to-DC converter, and also AC-to-AC converters exist.
Power electronic devices might be used as amplifiers or switches. A switch is in principle a simple device: it is either open and passes current, or closed and dissipates no power. This is of course the ideal situation, but real switches can approximate the ideal behavior. This makes them very suitable devices to switch circuits on and off without wasting power. An amplifier has a current that is dependent on the input signal. The signal follows a so called load line. In contradiction to a switch, the amplifier dissipates power. The amount that is dissipated can be compared with the power that is delivered to the load.
Power conversion is done with semiconductor devices. Examples are thyristors, transistors and diodes.
The most typical convertors are from alternating current to direct current. These are called rectifiers, and are found in most consumer electronics. Other conversion systems can be from DC to AC, this is called an inverter. From DC to DC is called a DC-to-DC converter, and also AC-to-AC converters exist.
Power electronic devices might be used as amplifiers or switches. A switch is in principle a simple device: it is either open and passes current, or closed and dissipates no power. This is of course the ideal situation, but real switches can approximate the ideal behavior. This makes them very suitable devices to switch circuits on and off without wasting power. An amplifier has a current that is dependent on the input signal. The signal follows a so called load line. In contradiction to a switch, the amplifier dissipates power. The amount that is dissipated can be compared with the power that is delivered to the load.
In the design the dissipation of power is very important. For big switching devices, hundreds of watts can be dissipated, even when the switching occurs as efficient as possible. High power diodes or resistors require heat sinks or active cooling to prevent the components from damaging.
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http://www.adapted-solutions.com/web/AdaptedSolutionsEnglish/pdfE/PowerElectrLibE_08.pdf