The availability of electric power in a variety of forms is integral to modern society. Very often, electric power must be converted from one form to another to meet a specific application need – this conversion process is accomplished through the use and efficient management of power electronics. Design of power electronics is introduced first by examining the performance characteristics of basic switching devices, which enable critical management functions that include pulse width modulation (PWM) and output power regulation. Half and full-wave AC source rectification and techniques for improving the resulting DC power characteristics are covered, including polyphase AC sources. AC voltage control with applications for induction motors is studied. DC-DC power conversion is examined, covering a variety of circuit architectures, with applications in feedback control. DC to AC power inversion and resulting power quality considerations are explored. The impacts of design decisions on power electronics systems, from micro- to megawatts, are demonstrated through numerical simulation. This course includes guest lectures, project work including case-studies and selected power system demonstrations.
ECE 3204, ECE 3501. Student who has previously received credit for ECE 3503 may not receive credit for ECE 4503.