Power electronics

What are power electronics?

Power electronics lie at the heart of many products. They are what makes it possible to charge your electric car with electricity from your solar panels or carry out an MRI scan. You can find them in the control systems for train engines and wind farms. In short, power electronics are all around us.

Solderen vermogens elektronica

What do power electronics do?

You can charge your laptop and your car from the same electrical grid, but each of them needs a completely different level of power. Power electronics allow us to switch, control and convert the energy flow. This holds just as true for consumer products (such as adapters and induction stoves) as for industrial applications (such as induction heating and motor control) and even high-voltage engineering.

The efficiency of power electronics is often higher than 95%, so very little power is lost in the switch. They are readily scalable, lightning-fast, compact, flexible and reliable even in harsh environmental conditions.

Electronics inspection with thermal camera Electronics inspection with thermal camera

Power electronics applications and tech:

Applications of power electronics

  • Chargers
  • Back-up power supply
  • Motor control (direct-drive brushless motors)
  • High-voltage power supply
  • Power Factor Correctors (PFC)
  • Switched-mode power supply
  • Wireless charging
  • Wireless power transfer
  • Induction heating
  • Joule heating
  • Resonant converters
  • Ultracapacitor charger

Interfaces

  • Analogue control
  • Digital control (microcontrollers, DSP, FPGAs)
  • Digital interfaces (Ethernet, EtherCAT, Modbus, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.)
  • Single-phase mains supply
  • Three-phase mains supply

Type circuits

  • Flyback converters
  • Resonant converters
  • Forward converters
  • Buck converters
  • Boost converters
  • Multilevel converters
  • Full bridges
  • Dual-active bridges (DABs)
  • Charge pumps
  • Resonance-charge pumps
  • Amplifiers (classes A, AB, D and E)
  • Isolated power supply

Interfaces

  • Digital electronics
  • Embedded software
  • Cooling
  • Control technology (analogue and digital)
  • Inductive component development
Designing power electronics

Power electronics: design for manufacturability

I follow the "design for manufacturability" principle. I already have the final serial product in mind in the development phase. My aim is to create an end product that is safe, works perfectly and can be manufactured efficiently at a reasonable price. For example, I strive to keep things simple and production and distribution timelines short. Focusing on this from the beginning saves money and requires fewer prototypes.

Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)

Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)

EMC is an important aspect of electronic development. The European EMC Directive establishes strict requirements for electromagnetic compatibility. These requirements are specific to each product, as the potential for interference depends on the application and location of use. EMC-proof design therefore necessitates in-depth knowledge of technology and physical processes.

I map out the EMC requirements for each product in the development phase. My ample experience in this area means that my designs never come up short. EMC testing can often be conducted on the first prototype.

Power electronics design: robust, reliable and efficient

Does your product have a plug or a battery? Does it control a motor, for example? If so, it contains power electronics. They can be found in a very wide range of products. It is a complex field: a single circuit board can have over a thousand components. All of them need to work perfectly to create a reliable and sound end product. This is why there are several key aspects to my working method.

Electronics qualification with multimeter Electronics qualification with multimeter

Power electronics design

  • Robust design The product must remain functional even in suboptimal conditions. In the design phase, I test it in optimal conditions, but also in poor ones (worst-case design). If it can operate under these circumstances, you know that it will not let you down.
  • Cooling Power electronics circuits generate heat, especially at high voltages, making active cooling systems essential. The concept phase is where we decide how we are going to tackle this issue: with an effective cooling system or by striving to maximise efficiency to minimise waste heat.
  • Safety The safety requirements for the product lie at the core of the design process. Product safety requirements are front and centre in the design process. As a result, the first prototype is often ready for safety testing and (pre-)certification with marks such as CE, UL, CSA and VDE.
  • Compact design Power electronics can be found in large-scale industrial applications and in products that fit in the palm of your hand. The form factor can be relevant. Smart conceptual, topological and component choices allow me to make the design as compact as necessary without sacrificing functionality.
  • Product lifetime Power electronics can significantly extend the lifetime of a product, for example, by charging batteries in a smarter way or switching voltages with negligible losses. We define the desired lifetime in advance and I make sure that the end product hits that target.
  • Cost The product must be profitable. I keep the business case of the end product in mind at all times. I only work with off-the-shelf and, whenever possible, standard products, so the design always results in a competitive product.

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Anton Driessen vermogenselektronica specialist