The Master’s degree:

The main goal of the Master’s Degree in “Electrical Energy Conversion and Power Systems” (EECPS Master) is the training of qualified staff in areas related to electrical energy management, emphasizing in power systems for renewable energies. The Master presents a double approach: scientific and professional. In the scientific thread, training focuses on the design of two main applications: Electrical Power Systems and Electrical and Hybrid Traction Systems. On the other hand, in the professional thread, training is focused on the management of electrical energy. Thus, the subjects of this thread have been designed attending to two main issues, such as the management of energy in large consumers and the generation and transmission of electrical energy in a liberalized market. Three main lines have been considered as keystones in the Master:

• Electrical Power Systems
• Electrical and Hybrid Vehicles
• Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies

The first semester:

The first semester is intended to provide a uniform level of knowledge among students with different basic training. This equalization term offers a set of optional courses designed to promote the homogenization among students' knowledge. The teaching committee will study every application form independently, selecting 27 ECTS credits for every student among the optional courses. The additional 3 ECTS are dedicated to a compulsory introductory subject, called “introduction to power systems, renewable energies, electrical traction and energy efficiency”.

The subject:

The subject is included in the first module of the master, called “Equalization” and introduces the basis of power electronic devices and converters, later to be used in the subjects: “Industrial Electronics in renewable energy generation systems”, “Power systems in Hybrid (HEV) and Electric (EV) Vehicles”, “Energy storing and recovering in power systems and HEV and EV”, “Flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) and HVDC” and “Applied simulation to HEV/EV”. It will focus in the application of the most appropriate techniques for power electronic conversion.

First, this subject will introduce the operating principles of the main power electronics devices, with special emphasis in those used in modern power converters (power diodes, power MOSFETs and IGBTs). The physical principles of operation of bipolar and unipolar electronics devices are addressed at the beginning of the study of the actual power devices in order to better understanding their main characteristics and limitations.

Second, this subject will describe the basic circuit topologies used for AC/DC, DC/DC, DC/AC and AC/AC conversion with special attention to the operation of the switching elements and their control. In this subject the basic concepts for modelling power loads and power supplies will be introduced. These concepts will later be used to carry out simulations of full power electronics systems.

The students must certify that they have passed basic skills and competences in electronics devices and circuits. This can be accomplished at his/her incoming student profile and CV.

Basic Competences:

CB6     Be original in the development and application of ideas, within a research environment.

CB7     Solution of problem in new and unfamiliar multidisciplinary environments, related to its knowledge area.

CB8     Integration of knowledge, facing the complexity of issuing judgments and sentences parting from some information that includes ethic and social liability constraints.

CB9     Ability of communicating justified decisions and conclusions, to specialized and unspecialized listeners.

CB10   Ability of autonomous learning.

Generic Competences:

CG3    Knowledge of the principal mathematic tools used in the analysis, modelling and simulation of power systems.

CG5    Critical analysis of the information coming from the sensing and instrumentation subsystems.

CG6    Asses the risks of the use of electrical energy, as well as those of industrial installations, understanding the necessity of safety elements, protections and signalling in power systems.

CG7    Practical and experimental verification of monitoring and controlling electrical energy conversion systems, including safety operation of electric systems.

CG9    Skills related to teamwork, recognizing different roles within a group and different ways of organizing research teams.

CG10  Ability to manage information: search, analysis and synthesis of the specific technical information.

CG11  Ability to assimilate and communicate information in English concerning technical

CG12  Ability to plan and organize work.

CG13  Skills for critical reasoning, making decisions and making judgments based on information that include reflecting on social and ethical responsibilities of professional activity.

CG14  Concern for quality and achievement motivation.

Specific Competences:

CE2     Characterization and modelling of the main energy sources and electric power loads.

CE5     Characterization, operation and design of electronic topologies and control methods for electric energy conversion.

CE6     Identification of the main characteristics, design strategies and the constructive elements and materials of the Electrical Power Systems.

CE8     Acquire the basic knowledge of power electronics to analyse and design electrical power systems.

CE11   Acquire the knowledge of power electronics needed to analyse and design electrical and hybrid traction systems.

Learning Outcomes:

RA54   Understanding the basic principles of power electronics conversion, as well as the operating principle of the main power devices (semiconductor, passive, control, etc.).

RA55   Manage specific software simulation and modeling of devices and electronic circuits and specific laboratory equipment.

RA57   Select electronic components and basic configuration most appropriate given operating conditions required.

RA58   Select, model and analyze the operation of most power electronic devices used depending on specific applications, taking into account also all the auxiliary equipment required for this operation (drivers, snubbers, etc.).

RA59   Application of the most appropriate techniques for power electronic conversion, basic configurations and switching elements, conversion and control.

RA60   Integrate knowledge previously viewed by selecting the appropriate topology and components with a given power application.

RA61   Manage specific software simulation of electronic circuits and specific laboratory equipment.

RA62: Basic modelling of power loads and power supplies to carry out simulations of a full power electronics system.

Contents of the subject:

Power Electronic Devices part:

• Review of the physical principles of operation of semiconductor devices:
  • Basic concepts about semiconductor materials: band diagrams, intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors, mechanisms for electric current conduction and continuity equation and its use in simple steady-state and transient situations.
  • Basic concepts about PN junctions: Equilibrium conditions, forward- and reverse-biased operation and calculation of the current flow when biased.
  • Reverse-biased voltage limits of PN junctions.
  • Transient effects in PN junctions in switching-mode operation.
  • Metal-semiconductor junctions.
  • PIN junctions.
  • Conductivity modulation.
• Thermal management in power semiconductor devices:
  • Equivalent electric circuits for thermal phenomena.
  • Basic calculations in steady-state.
  • Introduction to the transient thermal models.
• Power diodes:
  • Internal structure
  • Static characteristics.
  • Dynamic characteristics.
  • Thermal characteristics.
  • Schottky diodes.
• Power MOSFETs:
  • Internal structure
  • Static characteristics.
  • Dynamic characteristics and parasitic capacitances.
  • Switching-mode operation.
  • Drivers for source-grounded and source-floating power MOSFETs.
• Power IGBTs:
  • Equivalent circuits based on BJTs and MOSFETs.
  • Internal structure.
  • Parasitic active devices inside a IGBT.
  • Static characteristics.
  • Dynamic characteristics.
  • Switching-mode operation.
  • Drivers for IGBTs.
• High-power, low-frequency semiconductor devices (thyristors):
  • The SCR: internal structure and equivalent circuit based on BJTs.
  • Gate triggering of SCRs.
  • Static and dynamic characteristics of SCRs.
  • Drivers for SCRs.

Power Electronic Circuits part:

• AC / DC converters
  • Topologies and power levels
  • Single-phase / three-phase rectifiers (D, Y, etc.)
• DC / AC conversion
  • based on transistors
    • Inverter Square wave + filter
    • Inverter resonant
    • Inverter PWM
  • Three-phase inverters
• DC / DC conversion
  • topologies and power levels
  • DC regulators
  • high frequency topologies
    • topologies in terms of number of switches
    • topologies with and without galvanic isolation

Learning methodology:

This subject has been identified as type A in the programme guide (verification report). Type A subjects are marked as theoretical modules and thus have an important amount of invested work during the lectures classes. Learning methodology will be based on Lectures as well as on Exercises and problem resolution.

Hours per topic:

If online sessions were mandatory due to any concern surrounding a health emergency, these fact doesn´t change both the learning methodology and the hours per topic scheduled for the subject. Lectures and Exercises will be lectured by using Microsoft Teams, eCampus, Skype or similar software.

These are the values for the evaluation of the students. If online assessment was mandatory due to any concern surrounding a health emergency, these values doesn´t change:

For this subject the exact percentages have been determined as described below. The assessment of the subject will be divided in two parts: Power Electronic Devices part and Power Electronic Circuits part. These two parts will be exactly evaluated. The percentages referred to the final grade of each part will be:

• A written exam of each part: (30% PED part and 20% PEC part). A minimum score of 4/10 of each test is needed to pass the subject.
• Assignment of each part to be presented before the final exam: 20-15% documentation + 5%. The 2 projects will consist in a report and a short presentation (15’). The projects could include topics from all the topics of this subject. A minimum score of 4/10 of each assessment is needed to pass the subject (i.e. report and presentation of each part).
• Attendance to lectures and active participation will be graded up to 10%.

If online assessment was mandatory due to any concern surrounding a health emergency, these values doesn´t change, all evaluation systems will be carried out by using Microsoft Teams, eCampus, Skype or similar software.

[1] N. Mohan, T. M. Undeland and W. P. Robbins, "Power Electronics: Converters, Applications and Design". John Wiley and Sons. ISBN:0-471-50537-4.

[2] J. G. Kassakian, M. F. Schlecht and G. C. Verghese, “Principles of Power Electronics”. Addison Wesley. ISBN:0-201-09689-7.

[3] R. W. Erickson and D. Maksimovic, "Fundamentals of Power Electronics". Kluwer Academic Publishers. ISBN:0-412-08541-0.

[4] M. H. Rashid, "Power Electronics, Circuits, Devices and Applications".  Prentice Hall. ISBN:0-125-81650-2.

[5] B. G. Streetmam and S. Banerjee, “Solid State electronic devices. Prentice Hall. ISBN:0-13-025538-6.

Papers:

[6] B. J. Baliga, “Evolution of MOS-Bipolar Power Semiconductor Technology”. Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol. 76, NO.4, April 1988, pp. 409-418.

[7] B. J. Baliga, “Power Semiconductor Devices for Variable-Frequency Drives”. Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol. 82, NO.8, August 1994, pp. 1112-1122.

[8] B. J. Baliga, “The Future of Power Semiconductor Device Technology”. Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol. 89, NO.6, June 2001, pp. 822-832.