Tutorial

Recent Advances and Applications of Power Electronics and Motor Drives

Professor Bimal K. Bose
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
The University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-2100
E-mail: bbose@utk.edu

Abstract: The technology of power electronics and motor drives has gone through dynamic evolution during the last three decades because of many innovations in power semiconductor devices, converter circuits, PWM methods, analytical and simulation techniques, electrical machines, motor drives, advanced control techniques, digital signal processors and ASIC chips. It has now grown as a vast, highly complex and multi-disciplinary technology. The technology advancement along with the reduction of cost and size has promoted extensive applications of power electronics in residential, industrial, commercial, aerospace, military and utility systems. Power electronics is playing a key role in the global industrialization of the 21st century. Power electronics also plays an important role in energy saving by efficient utilization of electricity. In the highly emphasized environmentally clean renewable energy systems, such as wind, photovoltaic and fuel cells, the role of power electronics is very significant. It is also important for electric and hybrid vehicles. It appears that the role of power electronics in future will tend to be as important as that of information technology today.

The advanced state-of-the-art tutorial will give a broad and comprehensive overview and recent advances of the technology. After an introduction covering the importance and inter-disciplinary nature of the technology, broad application areas will be highlighted. Then, recent advances in power semiconductor devices, converter topologies, machines, drives, advanced control techniques, simulation and digital signal processors will be reviewed. The applications of converters and drives will be illustrated by a number of modern installations around the world. The advances and trends of the technology will be highlighted, wherever possible. Finally, a conclusion and future prognosis of the technology will be given.