Power electronics is a new and growing area in electrical engineering. Recent advances in high power devices permit the control and flow of electric energy efficiently. The digital nature of power switching devices makes the control of electric power switching circuits convenient with microcomputer control. Power electronics has wide spread applications in today’s industry such as power supplies, variable speed drives, transportation, etc.

This introductory course is intended to familiarize the engineering students with major aspects of power electronics. Basic theoretical methods of calculation and design of important power electronic circuits such as ac voltage controllers, ac to dc uncontrolled and controlled rectifiers, dc to dc choppers, dc to ac inverters and power supplies will be covered.

Power electronics softwares such as Pspice will be used to simulate the behavior of different topologies.

The laboratory experiments are designed to give a hands on operation and control of power electronics converters.

1. Introduction to power electronics
2. Power Semiconductor Diodes
3. Diode Circuits and Rectifiers
4. Thyristors, Controlled Rectifiers
5. AC Voltage Controllers
6. Thyristors Commutation Techniques
7. Power Transistors
8. DC Choppers
9. Pulse-Width-Modulated Inverters
10. Resonant Pulse Converters

1. Switching behavior of power semiconductor devices; report required. (2 weeks)
2. Diode rectifier circuits; report required. (2 weeks)
3. Controlled Rectifier Circuits; report required. (2 weeks)
4. AC voltage controllers; report required. (2 weeks)
5. Buck and boost converter; report required. (2 weeks)
6. PWM inverters; report required. (2 weeks)