Parameter Determination for Modeling System Transients—Part VII: Semiconductors

Power-electronics converters are presently used at all voltage levels. The representation of power converters and their control units in transient simulations may be made using different modeling levels, from a detailed representation of each semiconductor device to an average representation of the converter without explicitly modeling semiconductor devices at all. When semiconductors are included, data specification can be a critical step. Gathering data required to model power converters in transient simulations can be a difficult task. This paper deals with data requirements for modeling power semiconductors when using an EMTP-like tool. The document includes a summary of guidelines for modeling power converters, proposes a procedure for creating approximate semiconductor models and includes a detailed study of two common semiconductor devices. A discussion on the application of very detailed models using specialized software packages is also included.