Framework and Research Methodology of Short-Timescale Pulsed Power Phenomena in High-Voltage and High-Power Converters

Various short-timescale transients exist in power electronic converters, particularly in high-voltage and high-power systems. The timescales of these transients are from nanoseconds to microseconds, including a switching transition of power semiconductor devices, commutating processes, and drive signal transmissions. These transient processes directly affect the performance and reliability of power electronic systems. Therefore, it is necessary to study these short-timescale processes. Based on two high-power prototype power converters, a 6000-V/1250-kW three-level adjustable-speed drive and a 10-kW/600-V DC-DC converter, this paper studies the various abnormal behaviors of the converters that occurred during the operation of these converters. Dead bands and accumulated switching errors are also investigated. A combined microscopic pulsed power and macroscopic control strategy was proposed for the design of power electronic converters. Three new concepts for power electronic converters are introduced and validated in this paper: (1) sneak pulse; (2) energy dead band; and (3) transient commutating topology.