IEEE Power Electronics Magazine - December 2022 - 27

developed a magnetic component testing system with up
to 20 kV and 200 kHz voltage pulse. The total power
capacity is 20 kVA which could be further extended by
upgrading the cooling system.
Figure 4 shows the circuit configuration of the testing
system. It uses the dc source to control the transformer's
peak voltage and a high-voltage power electronic converter
to regulate the power flowing through the transformer.
By adjusting the control strategy, the voltage
and current level, shape, and ringing can be precisely
controlled, which emulates the electrical stresses with
realistic features. Moreover, with additional environmental
chamber, it can emulate different climate conditions.
Further, the measurement system can obtain the
key parameters during the test, including the voltage,
current, and thermal signals. In the control panel, they
are further calculated as the BH curve, power loss, temperature
response, etc. Overall, the system can offer the
testing of medium and high-frequency transformers at the
rated voltage and power level.
Converter-Level Application-Oriented
Reliability Testing
Mission Profile-Based Photovoltaics (PV) Emulator
A mission profile is a simplified representation of relevant
conditions to which the items of interest will be exposed
in their intended application throughout the full life cycle
of the components [12]. Various industry reliability testing
standards and quality assurance protocols are reviewed in
[13]. The overall goal of the PV mission profile emulator is
to emulate the long-term or representative operating conditions
(e.g., electrical and thermal parameters) of PV
inverters at normal or accelerated conditions. In field
operation, the solar irradiance and ambient temperature
will determine the electrical characteristic of the PV
arrays. Moreover, the ambient temperature also affects
the PV inverter's power loss and thermal stress. Thus, on
the input side, the mission profile emulator needs to be
able to replicate the electrical characteristics of the PV
arrays (e.g., power-voltage curve) under a given solar irradiance
and ambient temperature conditions. Moreover,
for the PV inverters with outdoor installation, the ambient
temperature should also be emulated during the test. The
PV inverters usually connect to the grid through the output
filters on the ac side. Thus, the mission profile emulator
also emulates ac grids with various normal and
abnormal conditions. A measurement system is also
needed to obtain parameters such as electrical and thermal
characteristics during the test. For example, the input
and output voltage and current are typically monitored to
measure efficiency and power quality. Meanwhile, the
thermal stress parameters, such as local temperatures, are
usually required for reliability consideration.
FIG 4 Circuit architecture of the proposed 20 kV/200 kHz magnetic component testing system.
December 2022 z IEEE POWER ELECTRONICS MAGAZINE 27

IEEE Power Electronics Magazine - December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power Electronics Magazine - December 2022