MODELING CONNECTIONS OF POWER ELECTRONICS APPLICATIONS - AN ALTERNATIVE TO FINITE-ELEMENT METHOD - THE PEEC METHOD

The design of power electronics static converters makes growing the ne ed of characterizing connections. This paper shows the model chosen fo r the cabling allowing to take into account its electrical characteris tics as well as the means to obtain it. Two approachs to calculate cha racteristics of equivalent circuit are compared: the finite element me thod, numerical one known in other areas for its precision and reliabi lity, and the PEEC method (Partial Element Equivalent Circuit), which is a semi-analytic method, particularly well adapted to this kind of p roblem. A comparison of these two methods with measurements for a simp le circuit shows the pertinence of the semi-analytic approach, and the possibility to use a finite element method which remains very time co nsuming. The calculus of electrical equivalent circuits corresponding to a more realistic example of connection is then achieved using the s emi-analytic method. The comparison with experimental results is encou raging.