A Condition Monitoring System for Power Semiconductors in Wind Energy Plants

Abstract:
Together with the increase of renewable energy power plants, the number of power converters in the field increases. These power converters are based on power semiconductors, usually IGBTs and diodes. Changes in temperature and humidity due to operational and environmental conditions result in a degradation of the semiconductors over time. To avoid unplanned downtimes a prediction of the remaining lifetime would be extremely helpful. For the longtime recording of all relevant data, a flexible measurement system was built. Currently, data is collected in an active, commercial wind park to identify events and conditions, which have a major impact on the degradation. Based on the measured data and reliability models a real-time algorithm can estimate the current lifetime consumption and can predict the still available life span. This paper presents first results.