Mathematical Models of the System-Level Safe Operational Areas of Power Electronic Converters in Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

With the development of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), power electronics plays an increasingly important role in electric power train systems. The economic and reliable design of these power electronic systems, e.g., dc/ac inverter and battery charger, will be the inward search to popularize electric vehicles. As an extension of system-level safe operational areas (SSOAs) proposed in our previous literature, this paper details the criteria and mathematical models of SSOA for a battery charger and a three-phase two-level dc/ac inverter. Operational areas were established based on the SSOA. Thermal characteristics of the semiconductor devices, operational modes, and load characteristics were enclosed to enhance the mathematical models. Experiments on a 5-kW charger and a 55-kW/380-VAC inverter validated the effectiveness of SSOA.