Overview of Power Loss Measurement Techniques in Power Electronics Systems

Measuring power loss accurately is of great importance for power electronics systems design and for assessing system performance and reliability. This paper reviews various power loss measurement techniques in power electronics systems. A brief overview of electrical methods for loss measurements is given. Calorimetric methods, which are considered the most accurate of this purpose, are described along with their implementations. The pros and cons of various techniques are discussed and compared for estimating the losses in integrated power electronic modules

I. Introduction

The need of a quantitative knowledge of power loss in any power electronics system is self-evident. Due to the increasing use of power electronics in a wide range of applications, power loss measurement with high accuracy is of great importance in the design process to assess system performance and optimize design characteristics. Driven by recent advances toward integration, higher densities, and higher operating frequencies in power electronics systems, accurate estimates of power losses have become more important for proper thermal management and for ensuring reliable operation. Although sophisticated numerical modeling methods are often available to predict power losses, the validity of the models needs to be verified experimentally, particularly where complex loss mechanisms exist in some parts, for instance magnetic materials for power conversion.