Reliability Analysis and Failure Mode Effects of a Modular Multilevel Pulse Generator

Pulse power supplies (PPSs) at high voltage are the main part of pulsed electric field applications. Due to the producing high voltage and fast switching speed, these PPSs have high sensitivity in design and operation. Consequently, first, it is necessary to specify the failure mode and effect analysis, then determine the reliability and its evaluation to obtain the mean time to failure of the PPS. In this paper, the general structure of a modular multilevel pulse power generator is used to depict the failure modes of PPS and the effects of that. Afterward, a comprehensive reliability analysis for the proposed converter's short-circuits and open-circuit failure scenarios is provided. To evaluate the system model in fault scenarios, the Markov model is used and the derated operational states are detailed and described in the reliability analysis. Finally, the plots of reliability by MATLAB software are presented to conclude the evaluation of each operating mode.

I. Introduction

Nowadays, pulse power supplies (PPSs) are widely used in various industries. Pulse power generators (PPG) are used in a variety of applications, including medicinal, environmental, and industrial [1]. In addition, features such as compression, high efficiency, higher reliability, longer life, higher control, quicker switching frequency, and so on have become available as a result of the development of power electronics and the usage of semiconductor switches in PPGs[2], [3].