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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering

Constraint-Aware, Scalable, And Efficient Algorithms For Multi-Chip Power Module Layout Optimization, Imam Al Razi Aug 2022

Constraint-Aware, Scalable, And Efficient Algorithms For Multi-Chip Power Module Layout Optimization, Imam Al Razi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Moving towards an electrified world requires ultra high-density power converters. Electric vehicles, electrified aerospace, data centers, etc. are just a few fields among wide application areas of power electronic systems, where high-density power converters are essential. As a critical part of these power converters, power semiconductor modules and their layout optimization has been identified as a crucial step in achieving the maximum performance and density for wide bandgap technologies (i.e., GaN and SiC). New packaging technologies are also introduced to produce reliable and efficient multichip power module (MCPM) designs to push the current limits. The complexity of the emerging MCPM …


Nonmetallic Jet Impingement Thermal Management For Power Electronics Via Additive Manufacturing, Reece Whitt Dec 2021

Nonmetallic Jet Impingement Thermal Management For Power Electronics Via Additive Manufacturing, Reece Whitt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The increase in energy demanded by transportation and energy sectors has necessitated highly efficient thermal management for reliable power electronics operations. Conventional cooling techniques are limited by their inability to target switching location hot spot temperatures, leading to non-uniform thermal gradients. These devices, such as cold plates and heat sinks, also utilize heavy metallic structures that can accentuate electromagnetic interferences generated by high voltage switching processes. This work proposes a non-metallic jet impingement cooler for more customized thermal management, while simultaneously reducing the harmful effects of electromagnetic interferences. Additive manufacturing is utilized to enable jet impingement zones to target individual …


Mission Profile Effects On Automotive Drivetrain Electronics Reliability: Modeling And Mitigation, Bakhtiyar Mohammad Nafis Dec 2021

Mission Profile Effects On Automotive Drivetrain Electronics Reliability: Modeling And Mitigation, Bakhtiyar Mohammad Nafis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The reliability of electronic devices is dependent upon the conditions to which they are subject. Temperature variations coupled with differences in thermal expansion between bonded materials results in thermomechanical stresses to build up, which can instigate failure in the interconnects or other critical regions. With the move towards electrification in the automotive industry, there is the increasingly important consideration of powertrain electronics reliability, the pertinent conditions being governed by the drive cycle or mission profile of the vehicle. The mission profile determines the power dissipated by the electronic devices, which determines the peak and mean temperature, temperature swing and the …


Performance And Economics Of Solar Inverters And Module Level Power Electronics In A 1 Mw Photovoltaic System, Maxwell Criswell May 2021

Performance And Economics Of Solar Inverters And Module Level Power Electronics In A 1 Mw Photovoltaic System, Maxwell Criswell

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Photovoltaic solar panels convert sunlight to electricity in the form of direct current; therefore, a necessary component of every photovoltaic system is an inverter to convert the electricity to usable alternating current. There are various commercially available inverter technologies manufactured today such as microinverters, string inverters, and central inverters, as well as module level power electronic devices such as DC optimizers that are capable of improving system performance in string and central inverter systems. This thesis compares the performance and economics of five different inverter and module level power electronic systems through model simulation using Helioscope software. The five alternatives …


Development Of A Rapid Fatigue Life Testing Method For Reliability Assessment Of Flip-Chip Solder Interconnects, Cody Jackson Marbut Dec 2018

Development Of A Rapid Fatigue Life Testing Method For Reliability Assessment Of Flip-Chip Solder Interconnects, Cody Jackson Marbut

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The underlying physics of failure are critical in assessing the long term reliability of power packages in their intended field applications, yet traditional reliability determination methods are largely inadequate when considering thermomechanical failures. With current reliability determination methods, long test durations, high costs, and a conglomerate of concurrent reliability degrading threat factors make effective understanding of device reliability difficult and expensive. In this work, an alternative reliability testing apparatus and associated protocol was developed to address these concerns; targeting rapid testing times with minimal cost while preserving fatigue life prediction accuracy. Two test stands were fabricated to evaluate device reliability …


Comparative Study Of Power Semiconductor Devices In A Multilevel Cascaded H-Bridge Inverter, Kenneth Mordi Dec 2018

Comparative Study Of Power Semiconductor Devices In A Multilevel Cascaded H-Bridge Inverter, Kenneth Mordi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis compares the performance of a nine-level transformerless cascaded H-bridge (CHB) inverter with integrated battery energy storage system (BESS) using SiC power MOSFETs and Si IGBTs. Two crucial performance drivers for inverter applications are power loss and efficiency. Both of these are investigated in this thesis. Power devices with similar voltage and current ratings are used in the same inverter topology, and the performance of each device is analyzed with respect to switching frequency and operating temperature. The loss measurements and characteristics within the inverter are discussed. The Saber® simulation software was used for the comparisons. The power MOSFET …


Intelligent Application Of Flexible Ac Transmission System Components In An Evolving Power Grid, Robert Wall Dec 2018

Intelligent Application Of Flexible Ac Transmission System Components In An Evolving Power Grid, Robert Wall

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The world revolves around energy and the energy sector is continually transforming and evolving. The status quo has been set by governing agencies in the United States for completely reliable power. The demand for energy efficiency continually rises for multiple reasons. Technology has improved for all sectors of the power grid, including renewable energy sources, fault protection, and SMART grid technology. The addition of new energy sources has led to the decommissioning of inefficient energy sources. The implementation of new technologies and power load on a large scale, coupled with the removal of grid stabilizers has posed different challenges that …


System-Layout-Dependent Thermally Induced Solder Stress & Reliability Implications, Ange C. Iradukunda May 2017

System-Layout-Dependent Thermally Induced Solder Stress & Reliability Implications, Ange C. Iradukunda

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Electronic flip chip assemblies consist of dissimilar component materials, which exhibit different CTE. Under thermal cyclic operating conditions, this CTE mismatch produces interfacial and interconnect stresses, which are highly dependent on system layout. In this paper, sensitivity analyses are performed using ANSYS FEA to establish how the proximity and arrangement of neighboring devices affect interconnect stress. Flip chip alignment modes ranging from edge-to-edge to corner-to-corner are studied. Results of these FEA studies, demonstrated that closely packing devices together has the effect of making them act as one. This results in a significant increase in the thermomechanical stresses induced on peripheral …


Selective Resistive Sintering: A Novel Additive Manufacturing Process, Austin Bryan Van Horn Dec 2016

Selective Resistive Sintering: A Novel Additive Manufacturing Process, Austin Bryan Van Horn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Selective laser sintering (SLS) is one of the most popular 3D printing methods that uses a laser to pattern energy and selectively sinter powder particles to build 3D geometries. However, this printing method is plagued by slow printing speeds, high power consumption, difficulty to scale, and high overhead expense. In this research, a new 3D printing method is proposed to overcome these limitations of SLS. Instead of using a laser to pattern energy, this new method, termed selective resistive sintering (SRS), uses an array of microheaters to pattern heat for selectively sintering materials. Using microheaters offers significant power savings, significantly …


Industrial Energy Consumption, Benchmarking, And Analysis In The United States, Daniel Maldonado Dec 2015

Industrial Energy Consumption, Benchmarking, And Analysis In The United States, Daniel Maldonado

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the energy consumption of the industrial sector in the United States, and to identify the tools that can be used to minimize the consumption and improve the energy efficiency of all facilities in the country. The first part of the paper is a historical analysis of the industrial sector energy consumption, where the different energy sources are identified. The second part details different electronic tools that will provide facilities the ability of performing benchmarking, in order to understand their energy performance. Finally, the third part of this paper provides information about the …


Experimental Verification And Integration Of A Next Generation Smart Power Management System, Tavis Clemmer May 2015

Experimental Verification And Integration Of A Next Generation Smart Power Management System, Tavis Clemmer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the increase in energy demand by the residential community in this country and the diminishing fossil fuel resources being used for electric energy production there is a need for a system to efficiently manage power within a residence. The Smart Green Power Node (SGPN) is a next generation energy management system that automates on-site energy production, storage, consumption, and grid usage to yield the most savings for both the utility and the consumer. Such a system automatically manages on-site distributed generation sources such as a PhotoVoltaic (PV) input and battery storage to curtail grid energy usage when the price …


A Study On The Effects Of Solar Power, Jonathan Hayes May 2012

A Study On The Effects Of Solar Power, Jonathan Hayes

Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The utilization of new and alternative energy sources, specifically solar energy, has been on the rise and will continue to grow as we attempt to diminish our use and dependency on older, nonrenewable energy sources. One of the biggest challenges involved with the use of solar energy, or renewable energy in general, is how to provide this energy for general public use. Some of the limiting factors to this are the efficiency in which solar power can be harvested and converted into usable energy, and the cost of the technology to do this. Recent technological developments have included the microinverter, …