Power Electronics
Overview
This unit of study aims to introduce the working principles of DC/DC converters, AC/DC rectifiers and DC/AC inverters and their applications in industrials. Furthermore, the basic introduction to control techniques, driving circuits, protection circuits is provided.
Requisites
Undergraduate
EEE20005 Electrical Machines
Postgraduate
Admission into the Master of Engineering Science nested suite
02-November-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Design, construct and assess power electronic systems, such as solar photovoltaic systems (K1, K2, K3, S1, S2)
- Use computer simulation tools to analyse power electronic systems (K1, K2, K3, S1, S2)
- Collect and analyse experimental data, interpret results, formulate conclusions and generate laboratory reports (K1, K2, S1, A2)
- Apply the basic concepts of power electronics to design the circuits in the fields of AC and DC drives, power generation and transmission and energy conversion (K1, K2, K3, S1, S2)
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-campus Lecture |
2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| Live Online Lecture |
1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| On-campus Class |
1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| On-campus Lab |
1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| Online Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning |
1.50 | 12 weeks | 18 |
| Unspecified Activities Independent Learning |
6.00 | 12 weeks | 72 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | Individual | 50 - 70% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Laboratory Report | Individual/Group | 30 - 50% | 2,3 |
Hurdle
As the minimum requirements of assessment to pass a unit and meet all Unit Learning Outcomes to a minimum standard, a student must achieve:
(i) an overall mark for the unit of 50% or more, and
(ii) must complete all laboratory work.
Students who do not successfully achieve hurdle requirement (ii) will receive a maximum of 45% as the total mark for the unit.
Content
- A revision of power semiconductor devices in the transistor, thyristor and hybrid families
- Driver and trigger circuits for power devices
- Protection of power semiconductor devices
- A revision of the principle of pulse width modulation and its advantages
- Switched mode power supplies
- A detailed study of modern AC and DC variable speed electrical machine drives
- Calculation of component ratings, power factor, utilisation factor, retrieval of energy etc. for a given application
- Principle of regenerative braking
- Application and implementation of closed loop control to machine drives
- The application of power electronics in modern power industrials, such as: solar energy and other sources of energy, battery technology, uninterruptible power supplies
- Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
- Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Collaboration and negotiation
- Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Teamwork roles and processes
- Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Information literacy
- Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Technical literacy
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.