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
OR
RME20001 Electrical Actuators and Sensors
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Face to Face Contact (Phasing out) Lecture | 3.00 | 12 weeks | 36 |
| Face to Face Contact (Phasing out) Tutorial | 1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| Face to Face Contact (Phasing out) Laboratory | 1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out) Independent Learning | 7.50 | 12 weeks | 90 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment | Individual | 5 - 10% | 1,4 |
| Examination | Individual | 50 - 60% | 1,4 |
| Laboratory Report | Group | 30 - 45% | 2,3 |
Hurdle
As the minimum requirements of assessment to pass a unit and meet all ULOs to a minimum standard, an undergraduate student must have achieved:
(i) an overall mark for the unit of 50% or more, and(ii) at least 40% in the final exam, and(iii) must complete all laboratory workStudents who do not successfully achieve hurdle requirements (ii) and (iii) 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
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.