Power Electronics - Simulate or Build?

I can clearly remember the frustration in the early days of my career in power electronics whereby my Ph.D. supervisor would routinely dismiss my simulation results and send me back to the power lab to build prototypes and make measurements.

Was he right to do this? On reflection I think he was but not because power electronics simulation is wrong. Simulation, used correctly, provides a huge productivity boost for power electronics development by reducing design risk early in a project. The opposite of this is also true in that simulation used incorrectly will give misleading results and reduce productivity.

The key aspect of successful simulation of power electronics is that the person undertaking the simulation should be in a position to question the models used, the results obtained and understand the way the simulation environment works. The best way to be in this position is to have as much experience of building real world hardware as possible. Without practical experience it is hard for somebody to question the validity of simulation results in any meaningful way.

The practical aspect of development of real hardware is a time consuming process which delivers results much more slowly than a simulation and often requires expensive lab equipment. It is, however, also one of the best learning curves you can undertake to improve your knowledge and capabilities. Simulation is tempting since the barriers to adoption are lower and 'results' can be achieved more quickly. However, simulation in the absence of proven practical design/build/test skills is unlikely to lead to a useful outcome which I guess is what my supervisor was trying to avoid.

At Electronic Minds we are fortunate to have a fantastic lab facility and a lot of experience designing real world power converters for demanding market applications such as telecoms, eMobility and energy. We are also experienced in the use of simulation tools such as PSpice and PLECS to de-risk and speed up our design process. The key point is that our simulations sit side by side with real hardware development with the combination providing the best route to successful project delivery.

In those early days, I found my supervisors dismissal of my simulation data to be frustrating. However, on reflection, I will always be grateful to him for encouraging me to take the harder path of building and testing real hardware. Combining great hands on design capability with amazing simulation tools now allows us to develop systems now that I could only have dreamed of as a student.

I wonder what my supervisor would say now if I presented simulation results to him?!

Do you need to develop a high performance power electronic system? If you would like to have a chat with us about how simulation can help speed the process then please send me a message directly.