How to Simulate Power Converters Using MATLAB Simulink?

Modern power electronics systems frequently have complex designs and are crucial to the dependability and safety of the environments they are intended to operate in. Simulation is the only approach to forecast their performance because of its internal components' intricate relationships and behaviours.

What Are Power Converters?

An electrical circuit classified as a power converter can regulate energy flow from the source to the different components of the circuit. A converter consists of the following parts:

• Minimum-loss capacitors, inductors, and transformers
• Diodes and MOSFETs.
  

How Can We Simulate Power Electronic Systems?

Power electronic systems are typically simulated using one of two methods:

• The first is fixed topology, in which semiconductors have low or high impedances depending on whether they are on or off. The semiconductor's state has no bearing on the equations system. Despite being straightforward, this method creates issues with striking a balance between the stability of numerical integration methods and the precision of the findings.
• The second, called changeable topology, treats switches as open or short circuits. The state of the semiconductor is then a factor in the system equations. There are no accuracy issues; however, creating the equations for various configurations and determining the semiconductor's switching conditions can be time-consuming.

Why Modeling and Simulation Are Necessary for Power Electronics Converters?

Due to the nonlinear behaviour of the power semiconductors and the various magnitudes of the circuit's time constants, this element's interaction is complicated. Due to its complexity, simulating the behaviour of power-electronic systems before prototyping is the only option.

What Aspects Are Examined in a Power Electronics Simulation?

Different regulators and other power systems require distinct designs and simulations to guarantee that components are correctly chosen. 

Generally speaking, any power electronics system must be simulated concerning the following elements:

• An average voltage or current: The system's incoming and outgoing voltages/currents can be compared to calculate the power transfer characteristics of your design.
• Buck: Different topologies of switching DC-DC converters and PFC circuits offer buck (step-down) or boost (step-up) capability. You must confirm that the output alters as the duty cycle varies in accordance with the recommended formulas for your converter architecture.
• Ripple: A flat DC output cannot be achieved by Power Factor Correction (PFC) circuits, switching regulators, rectifiers, or others. When switching or rectifying elements are included in the circuit, the output will ripple. Regular ripple measurement uses the average output voltage/current to calculate its percentage.
• Linearity: Power electronics systems will have a specific range where the relationship between the input and output is linear. As you need to analyse the least load (i.e., the biggest current) that can be connected to the system, this should be simulated for various loads.

What is MATLAB Simulink?

The programming environment MATLAB was created especially for scientists and engineers. It is applied to data analysis, algorithm development, model and application creation. Combining graphical and textual programming to develop your system in a simulation environment is possible using MATLAB and Simulink.

Making input data sets for simulations and running thousands of simulations concurrently are possible with MATLAB. The data can then be analysed and visualised in MATLAB. You may design and execute digital control for power converters, motors, and battery systems with the aid of Simulink for Power Electronics Control Design.

Users prefer this tool as it is quick, simple, and dependable. However, it could produce minor problems once the hardware is implemented.

When it comes to power electronics, MATLAB is superior to PSPICE or ORCAD for just electronic circuits.

How is MATLAB Simulink Beneficial for Simulation Purposes?

The highly potent control tools available in the MATLAB environment are well recognised. Through the Sim2Sim module, Simplorer may use these tools to expand its control repertoire. Simplorer can implement the common controllers used in power electronics because of this functionality. 

Finally, PSpice is a subpar alternative to simulation since its control functions are few and more challenging to install. Simplorer is the easiest to use, whereas MATLAB-Simulink is the most challenging. 

If you wish to know the differences between MATLAB and Simulink, click here. 

Conclusion

The above discussion concluded that a circuit simulator is designed specifically for power electronics to facilitate the greatest designing ease. MATLAB Simulink does a great job simulating the circuit's power and control elements. These simulators are also user-friendly, have quick execution times, and are numerically reliable. Skill-Lync offers many courses for electrical engineers through which we teach how to perform simulations using MATLAB and Simulink.

Enroll and get access to our course.