PressPack

Guidelines have been proposed for test and qualification of materials, components and circuits aimed for reliable operation in liquid environment, and with pressure in the range 0 (vacuum) – 500 bar. The basis for the proposed guidelines has been:

• Prevailing standards such as IEC, with special attention to the relevant matters for pressure tolerant power electronics
• Gained experience and methodologies from the project
• Inputs from open literature, project partners and manufacturers
• Materials and components assumed to be essential for the converter power circuits.
• Focus on components found to be the most critical regarding liquid and pressurized environment such as power semiconductors and capacitors.
• Focus on electronics and sensors assumed to be located in the vicinity of the power components such as electronics for IGBT drivers and auxiliary power supplies and sensors for like voltage, current, temperature and humidity.
• Assuming the highest voltage rating currently on the market, such as 6.5 kV IGBT devices, also representative for high voltage converters with voltage ratings of several tens of kV.

Assessment of test and qualification methodologies for qualifying general control electronics, such as hardware electronics for the converter central control units was not part of the project scope of work.