Environmental Impact of Modular Power Electronics Systems Considering Diagnostic-Driven Unit Replacement.

Abstract:
The combination of modularity and diagnosability is a natural candidate for mitigating environmental impacts (EI) throughout the lifecycle. This article proposes a method for quantifying Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), tailored to a power electronics product composed of power devices and gate drivers. It considers the effects of both modularity and diagnosability on the repair with replacement units (RU). The results highlight that modularity and diagnosability are not relevant when several RU are subjected to failure almost concurently (typically wearout failures of similar components), and need to be replaced during the intented lifespan. However, their significance is notable for faults qualified as ”random” or ”early”, as these faults do not necessarily manifest throughout several RU. In certain situation involving this type of faults, system modularity and diagnostic accuracy can prove beneficial when implemented together, leading to a reduction in total EI over the service life, especially when considering mineral and metal ressource depletion.