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The control of interleaved converters is commonly implemented through pulsewith modulation (PWM) techniques. A common element in these implementations is the use of phase shift between carriers to improve the system performance. When working with a balanced system, this phase shift is equally distributed between modules, but for an unbalanced system, this is no longer the best alternative. Changing the phase shift in these controllers requires the implementation of new capabilities in the control platforms, and for the controller to manage more variables of different nature. On the other hand, finite control set model predictive control (FCS-MPC) has shown to be a promising control strategy, especially when managing multiple control objectives of different natures or dynamics. In general, FCS-MPC does not present a fixed switching pattern, but this issue has been recently addressed with the so called period control approach (PCA). This article expands on the PCA-FCS-MPC to achieve the switching phase regulation for interleaved dc/dc power converters. A switching pattern similar to that of PWM techniques is achieved, while keeping the advantages of FCS-MPC and achieving the phase shift required for interleaved operation. Simulation and experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Electrification is a mega-trend in the modern economy, urged by the need for a more ecological and sustainable impact of new technologies, among many other merits related to the process of electrification. The widespread adoption of renewable energy, transportation electrification, energy storage systems and smart manufacturing is remarkable. As a result, power electronics has become the critical enabling technology for improving energy efficiency and sustainability. In recent years, the reliability of power electronic equipment has been under scrutiny, especially in mission-critical applications of power electronics converters. Recently, special attention has been paid to the development of lifetime models of the main electronic components, which could then be applied to probabilistic analysis based on the mission profile of system-level reliability. Redundancy has been the typical approach to improve the availability of mission critical power electronic systems, which could be associated with considerable extra cost. Fault-tolerant converters were proposed as a more cost-effective alternative solution that could also extend the service life. A further step could be taken with the application of real-time condition monitoring of systems, which has evolved into the concepts of predictive and prescriptive maintenance that allows for prediction and mitigation of faults. These techniques are under active development and are expected to benefit from new methods and technologies from rapidly progressing areas of artificial intelligence and digital twin. This paper provides a detailed overview on the recent trends and advances in the field of high-reliability power electronics systems.

The global shift toward the electrified transportation as a means of achieving decarbonized economy has led to an increase in the demand of electric vehicles. In order to enhance the transition, there is a need to develop fast and ultrafast charging substations. Hence, power converters play an inherently vital role in the mass adoption of electric vehicles. However, the reliability and active maintenance scheduling of these converters are becoming prominent issues for manufacturers and operators. As a result, optimization of the operation of an interleaved dc/dc converter present in the charging poles plays a significant role. This article proposes an alternative modulation technique for interleaved dc/dc power converters of fast chargers aiming to improve the harmonic performance of the common dc-link capacitor current. This technique leads to an extension of lifetime of the capacitor, which is one of the most critical component of the power system. Experimental results are shown in order to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.