Optimal Modulation and Control for Modern Power Electronic Systems (OPT4MORE)

This research, which will take place at the Power Electronics laboratory of the Tampere University, relates to the design, simulation and experimental verification of an optimal control and modulation strategy for power electronic systems, such as variable speed drives. The aim is to propose a novel connection between the worlds of nonconvex optimization, combinatorial optimization, optimal control, and embedded programming in the context of a real-world application. Such a method will operate the system at its physical limits while ensuring optimal system performance during both nominal and adverse conditions. As a result, the hardware requirements, such as the heatsink and the harmonic filter, can be reduced, leading to a significant improvement in the cost efficiency of power electronics. This allows for energy savings and thus contributes to making electrification cheaper, more widespread and sustainable.