Page 12 - Rashid, Power Electronics Handbook

Preface

Introduction modern microelectronics has evolved over the years from these
silicon semiconductors. The second electronics revolution
The purpose of Power Electronics Handbook is to provide a began with the development of a commercial thyristor by
reference that is both concise and useful for engineering the General Electric Company in 1958. That was the beginning
students and practicing professionals. It is designed to cover of a new era of power electronics. Since then, many different
a wide range of topics that make up the ®eld of power types of power semiconductor devices and conversion tech-
electronics in a well-organized and highly informative niques have been introduced.
manner. The Handbook is a careful blend of both traditional The demand for energy, particularly in electrical forms, is
topics and new advancements. Special emphasis is placed on ever-increasing in order to improve the standard of living.
practical applications, thus, this Handbook is not a theoretical Power electronics helps with the ef®cient use of electricity,
one, but an enlightening presentation of the usefulness of the thereby reducing power consumption. Semiconductor devices
rapidly growing ®eld of power electronics. The presentation is are used as switches for power conversion or processing, as are
tutorial in nature in order to enhance the value of the book to solid state electronics for ef®cient control of the amount of
the reader and foster a clear understanding of the material. power and energy ¯ow. Higher ef®ciency and lower losses are
The contributors to this Handbook span the globe, with sought for devices for a range of applications, from microwave
®fty-four authors from twelve different countries, some of ovens to high-voltage dc transmission. New devices and power
whom are the leading authorities in their areas of expertise. All electronic systems are now evolving for even more effective
were chosen because of their intimate knowledge of their control of power and energy.
subjects, and their contributions make this a comprehensive Power electronics has already found an important place in
state-of-the-art guide to the expanding ®eld of power electro- modern technology and has revolutionized control of power
nics and its applications covering: and energy. As the voltage and current ratings and switching
characteristics of power semiconductor devices keep improv-
the characteristics of modern power semiconductor ing, the range of applications continues to expand in areas
devices, which are used as switches to perform the such as lamp controls, power supplies to motion control,
power conversions from ac-dc, dc-dc, dc-ac, and ac-ac; factory automation, transportation, energy storage, multi-
both the fundamental principles and in-depth study of megawatt industrial drives, and electric power transmission
the operation, analysis, and design of various power and distribution. The greater ef®ciency and tighter control
converters; and features of power electronics are becoming attractive for
examples of recent applications of power electronics. applications in motion control by replacing the earlier
electro-mechanical and electronic systems. Applications in
power transmission include high-voltage dc (VHDC) conver-
ter stations, ¯exible ac transmission system (FACTS), and
Power Electronics Backgrounds static-var compensators. In power distribution these include
dc-to-ac conversion, dynamic ®lters, frequency conversion,
The ®rst electronics revolution began in 1948 with the inven- and Custom Power System.
tion of the silicon transistor at Bell Telephone Laboratories by Almost all new electrical or electromechanical equipment,
Bardeen, Bratain, and Schockley. Most of today's advanced from household air conditioners and computer power supplies
electronic technologies are traceable to that invention, and to industrial motor controls, contain power electronic circuits

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