Abstract—In general, power converters are operated in
closed-loop systems, and any characteristic variations in one component
will simultaneously alter the operating point of other
components, resulting in a shift in overall reliability profile. This
interdependence makes the reliability of a converter a complex
function of time and operating conditions; therefore, the application
may demand periodic replacement of converters to avoid
downtime and maintenance cost. By knowing the present state of
health and the remaining life of a power converter, it is possible to
reduce the maintenance cost for expensive high-power converters.
This paper presents a reliability analysis for a boost converter,
although this method could be used to any power converter being
operated using closed-loop controls. Through the conducted study,
it is revealed that the reliability of a boost converter having control
loops degrades with time, and this paper presents a method to
calculate time-varying reliability of a boost converter as a function
of characteristic variations in different components in the circuit.
In addition, the effects of operating and ambient conditions have
been included in the reliabilitymodel as well. It was found that any
increase in the ON-state resistance of the MOSFET or equivalent
series resistance of the output capacitor decreases the overall reliability
of the converter. However, any variation in the capacitance
has a more complex impact on the converter’s reliability. This
paper is a step forward to the power-converter reliability analysis
because the cumulative effect of multiple degraded components
has been considered in the reliability model