Power, Electronics, Machines & Drives - PEMD

Attendees, exhibitors & solutions

Who this event is for

Industry trends

Key trends shaping this market and its wider industry.

Hotel tiers

A range of accommodation options near the venue and across key areas.

Local transport

Get around the city with these convenient transport options.

Frequently asked

Glossary

1

Power electronics

The branch of electrical engineering that converts and controls electrical power using semiconductor switches rather than resistive or mechanical means. At PEMD it covers the devices, topologies, control and packaging that sit between a source and a load, from a few hundred watts in an aircraft actuator to hundreds of megawatts in an HVDC link.

2

Wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductor

A material such as silicon carbide or gallium nitride whose wider bandgap allows higher blocking voltages, higher switching frequencies and higher operating temperatures than silicon. WBG loss data, gate drive requirements and packaging limits are a recurring theme in PEMD technical sessions.

3

SiC MOSFET

A silicon carbide metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor, widely used in traction inverters and high-power converters. Papers and exhibitors typically discuss short-circuit withstand time, gate oxide reliability, switching loss and module parasitics.

4

GaN HEMT

A gallium nitride high electron mobility transistor, favoured for high-frequency, lower-voltage conversion in chargers, servers and aircraft systems. Typical conference talking points are dynamic on-resistance, EMI behaviour and thermal design at high switching frequency.

5

IGBT

The insulated-gate bipolar transistor, the workhorse switch of industrial drives and rail traction. PEMD content on IGBTs usually concerns module packaging, junction temperature cycling and the transition path to SiC in new designs.

6

Power module

A packaged assembly of one or more semiconductor dies with substrates, interconnects and a baseplate, designed for thermal and electrical performance. Packaging, sintering, double-sided cooling and parasitic inductance are common subject areas at the exhibition.

7

Inverter and converter

A converter changes electrical energy between AC and DC or between voltage levels; an inverter specifically turns DC into AC. Machine drives are built around an inverter feeding a motor, and converter efficiency, EMI and control bandwidth dominate the design discussion.

8

PWM (pulse-width modulation)

The switching technique that synthesises a variable voltage or current by chopping a DC bus at high frequency. Modulation strategy, dead time, harmonic content and acoustic noise are frequent topics in drive and grid converter papers.

9

Multilevel converter

A converter topology that stacks several voltage levels, such as the modular multilevel converter (MMC), to reach medium and high voltages with lower harmonic distortion. PEMD sessions cover submodule design, capacitor sizing and control for HVDC and large drives.

10

Electric machine design

The electromagnetic, thermal and mechanical design of motors and generators. At PEMD this means pole and slot combinations, magnet grades, winding layouts, loss segregation and manufacturing tolerances for traction, industrial and aerospace machines.

11

PMSM and IPM

Permanent magnet synchronous machine and interior permanent magnet machine, the dominant topologies for traction and high-efficiency drives. Papers address magnet demagnetisation, rotor stress at high speed, sensorless control and rare-earth reduction.

12

Variable-frequency drive (VFD)

A drive that varies motor speed by adjusting frequency and voltage, used in pumps, fans, compressors and industrial processes. Efficiency classes, harmonic limits and grid interaction of VFD installations are recurring themes.

13

Traction drive

The motor and inverter combination that propels a vehicle, train or aircraft. PEMD exhibits and papers commonly cover drive-cycle efficiency maps, coolant temperature limits, vibration and volume/weight constraints.

14

Switching loss and efficiency map

The energy lost each time a device changes state, and the resulting efficiency surface plotted across torque and speed. Being able to compare measured maps rather than datasheet estimates is a frequent demand from conference attendees.

15

Thermal management and junction temperature

Removing heat from dies, modules and windings so that the maximum junction and insulation temperatures are respected. Cold plates, phase-change materials, oil spray cooling and thermal modelling are regular exhibition themes.

16

Power cycling and reliability

Repeated thermal and electrical stress used to test how long a module or machine survives in service. Lifetime models, accelerated test profiles and failure analysis are central to the reliability sessions at PEMD.

17

Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL)

Real-time simulation of a plant, such as a motor and load, connected to a real controller so that control software can be tested before hardware exists. Exhibitors at drives conferences typically demonstrate HIL platforms and rapid control prototyping.

18

Digital twin

A calibrated simulation model of a physical drive or machine that is updated with measured data and used for prediction, diagnostics or design iteration. Digital-twin papers at PEMD usually address model validation and sensor selection rather than marketing dashboards.

19

HVDC

High-voltage direct current transmission, built on converter stations such as MMC topologies, used for long-distance and subsea power links. It connects the power electronics research community to grid operators and wind farm developers.

20

More-electric aircraft

The shift of aircraft actuators, pumps and environmental systems from hydraulic, pneumatic or mechanical power to electrical power. It is one of the strongest drivers of high power-density converter and machine research presented at PEMD.