Overview of Digital Twin Development in Power Electronics

Abstract

Digital Twin (DT) is a rapidly emerging research area, offering solutions for seamless integration between digital and physical systems, driven by advancements in Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning (ML), data-rich environments, and 5G networks. Simultaneously, Power Electronics Converter (PEC)s have become indispensable in modern engineering, with industries such as renewable energy, electric vehicles, transportation, home appliances, industrial automation, energy transmission, and lighting systems relying heavily on them as central components. DT for power electronics represents an ongoing research topic, yet the literature inadequately provides a comprehensive overview of DT for PECs. This paper aims to provide an overview of critical subtopics in developing DT for PECs. It offers a detailed rationale for DT research, supported by an extensive literature analysis of over 180 publications identifying key research areas. The paper also outlines existing DT standards and introduces a five-dimensional architecture for DT based on state-of-the-art literature. Additionally, it provides an in-depth review of recent advancements in power electronics essential for practical DT implementation, particularly in sensor development, PEC modelling, and DT services. The authors also highlight their contributions to DT components in modelling and Condition Monitoring (CM) for PECs, presenting results, insights, and example datasets to foster further research. A key finding of the paper is the identification of research gaps through the literature review, particularly in data acquisition techniques, integrated condition monitoring, and PEC reliability. Overall, this work provides an overview of recent progress and outlines future research needed for the real-world implementation of DT for PECs.