Simulation in power electronics

The use of simulation has always been a powerful tool for technology in all its various fields of application. Especially from an economical point of view, it appears to be profitable. Basic mistakes in a system design can be recognized fast and by this fail investments are avoided. The euphory which accompanies such a description must be handled with care. A broad range of simulation program packages is offered to the engineer. Behind each of these programs hide different simulation techniques and topologies. The aim of this paper is to show in which field of application, which kind or simulation methods can be used and how it can be used for simulating power electronic circuits. The following programs were tested on a PC-based network: PSpice 6.2, ICAP/4, KREAN 4.1, CASPOC, SIMPLORER 3.2, SIMSEN, Micro-Cap/V, ELECTRONIC WORKBENCH, and MATLAB-SIMULINK.