A recent research contribution from the TUM SEED Center was presented at two international conferences this summer.

Anirudh Katoch, a doctoral researcher at the Technical University of Munich, presented the work “An Open-Source Tool for Lifetime Estimation of IGBT-Diode Power Modules” first as a poster at the 2026 IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting in Montréal, Canada, and subsequently as a full paper at the 10th International Conference on Power Energy Systems and Applications (ICoPESA 2026) in Munich, Germany.

At the centre of the work is PEARL, an open-source Python framework for evaluating inverter reliability. The module presented in this study focuses on semiconductor lifetime estimation and links time-varying mission profiles, operating conditions, design configurations and component specifications to the expected lifetime of IGBT-diode power modules.

The work addresses an important challenge in modern power systems, where inverters play an increasingly important role while also accounting for a significant share of system failures and energy losses.

Planned extensions of PEARL will include DC-link capacitors, gate drivers and LCL filters, with the aim of developing a complete inverter reliability framework.

Congratulations to Anirudh on presenting this work in both Montréal and Munich and on contributing an open-source approach to inverter reliability research.