ENAX12001 - Power Electronics Applications

Showing: 2026 HE Term 1
General Information

Unit Synopsis

In this unit, you will learn to select power electronics solutions for industrial problems and simulate selected power electronic circuits. You will also learn the practical applications of power electronics circuits in complex systems such as renewable energy integration and electric/hybrid vehicle energy management systems. This unit is based on your knowledge of electronics and electrical machines you previously studied. In this unit, you will learn about power semiconductors such as Diacs, silicon controlled rectifiers (SCR), metal oxide silicon field-effect transistors (MOSFET), isolated gate bipolar junction transistors (IGBT), their symbols, and theory of operation and limitations. You will be introduced to the concepts DC to DC, and DC to AC circuits, and pulse width modulation (PWM) control circuits. You will also learn about different types of motor control and drive systems including DC motor control, AC motor control, and stepper motor control schemes. Students enrolled in online mode are required to attend a compulsory residential school.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 2
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisites: ENEX12002 Introductory Electronics OR (ENEE13018 Analogue Electronics and ENEE13020 Digital Electronics) AND (ENEX12001 Electrical Power and Machines OR ENEE12015 Electrical Power Engineering)

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School Compulsory Residential School
View Unit Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026

Term 3 - 2026 Profile
Mixed Mode

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Written Assessment 20%
2. In-class Test(s) 20%
3. Practical and Written Assessment 20%
4. Take Home Exam 40%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

Previous Feedback

No previous feedback available

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: By email, in class.
Feedback:
 Self-paced learning is facilitated by all the unit material being online and available.

Recommendation:
 Should keep this approach and improve further.

Action Taken:
 Self-paced learning was facilitated.
Source: By email, in class.
Feedback:
 Weekly Zoom support meetings were very useful, and helpful that they were recorded.

Recommendation:
 Should keep the weekly Zoom support meetings. Invite questions via email and Q&A forum for non-attending students.

Action Taken:
 Weekly Zoom sessions were organised, emails and forum posts were promptly responded.
Source: UC reflection
Feedback:
 The student appreciated the current delivery style.

Recommendation:
 Current delivery style should be continued.

Action Taken:
 In Progress
Source: UC reflection
Feedback:
 The student preferred to have additional support to complete the laboratory exercises.

Recommendation:
 Additional support should be provided to complete laboratory exercises.

Action Taken:
 In Progress
Unit Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Explain the construction of power semiconductor devices, their principle of operation, and their suitability for various switching functions
  2. Compare and select power electronic components, converters, and drives for renewable energy integration and electric vehicles
  3. Analyse and model the operation of single-phase and three-phase power electronic circuits, including alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC), AC to AC, DC to DC, and DC to AC topologies
  4. Analyse variable speed motor drives and controllers for different types of electric motors and evaluate their performances
  5. Work collaboratively and autonomously, and communicate professionally using power electronics terminology in presenting your solutions.
The Learning Outcomes for this unit are linked with the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standards for Professional Engineers in the areas of 1. Knowledge and Skill Base, 2. Engineering Application Ability and 3. Professional and Personal Attributes at the following levels:

Intermediate
1.2 Conceptual understanding of the mathematics, numerical analysis, statistics, and computer and information sciences which underpin the engineering discipline. (LO: 1N 2N 3I 4I 5I )
1.4 Discernment of knowledge development and research directions within the engineering discipline. (LO: 1N 2I 3I 4I 5I )
1.5 Knowledge of engineering design practice and contextual factors impacting the engineering discipline. (LO: 2I 3I 4I 5I )
2.4 Application of systematic approaches to the conduct and management of engineering projects. (LO: 3I 4I 5I )
3.1 Ethical conduct and professional accountability. (LO: 1N 2I 4I )
3.2 Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains. (LO: 1N 2I 3I 4I 5I )
3.3 Creative, innovative and pro-active demeanour. (LO: 1N 2I 3I 4I 5I )
3.4 Professional use and management of information. (LO: 1N 2I 3I 4I 5I )
3.5 Orderly management of self, and professional conduct. (LO: 1I 2I 3I 4I 5I )

Advanced
1.1 Comprehensive, theory-based understanding of the underpinning natural and physical sciences and the engineering fundamentals applicable to the engineering discipline. (LO: 1N 2I 3A 4A 5I )
1.3 In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline. (LO: 1N 2I 3A 4A 5I )
1.6 Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline. (LO: 2A 3A 4A )
2.1 Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving. (LO: 1I 2I 3A 4A 5I )
2.2 Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and resources. (LO: 1I 2I 3A 4A 5A )
2.3 Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes. (LO: 1I 2I 3A 4A 5A )
3.6 Effective team membership and team leadership. (LO: 3A 4A 5A )

Note: LO refers to the Learning Outcome number(s) which link to the competency and the levels: N – Introductory, I – Intermediate and A - Advanced.
Refer to the Engineering Undergraduate Course Moodle site for further information on the Engineers Australia's Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineers and course level mapping information
https://moodle.cqu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1511

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Written Assessment • •
2 - In-class Test(s) • •
3 - Practical and Written Assessment • • •
4 - Take Home Exam • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Communication • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • • •
5 - Team Work •
6 - Information Technology Competence • • • •
8 - Ethical practice •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10
1 - Written Assessment • • • •
2 - In-class Test(s) • • • • •
3 - Practical and Written Assessment • • • • • •
4 - Take Home Exam • • • •