Abstract
This paper presents a controller-hardware-in-the-loop simulation (C-HILS) framework for validating models, evaluating control performance, and assessing the thermal lifetime of a tens-of-kilowatt inverter. The real inverter and the C-HILS platform were operated in parallel, and accuracy was quantified using phase-current root mean square error, voltage spectral analysis, and total harmonic distortion (THD). Across a wide range of SVPWM and DPWM cases, deviations remained within 2–5%, confirming close agreement between experiment and simulation. Using the validated C-HILS system, sampling frequency and output power were swept while comparing current tracking, THD, average switching frequency, semiconductor losses, and efficiency. SVPWM achieved lower THD, whereas DPWM reduced average switching frequency and switching losses, improving efficiency. C-HILS waveforms were then applied to a Foster thermal network to reconstruct the junction–temperature trajectory; Tj(t), and ΔTj and Tj,min were mapped to lifetime using the Bayerer model. For a representative cyclic mission, ΔTj decreased from approximately 25.6 °C with SVPWM to about 17.5 °C with DPWM, increasing the estimated lifetime from approximately 1.36 years to 9.14 years. These results demonstrate that the proposed C-HILS framework provides a unified pre-prototype tool for model verification, control strategy comparison, and quantitative thermal reliability assessment of shipboard propulsion inverters.