Power Electronics Handbook
by Muhammad Rashid (Editor-in-Chief), Jr, Published by Academic Press (Second Edition)
ISBN 0-12-088479-8, hardback, 1192 pp, $142.45

ZONE Reviewer: Dennis L. Feucht

This book is printed in an 8.8 by 11 inch format and measures 2 inches thick. It contains much power electronics theory, covering a wide range of topics from about 72 contributors. Dr Rashid must have been busy for a while putting this work together, for the chapter contributors are scattered around the world, with notable peaks in the exo-Anglo Chinese- and Spanish-speaking parts of the world.

The opening chapters cover power switches, then converters, inverters, power-factor correction circuits, and gate-drive circuits. Then chapters on application areas cover capacitor chargers, electronic ballasts (for fluorescent lamps), power supplies, including UPSs, and automotive.

Alternative (solar and wind) energy conversion chapters include fuel-cell power electronics. The wind turbine chapter (29) presents the aerodynamic subsystem from an electronics viewpoint -- a hard-to-find and particularly valuable treatment of the subject for anyone wanting a wind-generator model for system-level characterization. This is needed for design of a wind converter or charger. The author of this chapter focuses on larger turbines, but covers the use of induction machines for generation -- an idea that must go through the minds of power engineers seeking low-cost wind-generated electricity.

After this, two chapters address the highest-power electronics, that of electric power transmission and distribution.

Power electronics includes not only conversion but also motor drives. Six chapters cover the subject, and three are about DSP control, fuzzy logic and artificial neural networks applied to motor control.

Remaining chapters are on power quality, EMI, active power filters, computer simulation of power circuits and packaging. In all, the book covers the scope of topics rather thoroughly.

The quality of presentations is remarkably good considering the breadth of subject-matter covered. One cannot reasonably expect all details of power electronics to be covered here in the depth one sometimes requires, but what is presented offers a good start. Most of the chapters are written by academic people and have long lists of references at the end.

What this book lacks in a few places in quality is more than made up for in quantity. The higher price tag a book of this size will have is well-justified for the practicing power electronics engineer in that it contains the equivalent of three or four books worth of valuable information. The idea per dollar ratio makes it a good buy. Kudos to Rashid on a well-assembled compendium!