Patent ID: 7869208

Claim:
A method of assembling a power converter for a multiple-phase electric drive propulsion system in a machine comprising: arranging a plurality of rectangular capacitor units of a capacitor subassembly for conditioning electrical power in the power converter in a first packaging arrangement, including orienting major capacitor axes of each one of the capacitor units co-linear with one another and orienting minor capacitor axes of each one of the capacitor units parallel but not co-linear with one another; arranging a plurality of IGBT modules of a transistor subassembly for power switching in the power converter in a second packaging arrangement, including orienting major module axes of each one of the IGBT modules parallel but not co-linear with one another and orienting minor module axes of each one of the IGBT modules co-linear with one another; wherein arranging the plurality of IGBT modules further includes positioning a rectangular heat dissipation surface of each one of the IGBT modules in a common heat transference plane; and supporting the capacitor subassembly in the first packaging arrangement and supporting the transistor subassembly in the second packaging arrangement.