Analysis of a SiC three-phase voltage source inverter under various current and power factor operations

Abstract

Due to the superior physical properties of Silicon Carbide (SiC) material, SiC MOSFETs and Schottky diodes are becoming available for voltages higher than 600 V, which has been dominated by conventional silicon (Si) IGBTs and P-N diodes. Compared to the Si devices, SiC devices excel in many areas such as faster switching speed, lower conduction and switching losses, and higher temperature capability. This paper thoroughly investigates the performance of a 12 kVA SiC-based three-phase voltage source inverter in simulation. The proposed inverter is first compared with a conventional Si inverter of the same rating under given loading conditions. In addition, high frequency operations up to 100 kHz are investigated. Finally, the SiC inverter is evaluated for different load currents and power factor angles. Loss and efficiency values for each case are calculated and reported.