Effects of silicon carbide (SiC) power devices on HEV PWM inverter losses

Abstract

The emergence of silicon carbide (SiC) based power semiconductor switches with their superior features compared with silicon (Si) based switches has resulted in substantial improvements in the performance of power electronics converter systems. These systems with SiC power devices are more compact, lighter, and more efficient, so they are ideal for high-voltage power electronics applications, including hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) traction drives. In this paper, the effect of SiC-based power devices on HEV traction drive losses are investigated. Reductions in heat sink size and device losses with the increase in the efficiency will be analyzed using an averaging model of a three-phase PWM inverter (TPPWMI). For more accurate results, device physics is taken into consideration to find the loss equations for the controllable switches.