• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.459-462
• /
• 2019

This work presents methods for reducing overshoot voltages across the drain-source of silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs in grid-connected hybrid active neutral-point-clamped (ANPC) inverters. Compared with 3-level NPC-type inverter, the hybrid ANPC inverter can realize the high efficiency. However, SiC MOSFETs conduct its switching operation at high frequencies, which cause high overshoot voltages in such devices. These overshoot voltages should be reduced because they may damage switching devices and result in electromagnetic interference (EMI). Two major strategies are used to reduce the overshoot voltages, namely, adjusting the gate resistor and using a snubber capacitor. In this paper, advantages and disadvantages of these methods will be discussed. The effectiveness of these strategies is verified by experimental results.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
• /
• 2016.07a
• /
• pp.485-486
• /
• 2016

This paper proposes a new hybrid five-level voltage-source inverter topology, based on the conventional five-level active neutral-point-clamped topology (5L-ANPC), where the lower number of switching devices is required, resulting in saving the cost. The operating principle and control method of the proposed topology is described. The comparison of THD, power losses, loss distribution, and cost of components are evaluated among the proposed topology, the 5L-ANPC and 5L-DCI (diode-clamped inverters) topology.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.419-427
• /
• 2019

Several multilevel converter topologies have been proposed and compared. The three-level (3L) neutral-point-clamped (NPC) topology is promising and widely accepted. However, this topology suffers from uneven loss distribution among switches due to its fixed switching strategy. The 3L active NPC (ANPC) topology, which exhibits improved loss distribution profile, was proposed to address this disadvantage. The 3L T-NPC topology, a hybrid configuration of 2L and 3L NPC topologies, was introduced to address not only the loss distribution problem but also the reduction in the number of switches. In the present research, the application of these three topologies in PMSG-based medium-voltage wind turbines was investigated. The power devices considered were 10 kV IGCTs. Performance was evaluated in terms of a power loss of 10 kV IGCT for each NPC topology, which is a crucial indicator of thermal behavior, reliability, cost, and lifetime of any converter. The comparison was performed using ABB make 10 kV IGCT 5SHY17L9000 and the simulation tool PLECS.