Improved Short-Circuit Capability with “Si+SiC” Hybrid 5-Level Active NPC Converter for Electric Aircraft Propulsion

Majid T. Fard, Trevor Arvin, Jiangbiao He

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Moving toward electric propulsion drives in aircraft applications is a significant step forward to enhance the efficiency of aviation systems. Taking advantage of medium voltage DC (MVDC) as a leading edge technology can further increase the efficiency and power density. To this end, emerging wide-bandgap devices with lower switching losses can be incorporated into multilevel inverter topologies. However, existing Silicon Carbide (SiC) switches have weak short-circuit capability. This is the main downside of all-SiC inverter topologies which restrains their application in safety-critical applications. On the other hand, Silicon (Si) IGBTs have better short-circuit performance, although rendering higher switching losses. To overcome this challenge, a hybrid “Si+SiC” five-level active neutral point clamped (ANPC) inverter is proposed in this paper to improve the short-circuit capability of the aircraft propulsion drive systems. Simulation results comparing the efficiency and short-circuit capability of all-SiC, all-IGBT, and hybrid “Si+SiC” topologies are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed topology.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum, 2021
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021
EventAIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum, 2021 - Virtual, Online
Duration: Aug 9 2021Aug 11 2021

Publication series

NameAIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum, 2021

Conference

ConferenceAIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum, 2021
CityVirtual, Online
Period8/9/218/11/21

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc.. All rights reserved.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Energy (all)
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering

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