On the Design of a High-Power Medium-Voltage Converter for Transportation Applications
In transportation applications, the size and weight of power converters and associated cabling is of paramount importance, as this bulk contributes to the "overhead" that must be carried about by the transportation system. Thus, improvements to the power density of such systems, as well as the possibility of reducing ampacity requirements, is of intense interest. Medium-voltage dc systems provide significant improvements to power density compared to ac systems, and wide-bandgap devices enable operation at sufficiently high switching frequencies to make medium-voltage dc systems attractive. On the other hand, the sparse institutional and industrial support that presently exists for medium-voltage wide-bandgap devices means that additional de-risking is needed prior to implementation in the transportation sector. Additionally, the voltage ratings of commercialized silicon-carbide MOSFETs are below the levels projected for medium-voltage applications. Thus, research into more advanced converter topologies, such as multi-level converters, using wide-bandgap devices is necessary to support the required voltage levels of medium-voltage dc. This thesis provides insight into the design and implementation of a multi-level isolated dc-dc converter for medium-voltage applications to accelerate the adoption of medium-voltage dc systems.
dc-dc, galvanically isolated, multi-level, Power Electronics
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