Design and Optimization of a High Power Density Silicon Carbide Traction Inverter

<p>This project was initiated with the goal of demonstrating a 3-phase silicon carbide based 150-kW 25 kW/L DC-AC power conversion unit capable of operation with coolant temperatures up to 90°C. The project goals were met and exceeded by first analyzing the established inverter topologies to find which one would yield the highest power density while still meeting electrical performance needs in the 150-kW range. Following topology selection, the smallest silicon carbide power module that met the electrical requirements of the system was found through experimental testing and simulation. After a power module selection was finalized, a DC link capacitor bank was designed by calculating the electrical requirements of the system and choosing the capacitor available that added the least volume to the overall system while still meeting the system’s electrical requirements. PCB-based bussing was designed around the power modules and capacitors in SolidWorks and then electrically optimized through simulations in Ansys. A custom DSP-based controller built around the Texas Instruments 28379D control card was designed and created for the control basis of the power converter. The complete system was constructed and tested at low power with great success, demonstrating the ability to operate at the desired full power of 150 kW, while achieving an overall volume of 1.35 L. </p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Year dc:date.available

2019

Author dc:creator

• Adamson, Tyler

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Zhao, Yue

Contributors dc:contributor

• Balda, Juan C.
• Saunders, Robert

• inverter
• power electronics
• silicon carbide
• traction
• Electrical and Electronics
• Electronic Devices and Semiconductor Manufacturing
• Power and Energy

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/3557

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.uark.edu:etd-5108