MMC converter cells employing ultrahigh-voltage SiC bipolar power semiconductors

Jacobs, Keijo; Johannesson, Daniel; Norrga, Staffan; Nee, Hans‐Peter

doi:10.23919/epe17ecceeurope.2017.8099078

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 20 publications

(27 reference statements)

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“…Furthermore, internal short circuits will become more difficult to handle, due to increased SM voltage and energy. Some implications of such SMs for the converter design and control have been discussed in [91], [108].…”

Section: A Voltage and Current Ratingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Evaluation of Voltage Source Converters With Silicon Carbide Semiconductor Devices for High-Voltage Direct Current Transmission

Jacobs

Heinig

Johannesson

et al. 2021

IEEE Trans. Power Electron.

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Recent advancements in silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor technology enable developments in the high-power sector, e.g., high-voltage direct current (HVdc) converters for transmission, where today silicon (Si) devices are state-of-theart. New submodule (SM) topologies for modular multilevel converters (MMCs) offer benefits in combination with these new SiC semiconductors. This paper reviews developments in both fields, SiC power semiconductor devices and SM topologies, and evaluates their combined performance in relation to core requirements for HVdc converters: grid code compliance, reliability, and cost.A detailed comparison of SM topologies regarding their structural properties, design and control complexity, voltage capability, losses, and fault handling is given. Alternatives to state-of-the-art SMs with Si insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) are proposed, and several promising design approaches are discussed. Most advantages can be gained from three technology features. Firstly, SM bipolar capability enables dc fault handling and reduced energy storage requirements. Secondly, SM topologies with parallel conduction paths in combination with SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) offer reduced losses. Thirdly, a higher SM voltage enabled by higher blocking voltage of SiC devices results in reduced converter complexity. For the latter, ultra-high-voltage (UHV) bipolar devices, such as SiC IGBTs and SiC gate turn-off thyristors (GTOs), are envisioned. Index Terms-HVdc transmission, modular multilevel converter, power semiconductor devices, silicon carbide, submodules. I. INTRODUCTIONH VDC transmission technology requires integration into the existing alternating current (ac) grid. The conversion is performed via high-power converters. The modular multilevel converter (MMC) is a versatile and flexible topology with several options for optimization. MMCs have been intensively investigated since the early 2000's. It was identified, that modularity, scalability, built-in redundancy, and harmonic performance are advantageous for meeting widely varying requirements in grid applications. Compared to previous voltage source converters (VSC), the need for bulky harmonic filters is Keijo Jacobs

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Section: A Voltage and Current Ratingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Evaluation of Voltage Source Converters With Silicon Carbide Semiconductor Devices for High-Voltage Direct Current Transmission

Jacobs

Heinig

Johannesson

et al. 2021

IEEE Trans. Power Electron.

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“…SiC bipolar devices are foreseen to be suitable for blocking voltages up to 50 kV [8]. From an overall converter design perspective, such a development could be very advantageous because of a reduced converter volume, weight and complexity enabled by reducing the number of switches and associated auxiliary electronics [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Auxiliary Power Supplies for High-Power Converter Submodules: State of the Art and Future Prospects

Heinig

Jacobs

Ilves

et al. 2022

IEEE Trans. Power Electron.

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Recent developments in medium-voltage (MV) silicon and silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor devices are challenging state-of-the-art converter and auxiliary power supply (APS) designs. The APS is an important converter component, which energizes the gate-drive units and, therefore, has an influence on the overall reliability and efficiency of the converter system. There has, however, been comparably little research on how the APS of high-power converter submodules can be realized, in particular for high-voltage (HV) applications. New, or improved, solutions may build on state-of-the-art topologies in the near future, but utilize MV SiC technology in the APS circuit itself to enable improved efficiency, reliability, simplicity, and compactness. Externally-fed APS concepts could provide several further advantages. Their various benefits on converter and system level may enable them to be a competitive solution for future APS concepts. Especially light-based power supply systems are considered most useful since they offer extreme voltage isolation capability and immunity to electromagnetic interference.This article presents a review of the wide range of solutions for APSs, possible implementation options, and the most important design considerations. The different solutions are evaluated in a qualitative fashion, providing an overview of available APS concepts with regard to the requirements for high-power converter applications.

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“…IGH-VOLTAGE semiconductor devices are required in various power electronic applications (e.g., in highvoltage direct-current (HVDC) systems, flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS), solid-state transformers (SST), and solid-state (hybrid) circuit breakers (SSCB)), where devices with high blocking voltage capability may reduce the number of medium-voltage devices in series connection and thus simplify the converter system in several aspects (i.e., reduce the total amount of devices and gate drivers, system complexity, cooling-requirement, and station foot-print with better environmental impact) [1], [2]. Moreover, long-term visionary device candidates with ultrahigh blocking capability may have sufficiently high 1 Manuscript received December 14, 2020. This work was supported by Swedish Centre for Smart Grids and Energy Storage (SweGRIDS), by the Swedish Energy Agency and Hitachi ABB Power Grids Research.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Junction Termination Extension Structures For Ultrahigh-Voltage Silicon Carbide Pin-Diodes; A Simulation Study

Johannesson

Nawaz

Nee

2021

IEEE Open J. Power Electron.

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The junction termination extension (JTE) structures for ultrahigh-voltage (UHV) devices consumes a considerable part of the semiconductor chip area. The JTE area is closely related to chip performance, process yield and ultimately device cost. The JTE lengths for UHV devices (i.e., > 30 kV) are still unknown, not visible in the scientific literature and have therefore been predicted in this study by means of two-dimensional numerical simulations using the Sentaurus based technology computeraided design (TCAD) tool. A previously reported space-modulated, two-zone JTE (SM-JTE) structure has been used as an input to set up a suitable TCAD model, which is further scaled to JTE lengths required for 40 kV class and 50 kV class SiC PiN diodes. The simulation results indicate that the SM-JTE requires an 1800 µm one-sided JTE length with 27 guard rings for a 40 kV theoretical PiN diode and 2700 µm with 36 guard rings for a 50 kV device, resulting in breakdown voltages of 41.4 kV and 51.7 kV, respectively. Moreover, the design considerations of different JTE categories are discussed with focus on the adaptability of the termination structures in ultrahigh-voltage devices, e.g., VB > 30 kV, which results in a comparison of the SM-JTE structure with other high-voltage JTE designs.

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MMC converter cells employing ultrahigh-voltage SiC bipolar power semiconductors

Cited by 12 publications

References 20 publications

Comparative Evaluation of Voltage Source Converters With Silicon Carbide Semiconductor Devices for High-Voltage Direct Current Transmission

Comparative Evaluation of Voltage Source Converters With Silicon Carbide Semiconductor Devices for High-Voltage Direct Current Transmission

Auxiliary Power Supplies for High-Power Converter Submodules: State of the Art and Future Prospects

Assessment of Junction Termination Extension Structures For Ultrahigh-Voltage Silicon Carbide Pin-Diodes; A Simulation Study

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