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Power Electronics For Very High Power Applications
Power Electronics For Very High Power Applications
E. I. Carroll,
Power Electronics and Variable Speed Drives, 21-23 September 1998, Conference Publication No. 456 0 IEE 1998
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21 9
important but also rendering the installation of Some of these device structures are summarised in
supplementarytransmission lines difficult. Table 2. The only devices under serious consideration
for the present and the foreseeable future are the IGBT,
the GTO and the IGCT [ 11 whereby the GTO is
New Applications. The emerging applications are listed destined to be replaced by the IGCT since it offers no
below in Table 1. These non-traditional power advantages over the latter.
electronics applications have been variously estimated This in effect leaves only two contenders for high
to represent a world equipment market of up to B$3 in power applications and in any discussions of their
the early years of the next century and have therefore relative merits, the oft forgotten but crucial fast
the potential of matching the importance of the recovery diode must be considered as it plays a deciding
traditional Traction and Industrial Drives markets. role in whether a thyristor or a transistor should be the
self commutated element.
Semiconductor packaging is also an important
COMPONENTS parameter in determining the appropriate technology for
a given topology. Although all present power
The choice of semiconductor devices to meet the needs semiconductors are made from silicon and as such all
of these emerging markets seems limited for the coming packaging options are equally available to IGBTs,
years. Though many device structures are repeatedly IGCTs and diodes, the device’s structure conditions its
presented and discussed, most remain either in the preferred encapsulation which in turn influences circuit
domain of low power or in the realm of research. layout.
Description
Generation
Generation
Power Quality,
T&D, Traction,
Industry
Power Quality
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220
device requirements:
low device costs
rugged operation f e w ancillav components) b 8
Cathode C
high reliability (low randomfailures, high power C
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221
I t----+-,
I I *
at SP.1
I 1 1 L I
H. Gruening, J. Rees, pending patent D19543702.0
“Stromrichterschaltungsanordnung”.
Fig. 2 - Typical IGCT Inverter Fig. 3 - Typical IGBT inverter
Figure 2 shows a typical IGCT inverter with a di/dt In the event of failure of two devices in one phase the
limiting circuit inserted between the quasi zero- resulting current is limited by the inductance to a value
impedance supply (dc-link) and the inverter. & a t = Vdc &YL where C is the capacitance of the
Inductance L limits the rate-of-rise of current in the DC-link. Fig. 3 shows an IGBT inverter consisting
inverter when one of the IGCTs (switches SI to S,) is solely of semiconductor components which can be
turned on. The limitation of current rise is determined realised in a single module for low power systems but
by the allowable rate-of-fall of current in the associated is generally composed of multiple modules comprising
diodes which in most IGCTs is integrated onto the lGBT and diode chips parallel-connected to achieve
same wafer (see Fig. 4). The energy stored in the the desired rating as illustrated in Fig. 5.
inductance L, once the diode is commutated, is
subsequently dissipated in resistance R and the
optional clamp capacitor, Cclmp,can be used to
minimise voltage overshoot.
FigAa - Open GCT showing reverse-conducting silicon The advantage of the topology of Fig. 5 lies in the
wafer (top centre) complete absence of ancillary components, the dUdt
controlling function being implemented by gate-
control whereby the turn-on of the IGBT is slowed to
match the allowable turn-oflspeed of the diode. It can
be shown [Carroll & Galster, 21 that the resulting
losses generated in the IGBT are the same as those
dissipated in the resistance of Fig. 2. In Fig. 3, the
absence of impedance (e.g. an inductance) between the
power electronics (inverter) and the dc-link results in
extremely high fault currents in the event of
simultaneous failure of two devices in the same phase.
This fact limits the direct applicability of the topology
of Fig. 3 to low voltages (up to about 1.5 kV) or small
dc-link capacitors. At higher voltages and powers a
decoupling of link and inverter via inductance or
resistance is required to limit co-lateral explosion
Fig. 4b - Complete 4.5 kV/2.6 kA IGCT damage caused by vaporisation of the chip bond wires
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222
and the electromagnetic forces of the fault current It has been shown [2] that the circuit-specific tum-on
[Zeller, 31. losses are approximately given by:
An exception to this may be found in very high voltage
systems involving massively seriesed IGBTs where a vdc2 @ Ipk2
large number of redundant devices may be used (e.g. Eon - circuit = ............................. (1)
2 9 k Pmnax
100 devices in a 100 kV stack). Here, if the proper
service intervals are respected, nothing short of a direct where k is a constant and Prr” is the maximum
lightning strike would cause simultaneous failure of all diode reverse recovery power for safe operation. The
redundant devices of a phase leg, such that the higher the diode’s Pry“, a measure of its Safe
omission of link impedance becomes once again Operating Area (SOA), the lower the circuit specific
feasible. Fig. 6 shows an IGBT “press-pack module” tum-on loss and it can be shown that minimum circuit-
specially designed for series connection [3]. Here the specific losses occur when the reverse recovery peak is
parallel connected IGBT and diode chips are pressure roughly equal to the load current [3].
contacted with each contact designed to take full load Fig. 7 shows the voltage collapse over the device
current should a chip fail. The series operation of the generating a subsequent device-spec@ loss:
/3
stack is thus assured (with appropriate redundancy) if
one chip (hence one “pack”) fails short. Eon - device Ipk 9
Iy
12
swrtch(t).dt .................... (2)
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223
those of only 3 years ago are now being designed into continue to dominate traditional HVDC [Kamp et al, 71
50 MW interties and STATCOMs with the snubberzess and the newly introduced BCT, “Bi-directionally
turn-off ratings (4 kA) of conventional GTOs fitted Controlled Thyristor”, will become an important
with 6 yF snubbers. component in conventional VAR compensation
IGBTs and IGCTs both fulfil the requirements of [Thomas et al, 81.
“rugged switching” which implies the ability to turn
off without commutation networks or “dv/dt
snubbers”. These networks are “undesirable” not only CONCLUSIONS
because of the added costs and losses they engender,
but because they impose time constants which in turn In the multitude of emerging FACTS applications,
limit operating frequency. Because of their low losses IGBTs and IGCTs will be the principal component
and snubberless operation, 6 kV IGCTs can operate at players in the next decade. In very high current and
500 Hz with burst operation up to 25 kHz at full rating medium voltage applications, the thyristor structure
[Klaka et al, 61. Higher frequencies -thermally will be the favoured approach especially where
determined - are possible with lower voltage devices decoupling chokes are deemed desirable or mandatory.
namely 1 kHz for 4.5 kV and 3 kHz for 3.3 kV The IGBT in the choke-less configuration of Fig. 3 will
devices. Equipment volume, or more frequently, foot- greatly benefit from the rapid progress in silicon
print, are also cost drivers in any major installation. It carbide diodes though commercial arrival of the latter
is believed that IGCT inverters hold the record for on the FACTS scene is not imminent. Nevertheless, the
compact construction with values of 13 to 20 kVA per IGBT will continue to be favoured in the lower cost
litre having been reported along with efficiencies of choke-less topology where this adequately off-sets the
99.65% at 200 Hz pwm [ 11. higher cost of the component itself.
IGBTs and IGBTs are both transistors when turning o f
and as such they generate the losses. The tum-on
losses have already been discussed and are negligible ACKNOWLEDGEMENT§
for IGCTs with their obligatory di/dt controlling
chokes and hence the “external” circuit-specific losses The author wishes to thank Horst Gruening and
(which are recoverable at the cost of additional Gerhard Linhofer of ABB Industrie AG, Hansruedi
circuitry) do not enter the devices’s thermal budget. In Zeller and Rahul Chokhawala of ABB Semiconductors
the conducting state, the IGCT is a thyristor with two AG and John Marous of ABB Smiconductors Inc. for
injecting emitters giving it half the conduction loss of a their help and advice in preparing this paper.
transistor structure allowing “more room” in the
thermal budget for dynamic losses, hence frequency.
The traditional workhorse of power electronics, the REFERENCES
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Conventional Phase Control Thyristors (PCTs) will
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