Estudo de conversores otimizados com chaves de silício e carbeto de silício aplicados a UPS através de uma ferramenta computacional

Abstract

Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) are devices that guarantee the continuous supply of electrical power to critical loads, protecting them against power grid anomalies. UPSs are commonly based on silicon (Si) IGBT semiconductor technology and must have their design optimized, especially in terms of cost and volume, in order to ensure the product’s commercial competitiveness. To achieve higher efficiency and better power quality, 3- level topologies have become one of the main alternatives in the converter designs that make up UPS, replacing traditional 2-level topologies. Due to the significantly reduced switching losses of silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors, a UPS solution based on SiC switches becomes attractive as an alternative to improving UPS performance over the use of 3-level topologies, which use a greater number of components in the converter composition. This work presents a multiobjective analysis of optimized inverters, using a computational tool, for UPS applications. A comparative case study of a 10kW threephase inverter is presented with 2-level and 3-level Si-based topologies, and a 2-level SiC-based topology. Different qualitative performance indicators were compared to define the optimized converter design with the best compromise of power density, efficiency, and cost.