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Current Source Inverter vs. Voltage Source Inverter Topology
Current Source Inverter vs. Voltage Source Inverter Topology
Non-Integrated Drive
DC
Figure 3. Input Isolation Converter
Link
Inverter Filter M
The CSI design requires input and output filters due to high harmonic
content. The input (Figure 3) is similar to a low voltage (LV) drive
six-pulse input. At higher horsepower, a six-pulse active front end Figure 5.
(AFE) input creates harmonics in the power system and poor power
factor. To mitigate this issue, drive manufacturers combine either Non-integrated designs require an external isolation means. In a
input transformers or reactors and harmonic filters to reduce the CSI design, this would be a transformer or a harmonic filter/reactor.
detrimental effects of the drive on the power system at the point Poor power factor and harmonics generated by the CSI input
of common coupling (PCC). require very large K-rated transformers or reactor/filter banks.
Incorporating all these components within a single assembly
Voltage source inverter significantly increases the footprint of the non-integrated drive.
The voltage source inverter topology uses a diode rectifier that In high-horsepower applications, transformers or filters/reactors
converts utility/line AC voltage (60 Hz) to DC. The converter have to be placed outside of the control room.
is not controlled through electronic firing like the CSI drive. The
DC link is parallel capacitors, which regulate the DC bus voltage
ripple and store energy for the system. Integrated Drive
A Figure 7.
N B
Y C M
Figure 4.
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Current source inverter White Paper WP020001EN
vs. Voltage source inverter topology Effective June 2014
The fully integrated design incorporates an input contactor, an One of the best selling points of a drive is the ability to control
isolation switch, protective fuses, and a phase-shifting isolation motor speed. In a typical pump or fan application, pump and fan
transformer in a complete drive assembly. The SC9000 EP VSI power curves can be applied to show the typical savings using a
drive uses this approach in a very small footprint. By integrating all drive vs. a mechanical damping solution, where all excess power
components into a single assembly, floor space can be reduced up is lost through heating.
to 65% over the traditional non-integrated design. Table 1 shows All drives save money for fan and pump loads, but not all drives save
the floor space required for a fully integrated 4160V, 1500 hp variable money equally.
torque rated drive. a
Taking the numbers from the example above and using an average
Table 1. Required Floor Space of $0.05 per kWh, the difference adds up quickly: more than $80,000
over five years.
Inches (mm) Square Footage
Because all drives operate as power conversion devices, how can
Drive Switch- Trans- Addi- %
Design Width Depth Area gear former tional Total Inc. one drive be more efficient than another?
SC9000 EP, 95.00 50.00 33.0 — — 0.0 33.0 — Semiconductor switching devices have losses during turn-on and
24-pulse, (2413.0) (1270.0) turn-off times that result in inefficiencies. Presently, CSI designs
VSI use MV SCR, GTO, SGCT devices in the inverter and converter.
6-pulse 146.00 40.00 40.6 16.3 — 16.3 56.9 72% A GTO is a thyristor (SCR) that can be turned on and off during
w/reactor, (3708.4) (1016.0) conduction. Gating circuitry gives a small signal to turn on the
CSI device, and a large reverse signal to turn off the device. An SGCT
PWM 138.00 40.00 38.3 16.3 — 16.3 54.6 66% is similar to a GTO but can block voltages in both directions, and the
w/reactor, (3505.2) (1016.0) gate drive circuitry is built around the device rather than mounted
CSI separately. Modern VSI designs use MV IGBT devices and an
18-pulse 122.00 40.00 33.9 16.3 22.6 38.9 72.8 121% external low power gate driver.
no reactor, (3098.8) (1016.0)
CSI Table 3. SCR b
6-pulse 110.00 40.00 30.6 16.3 22.6 38.9 69.5 111% Maximum
no reactor, (2794.0) (1016.0) Ratings VDRM VRRM ITAVM ITRMS —
CSI
12,000V 12,000V 1500A 2360A —
Switching Turn-on Turn-off diT / dt dvT / dt Qrr
Characteristics time time
The SC9000 EP saves significant space over other non-integrated
CSI drive designs. The competition can be as much as 121% larger t gt = 14 µs t q = 1200 µs 100A / µs 2000V / µs 7000 µC
for the same horsepower drive.
Table 2 lists various output frequency and loading values for a NNote: Part number: FT1500AU-240 (Mitsubishi)
500 hp medium voltage applied to a test stand dynamometer.
The efficiency values diverge significantly toward the lower Table 4. GTO b
frequency and load spectrum of the test.
Maximum
Ratings VDRM VRRM ITGQM ITAVM ITRMS —
Table 2. Drive and Motor System Efficiency 4500V 17V 4000A 1000A 1570A —
Frequency (Hz) Load (%) CSI AFE SC9000 EP ∆ Efficiency Switching Turn-on Turn-off diT / dt dvT / dt dvG1 / dt dvG2 / dt
60 100 92 97.5 5.64% Characteristics switching switching
50 60 85 97 12.37% t d = 2.5 µs t s = 25.0 µs 500A / µs 1000V / µs 40A / µs 40A / µs
40 30 77 96.6 20.29% t r = 5.0 µs t f = 5.0 µs — — — —
30 12.5 65 96 32.29% On-State
Voltage VT (on-state) = 4.4V at IT = 4000A
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White Paper WP020001EN Current source inverter
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1.0 4
Condition Condition
VD = 3000V 3.5 VD = 3000V
0.8 Tj = 125°C VDM = VD + 2.5 x IT
di/dt = 1000A /µs 3 Tj = 125°C
CS = 0.06µF CS= 0.06µF
RS = 15Ω RS = 15Ω
2.5
0.6
0.4 1.5
1
0.2
0.5
0.0 0
0 100 200 300 400 500 0 100 200 300 400 500
Switching and on-state conduction losses are calculated below Eon = 1.35 x 10–3 x Ion-state + 0.15
from Table 3, Table 4, and Figure 8. Values from the data sheets Eoff = 7.67 x 10–3 x Ion-state – 0.2
are acquired from a full power test and are linearly interpolated to
simplify calculations. Turn-on and off power that is not specifically Equation 4. SGCT Switching Loss
stated is approximated:
V I f (t ) Psw, loss = ffund x N x Esw
P = dos d
loss, avg 2 Pcond, loss = Vtm x It
Equation 1. General Switching Loss Formula d
Ploss = Psw, loss + Pcond, loss
Equation 5. SGCT Switching and Conduction Loss e
Ploss, sw = 1.64 x 10–3 x Poutput
The pulse numbers (N) can vary based on the fundamental
Equation 2. SCR Switching Loss
frequency (ffreq) with selective harmonic elimination (SHE) switching
The SCR switching power loss is linearly interpolated because technique. N=11 at 30 Hz is fundamental; however, the maximum
it is a function of current and voltage. Switching frequency is fixed switching frequency is 540 Hz and N=9 is used at 60 Hz. The total
at 120 Hz. The turn-off switching energy includes the reverse power loss includes the on-state conduction losses calculated from
recover charge. data sheet values and average current.
(rise time) and tf (fall time) values are the major contributions Equation 6.
to switching loss. The switching frequency is fixed at 240 Hz.
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Current source inverter White Paper WP020001EN
vs. Voltage source inverter topology Effective June 2014
11,000
Percent
10,000 Eon
Eoff 100.0
9000 98.0
Erec
8000 96.0
7000 94.0
92.0
E (mJ)
6000 90.0
5000 88.0
4000 86.0
84.0
3000 IGBT IGBT SGCT SGCT GTO + GTO + SCR + SCR +
2000 SGCT SGCT SGCT SGCT
1000 24- 24- CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI
0 Pulse Pulse
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 NPC NPC
VSI VSI
1 0.125 1 0.125 1 0.125 1 0.125
IC (A)
HP (p.u.)
800
700 20V
15V Figure 10. Drive Efficiency
600 12V
10V
500
From the calculations, each topology is analyzed for the overall
drive efficiency. The highest-efficiency design is the VSI design, using
IC (A)
400 IGBT devices. The SGCT devices are efficient; however, the slower
300
switching speeds and higher on-state conduction add up in the CSI
design. The lowest-efficiency device is the SCR.
200
Reliability
100
Failure-in-time (FIT) is a well known and frequently used industry
0
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0 reliability tool to calculate collectively the MTTF of equipment
with multiple components. Calculations typically include major
VCE (V)
components that are critical to system operation. In the example
that follows, the power components and semiconductor devices are
Figure 9. IGBT Switching and Conduction Losses f evaluated using numbers based on industry-known failure rates. g
The IGBT is a high-efficiency device with faster turn-on and off Table 6. VSI NPC Topology h
times. The energy and power loss of each IGBT is calculated: Component Quantity FIT Total FIT
Eon (J / P) = 10 x 10–3 x Ion-state Diodes 30 100 3000
Eoff (J / P) = 5.75 x 10–3 x Ion-state –0.025 DC capacitors 4 300 1200
IGBT 12 400 4800
Equation 7. IGBT Switching Loss
Gate driver 12 100 1200
Psw, loss = fsw x (Eon + Eoff) Total — — 10,200
Total inverter and AFE converter power loss is calculated with only Component Quantity FIT Total FIT
half of all switching devices on at the same time. In most switching SGCT 24 200 4800
techniques, such as space vector modulation, half the devices Filter capacitors 6 300 1800
are on in any instant. Diode bridge efficiency is included in the
VSI system efficiency calculation. The total drive efficiency is Gate driver 24 2915 69,960
calculated with an assumed 99% efficient transformer for VSI Total — — 76,560
and filter/reactors for the CSI topology (Table 5).
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While all semiconductor components have similar failure rates, the Input power quality
significant difference is the number of components and the gate
driver circuitry for each device. The higher failure rate of the SGCT At lower end speeds and loads, CSI GTO and SCR designs have
gate driver is from the use of electrolytic capacitors, designed to poor input power factor and harmonics. As the AFE regulates input
deliver the required very high peak turn-off energy. From the SGCT current, firing angle (alpha) changes. The firing angle at full power
data sheet, the peak forward and reverse gate current requirements is typically 20 degrees. This delayed firing angle creates a large
are 250A and 400A, respectively. The IGBT requires only ±15V displacement power factor (DPF) as seen in Figure 11. Given a
logic level control and milliamp current requirements to turn on constant current due to the large DC link inductors, the current is
and off. This significantly reduces the complexity and design of the seen as a square wave (poor harmonics). To mitigate poor power
gate board driver, eliminating the need for many large electrolytic factor and harmonics, multi-pulse phase shifting transformers are
capacitors. The calculations show that VSI drives have a much used on the input to the drive. Many CSI drives use a 12-pulse
higher MTTF than CSI drives. or 18-pulse option; however, this may not meet certain harmonic
standards such as those stated in IEEET 519. SCR/GTO input drives
Dynamic response have the worst power factor and harmonics, and require very large
K-rated transformers to mitigate harmonics.
Dynamic response is defined as the reaction time of the system
when a step change in reference occurs. High dynamic response
times are crucial in precise and high-performance applications. Va, ia
High dynamic response is limited by the ability of the system
to control the current or torque of the motor.
The CSI design incorporates two large DC inductors for:
• Current ripple minimization α = 0° VD α = 180°
• Energy storage
Figure 11.
• Fault current limiting
Inductors with values of 0.5 to 1.0 per unit (p.u.) are not uncommon The SGCT AFE design uses PWM switching to regulate the
in the CSI design. Because time rate of change for current flow current. The PWM AFE has a higher switching frequency than the
is proportional to the inductor size (H), the dynamic performance SCR example given above. With conventional PWM switching, the
decreases. Current ripple within the inductor is inversely proportional AFE produces higher lower harmonic content. These harmonics are
to the inductor size. It is a significant trade-off between response detrimental to power systems and do not meet certain harmonic
time and current ripple. The inductor is also sized to reduce short- limitations such as those outlined in IEEE 519. To remove these
circuit fault current levels and rise time to allow the SGCT devices lower order current harmonics, a special modulation technique is
to turn off safely. used (selective harmonic elimination, or SHE) to eliminate the
5th, 7th, and 11th harmonics. Higher order harmonics are mitigated
VSI designs do not use any DC inductors within the DC link. using filters. The filters must be tuned properly to each drive,
The capacitors provide the instantaneous current required in and resonance can occur with the power system if not done
dynamic systems, and therefore are better suited for high- correctly. If a filter capacitor fails, a sensitive power system can
performance applications. be compromised. If capacity and loads are added to the system,
the filter may need to be adjusted. b
The SC9000 EP VSI design uses a 24-pulse phase shifting
transformer. The 24-pulse design meets IEEE 519 requirements in
all systems. There are no filters to tune to a particular power system,
and, as the power system grows and loads and capacity are added,
there is no hazard of resonance. Each transformer is designed
specifically for the maximum load of the drive; running at a lower
power does not alter performance. In Figure 12, the voltage THD is
less than 1.2% and the current THD is less than 5%, meeting the
IEEE 519 requirements on the tested system.
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Current source inverter White Paper WP020001EN
vs. Voltage source inverter topology Effective June 2014
0.010 0.045
I p.u.
0.005
0.020
0.004
0.015
0.003
0.002 0.010
0.001 0.005
0 0
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
Harmonic Number
Motor requirements
With the proliferation of drive systems on motors, different iW (p.u.)
phenomena have been observed with detrimental effect.
The two major observations with drives are:
1.0
• Neutral point shift / common mode voltage 0
• Torque pulsations / cogging 2π 4π
–1.0
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References
Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 7000 Frame B Technical Data Guide, 7000-TD2008-EN-P (2003).
b “High Power Converters and AC Drives,” Bin Wu, Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineering (2006).
c Mitsubishi GCT (Gate Commutated Turn-off) Thyristor Unit GCU04AA-130 (March 2009).
d “Power Electronics: Converters, Applications and Design,” Mohan, Undeland, Robbins (2003).
e “Losses Calculation for Medium Voltage PWM Current Source Rectifiers using Different
Semiconductor Devices,” Abdelsalam, Masoud, Finney, Williams, Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineering (2008): 1356–1362.
f Infineon Technical Information, IGBT Module FZ400R65KF2 (2008).
g “Guidelines to Understanding Reliability Prediction,” European Power Supply Manufacturers
Association (2005): 4.
h “Further Improvements in the Reliability of IGBT Modules,” Schutze, Thomas, Berg, Hermann,
Hierholzer, Martin, EUPEC GmbH & Co. KG (1998).
i “An Application Specific Symmetrical IGCT,” Oedegard, Stiasny, Carroll, Rossinell,
ABB Semiconductor AG (2001).
“A Space Vector Modulation CSI-Based AC Drive for Multimotor Applications,” J. Ma, B. Wu,
N. Zargari, S. Rizzo, IEEE Transaction on Power Electronics, vol. 16, no. 4 (2001): 535–544.
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