Insulation degradation and lifetime of inverter-fed machines with fast switching (high dv/dt) converters

随着宽带隙（WBG）功率半导体器件的技术突破，电力电子系统正在发生快速和变革性的进步。这些器件在开关速度和工作温度方面的提高以及损耗的降低将影响低碳行业的所有领域，从而产生新一代强大、紧凑、高效和智能的功率转换解决方案。WBG器件正在成为越来越多的电力电子转换器的首选器件，这些转换器用于连接和控制一系列应用中的电机，包括运输系统（航空航天，汽车，铁路和船舶推进）和可再生能源（例如风力发电机）。然而，WBG器件的使用产生具有超过10~ 30 kV/us的电压上升时间（dv/dt）的快速前沿电压瞬变，这比传统的基于硅的转换器中所见的电压上升时间（dv/dt）大至少一个数量级。预计这些电压瞬变会显著降低所连接机器的绝缘寿命，从而降低其可靠性或可用性。反过来，这将对所有应用中的WBG变流器供电电力驱动产生严重的经济和安全影响，包括安全关键的运输系统。该项目旨在提高我们对WBG设备对机器绝缘系统影响的科学理解，并提出建议，以支持在与WBG转换器一起使用时具有优化功率密度和寿命的机器的设计和测试。这将通过量化快速电压瞬变应用于机器绝缘系统时的负面影响，通过确定在设备和系统层面评估的缓解策略，以及通过展示可以支持WBG变流器供电机器绝缘健康监测的解决方案来实现，并得到汽车，航空航天，可再生能源和工业驱动领域的一系列工业合作伙伴的支持。

Rapid and transformative advances in power electronic systems are currently taking place following technological breakthroughs in wide-bandgap (WBG) power semiconductor devices. The enhancements in switching speed and operating temperature, and reduction in losses offered by these devices will impact all sectors of low-carbon industry, leading to a new generation of robust, compact, highly efficient and intelligent power conversion solutions. WBG devices are becoming the device of choice in a growing number of power electronic converters used to interface with and control electrical machines in a range of applications including transportation systems (aerospace, automotive, railway and marine propulsion) and renewable energy (e.g. wind power generators). However, the use of WBG devices produces fast-fronted voltage transients with voltage rise-time (dv/dt) in excess of 10~30kV/us which are at least an order of magnitude greater than those seen in conventional Silicon based converters. These voltage transients are expected to significantly reduce the lifetime of the insulation of the connected machines, and hence their reliability or availability. This, in turn, will have serious economic and safety impacts on WBG converter-fed electrical drives in all applications, including safety critical transportation systems. The project aims to advance our scientific understanding of the impact of WBG devices on machine insulation systems and to make recommendations that will support the design and test of machines with an optimised power density and lifetime when used with a WBG converter. This will be achieved by quantifying the negative impact of fast voltage transients when applied to machine insulation systems, by identifying mitigating strategies that are assessed at the device and systems level and by demonstrating solutions that can support the insulation health monitoring of the WBG converter-fed machine, with support from a range of industrial partners in automotive, aerospace, renewable energy and industrial drives sectors.