Development of SiC Based High Power Density Industry Drives

电动马达无处不在，它们消耗了全球发电量的一半以上。变速传动是提高电机效率、降低能耗的关键。对这些驱动器的需求非常旺盛，尤其是制造业、商业建筑和市政基础设施中的中等功率应用。现有的商用电机驱动器使用硅基器件，已经达到了变频器系统效率和功率密度的极限，不能很好地适应高速运行。在这个项目中，艾伯塔大学的研究人员和加拿大罗克韦尔自动化公司的工程师将共同开发基于碳化硅(SIC)的下一代工业驱动器。这些基于碳化硅的新型驱动器将满足日益增长的对更高效率、更高功率密度、更小尺寸和更高可靠性的需求。开发下一代电动驱动器至关重要，不仅在工业电机和供暖/空调等传统应用中，而且在电动汽车、航空航天和海洋工业的新应用中也是如此。

Electric motors are everywhere and they consume over half of the electricity generated globally. Variable speed drives are essential to increase the efficiency and decrease the energy consumption of electric motors. Demand is intense for these drives, especially for medium power applications in manufacturing, commercial buildings, and municipal infrastructure. Existing commercial motor drives, which use silicon-based devices, have reached the limit of converter system efficiency and power density and are not well suited for high speed operation. In this project, researchers from the University of Alberta and engineers from Rockwell Automation Canada will work together to develop the next generation of industrial drives based on silicon carbide (SiC). These new SiC based drives will meet the ever increasing demands for higher efficiency, higher power density, smaller size, and high reliability. Developing the next generation of electric drives is of critical importance, not only in traditional applications such as industrial motors and heating/air conditioning, but also in new applications in electrical vehicles, aerospace, and marine industries.