Comparative evaluation of SiC devices for PWM buck rectifier based active front end converter for MV grid interface

In this paper a new method for implementation of a 3-phase medium voltage rectifier is presented for Active Front End grid interface applications. A current source based PWM buck rectifier with Silicon Carbide (SiC) devices, different from the traditional GTO based current source rectifier, is used to grid tie with 3-phase, 4.16 kV grid. The power level considered is 100 kVA. Simplicity of construction, very high efficiency, better input line current control and small volume are the main advantages of this system. Due to low switching losses compared with traditional GTOs, PWM operation of the rectifier at higher switching frequencies is possible. A detailed simulation shows the validity of the proposed method. Efficiency comparison of the PWM Buck rectifier with 10 kV/10 A SiC MOSFET and 15 kV/20 A SiC IGBT as the active devices is also presented. Low voltage hardware prototype based high frequency switching validation is also carried out.