Medium Voltage Integrated Drive and Motor

Medium voltage electric machine provides increased efficiency and smaller system footprint

In many heavy industrial applications, gas turbine powered drive systems are the standard. However, an increasing number of end users are showing greater interest in electric drive systems due to more stringent emission standards and demand for increased reliability, better availability, and more operational flexibility. Despite this interest, deployment of variable speed drive (VSD) medium and high voltage motors is lagging. Market barriers include high capital cost, large footprint, low switching frequency, and high losses at high voltage ratings for VSDs based on today’s silicon power electronics. One way to address these barriers is to incorporate next-generation power conversion technologies based on high voltage silicon carbide semiconductor switching technology.