Experimental study on the dependence of IGBT switching energy loss on DC link voltage

In traction applications, power electronic converters experience wide variation in DC link voltage during operation. The purpose of this paper is to study the variations in turn-on and turn-off switching energy losses in the IGBTs with the DC link voltage. The IGBT switching characteristics are measured at various operating conditions, and turn-on and turn-off switching energy losses are determined. The experimental data are used to deduce a simple mathematical relationship between the switching energy losses and the DC link voltage. The results are useful for precise evaluation of IGBT switching energy loss over a wide range of operating conditions.