Comparison of IGBT Cycling Capabilities for Different AC/AC Topologies

This paper analyzes the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) power cycling capability for a dual-bridge matrix converter (DBMC) used as a motor drive and compares the result with the traditional dc/ac inverter and the conventional matrix converter (CMC). Two pulsewidth modulation (PWM) control methods for the DBMC are investigated. One is called zero-current PWM (ZCPWM), which allows zero current commutation of the rectifier side switches. The other is named zero-voltage PWM (ZVPWM), which generates zero-voltage switching in the inverter IGBT. It is found that the DBMC under the ZVPWM method shows much higher power cycling capabilities in the IGBT than that of the ZCPWM and the other two topologies. Moreover, by appropriately selecting the sequence of the ZVPWM and ZCPWM methods, the DBMC shows overall advantages on the sizing of the IGBT and the balancing of the thermal system. It is also shown that the IGBT applied in the DBMC inverter is easier to operate under higher switching frequency conditions.