Novel inverter with zero voltage switching (ZVS) commutation circuit for high-voltage/high-power motor drives

This paper presents a novel inverter suitable for high-voltage/high-power motor drive applications. The proposed inverter has the advantages of high motor power factor and self-startability, which are not realized by a load commutated inverter (LCI) drive. We have evaluated basic performances by using a downsized test system, and verified that the inverter operates at a motor power factor of 1. In addition, for the practical use of the inverter, 13.2 kV output composition was verified by simulation. As a result, the proposed inverter achieved expected performances. Moreover we evaluated the operation of the ZVS commutation circuit by experiment, and thus verified that the peak voltage of the switching device is low, and switching loss is small. Therefore, the ZVS commutation circuit can be easily composed because it does not need to be of low inductance. From these results, the proposed inverter with ZVS commutation circuit is suitable for high voltage/high power motor drive applications.