Medium voltage drives: what does the future hold?

Medium voltage industrial AC drives have been in use for a number of decades. The technology has evolved and is well accepted today, however, one medium voltage drive can look quite different from the next. This paper will review the present topologies implemented by manufacturers. It will discuss new and enabling technologies which could impact medium voltage drives in the future. An example of such a technology is the power semiconductor device. Its present state and possible evolution will be presented along with the potential impact on medium voltage drive topologies. The paper will conclude with a hypothesis of a future medium voltage industrial AC drive accounting for the needs of the end user