Current status of multi-megawatt AC drives

Multi-megawatt AC drives have been increasingly used in many industries to conserve electric energy, increase productivity and improve product quality. The paper conducts a comprehensive analysis of multi-megawatt AC drives developed by the world leading drive manufacturers. A variety of multilevel voltage source inverters (VSIs) and PWM current source inverters (CSIs) are analyzed. Advantages and drawbacks of these drives are highlighted. The paper provides a list of various multi-megawatt AC drives currently used in the field, where drive configurations, power ratings, semiconductor devices and manufacturers are summarized.