Current-Source Inverter Integrated Motor Drives Using Dual-Gate Four-Quadrant Wide-Bandgap Power Switches

Four-quadrant (FQ) switches that have both bidirectional current and reverse-voltage blocking (RVB) capabilities are appealing candidates for use in current-source inverters (CSI) to significantly reduce the switch conduction losses. However, the FQ characteristics of these switches can create problems during switching events by causing transient overcurrent pulses that damage the inverter. Commutation methods for FQ switches in CSI topologies that address these challenges are presented in this article. Several key aspects of the performance and implementation of these commutation methods are explored for a high-power density 3 kW integrated motor drive incorporating both a current-source active rectifier and inverter stage that has been developed using these FQ switch methods. Experimental results demonstrate the benefits of implementing these commutation methods in CSIs that use FQ switches. The benefits include substantial efficiency improvement compared to the conventional CSI implemented with series power diodes as well as reduced mass and volume of passive components due to the high switching frequency (100 kHz).