Device evaluation and filter design for 20 kW inverter for hybrid electric vehicle applications

In inverter design for electric vehicle applications there are several major requirements that should be met. The inverter should be able to operate bidirectionally with reasonably high efficiency under a high ambient temperature. Therefore it is critical to select the suitable main switches for the inverter. In this paper seven types of devices (including 3 dual IGBTs, 1 intelligent dual IGBT, 2 six-packed intelligent IGBTs and 1 intelligent dual MCT) have been evaluated with respect to efficiency and thermal management, under hard switching, ZVS and ZCS operating conditions. An input inverter EMI filter has been proposed and possible filter inverter interaction is being discussed. Favorable working frequencies for the devices under different conditions are given.