Thermal Evaluation of Isolated Gate Driver for Bidirectional Power Inverter
Abstract
This work reports on the steps taken to evaluate a commercially available, half-bridge gate-driver board that is considered as a possible subcomponent of a 60-kW class inverter. Initial results validate the boards operation at the expected frequency while switching a silicon-carbide (SiC), half-bridge, metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) module at elevated voltage and current levels with a simulated load. The board was successfully tested at 100 kHz, at room temperature, while driving a 1.7-kV, 8.0-m, SiC module in a half-bridge circuit under various loading conditions. For a supply voltage of 600 V and a load of 25 , for example, the maximum temperature recorded on the board was 55.2 C with a T of 33.9 C. The preliminary thermal tests presented here, although not conclusive, suggest the gate-driver board can be used for the intended application without any modifications to the onboard components and without the need of additional cooling hardware.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 29, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1067059
Entities
People
- Miguel Hinojosa
Organizations
- United States Army Research Laboratory