Masters Theses

Date of Award

12-2003

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Electrical Engineering

Major Professor

Leon M. Tolbert

Committee Members

J. S. Lawler, Syed K. Islam

Abstract

With the increase in use of power electronics in transmission and distribution applications there is a growing demand for cost effective and highly efficient converters. Most of the utility applications have power electronics integrated in the system to improve the efficiency and functionality of the existing system. The development of semiconductor devices is vital for the growth of power electronic systems. Modern technologies like voltage source converter (VSC) based HVDC transmission has been made possible with the advent of power semiconductor devices like IGBT and GTO thyristor with their high power handling capability. Various material limitations of silicon power semiconductor devices have led to the development of wide bandgap semiconductors such as SiC, GaN, and diamond. Silicon carbide is the most advanced amongst the available wide bandgap semiconductors and is currently in the transition from research to manufacturing phase. This project presents the modeling and design of a loss model of 4H-SiC GTO thyristor device, and the effect of device benefits at system level are studied. The device loss model has been developed based on the device physics and device operation, and simulations have been conducted for various operating conditions. The thesis focuses on the study of a comparison between silicon and silicon carbide devices in terms of efficiency and system cost savings for HVDC transmission system.

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