超高速エレベータ向けSiC適用小型変換器の検討

抄録

In this study, we developed a converter based on SiC-MOSFET for use in ultra-high-speed elevators, with a reduced volume of 15% compared with the conventional converter. We succeeded in reducing the power loss of the converter unit by 56% compared to the conventional converter in one round trip under high temperature condition. Recently, because of their useful characteristics, wide-gap semiconductors, such as SiC and GaN, have gained considerable attention for use in various application in the power electronics systems. Therefore, we studied the use of a converter in elevator systems based on SiC-MOSFET. We used a 1200V/800A SiC-MOSFET module for the converter unit. We developed a prototype of the converter unit and the control panel by applying for the SiC-MOSFET module for an ultra high-speed elevator. As a result, the setting area of the control panel (main part) becomes less than 43% of the conventional panel. We tried to demonstrate the working of a 68kW elevator by applying the prototype control panel. Because of the characteristic of the switching loss of SiC-MOSFET, the power loss of the converter unit has almost no dependence on temperature. An energy-saving effect of approximately 17% was acheived in the total elevator system in one round trip under high temperature condition.