Railway inverter for metro application with 3.3kV Full-SiC MOSFET modules

This paper presents the new 3.3kV Silicon Carbide MOSFET module enhancements in a real railway application. Using as reference a commercial traction Silicon-based converter, the system has been upgraded with these new Full-SiC modules where the new standard package has been utilized, recently introduced in the railway semiconductor market. The improvements in terms of size, weight and efficiency are presented, achieving a 25% lighter new traction box and 70% more efficient power inverter compared to the original Si-based converter. This analysis, redesign and its impact on the main elements of the converter (i.e. cooling system, busbar, etc.) are also presented.