Short Circuit Capability Design and Thermal Management for High Efficiency Solid-State Contactor

This paper introduces the design of short circuit capability and thermal management of a solid-state contactor for high efficiency ac motor applications. This solid-state contactor employs a hybrid combination of semiconductor devices which involves Thyristors (SCR) and SiC Field Effect Transistors (FET) in a parallel arrangement. Solid-state contactors are an established technology that provides many advantages compared to electro-mechanical contactors, but it is also characterized by the limitation of short circuit and thermal capability. In this paper, the main electronic components and functionalities of solid-state contactor are described and analyzed. The key design factors such as wire bond, semiconductor short circuit capability, power module design, and heatsink design are presented. The performance of the thermal and short-circuit of the proposed solid-state contactor are validated through the circuit simulation and full power experimental validation for a 480 V, 7.5 Hp induction motor application.