Enhancing Energy Storage System Performance with Silicon Carbide Power Devices

Read about the all new Wolfspeed WolfPACK™ power modules. These modules give designers scalability and efficiency along with maintaining the simplicity of the design.

This whitepaper will cover the many benefits of Silicon Carbide (SiC) for Grid-Tied applications ranging from 2.2 kW to over 200 kW with Wolfspeed discrete and power module products. The presenters will perform topology analysis to demonstrate the simplifications in system implementation SiC can enable with fast, efficient switching performance compared to more complex, multi-level systems used with Si technology. Next, an overview of Wolfspeed simulation tools will demonstrate how to find the right parts to meet system needs. Finally, examples will show the audience practical examples of how to implement and get started with SiC including a 2.2 kW Totem Pole PFC and 22 kW Bi-directional active front end (AFE) with discrete devices. Utilizing Wolfspeed modules, a 25 kW Bi-directional AFE using Wolfpack modules and a 200 kW Bi-directional AFE using the XM3 module will be presented. With the topics covered, the audience will understand the advantages and capabilities Wolfspeed’s SiC family can bring to their next system design.

Wolfspeed’s SpeedFit is a powerful online simulator that allows designers to quickly evaluate different power conversion topologies and Silicon Carbide (SiC) devices. The platform is best utilized early in a design cycle to analyze design tradeoffs between different topologies, estimate semiconductor losses and junction temperatures, as well as identifying the best Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFETs and Silicon Carbide (SiC) diodes to use in a given design. This saves a great deal of time by reducing the need to sort through datasheets and calculate device losses to select an optimized device. The SpeedFit tool supports numerous power conversion topologies for DC-DC, AC-DC, and DC-AC to support a wide range of applications. This whitepaper will explore some of the topologies including newly added options and demonstrate how SpeedFit can be used to evaluate different device packages and paralleling options.