Silicon carbide potential for railway traction applications. Efficiency, loadability, life cycle energy analysis, and cost assessment comparison to si-based inverter topologies
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Autor:in (Körperschaft)
Publikationsdatum
2026
Typ der Arbeit
Studiengang
Typ
01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift
Herausgeber:innen
Herausgeber:in (Körperschaft)
Betreuer:in
Übergeordnetes Werk
Electronics
Themenheft
DOI der Originalpublikation
Link
Zugehörige Forschungsdaten
Reihe / Serie
Reihennummer
Jahrgang / Band
15
Ausgabe / Nummer
9
Seiten / Dauer
1854
Patentnummer
Verlag / Herausgebende Institution
MDPI
Verlagsort / Veranstaltungsort
Auflage
Version
Programmiersprache
Abtretungsempfänger:in
Praxispartner:in/Auftraggeber:in
Zusammenfassung
Silicon carbide (SiC) power devices are emerging as an alternative for electrical transportation systems to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, increase power density, and enable long-term cost savings throughout the product life cycle. Thus, a fair comparison with state-of-the-art Silicon (Si) technology is required to justify the productization of SiC devices. This work performs a systematic investigation of both technologies at the device and system levels for distinct power module voltage classes (3.3 and 6.5 kV) and circuit topologies. Initially, experimental characterization of state-of-the-art power modules is performed, followed by energy efficiency characterizations at the power converter level. Then, an electrothermal simulation model was built and validated based on experimental results. Accurate system simulations of commercial two- and three-level traction topologies were developed, focusing on efficiency over the entire load range, loadability, potential energy savings under realistic train drive cycles, and a financial comparison of inverter prices per kW. SiC exhibits lower loadability degradation at high switching frequencies (>500 Hz) than Si technology. Energy-saving potentials of 40–70% in the traction inverter with a guaranteed return on investment during the converter’s lifetime are achieved by substituting Si with SiC inverters. In addition, massive energy savings of up to 200 MWh per inverter lifetime can effectively reduce the carbon footprint of railway systems (up to ~76 t CO2-eq saved during the inverter lifetime). This paper provides essential information for distinct stakeholders to support the decision-making process and design considerations for future railway power conversion technologies.
Schlagwörter
Fachgebiet (DDC)
Veranstaltung
Startdatum der Ausstellung
Enddatum der Ausstellung
Startdatum der Konferenz
Enddatum der Konferenz
Datum der letzten Prüfung
ISBN
ISSN
2079-9292
Sprache
Englisch
Während FHNW Zugehörigkeit erstellt
Ja
Zukunftsfelder FHNW
Publikationsstatus
Veröffentlicht
Begutachtung
peer-reviewed
Open Access-Status
Gold
Lizenz
Zitation
Spejo, L. B., Briner, T., Soeiro, T. B., Minamisawa, R. A., & Minamisawa, R. (2026). Silicon carbide potential for railway traction applications. Efficiency, loadability, life cycle energy analysis, and cost assessment comparison to si-based inverter topologies. Electronics, 15(9), 1854. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics15091854