Life-Cycle Carbon Footprints of Low-Voltage Motor Drives with 600-V GaN or 650-V SiC Power Transistors

Abstract:
Based on a multi-objective Pareto optimization of efficiency, power density, and carbon footprint, we present a comparative evaluation of currently available 600-V GaN and 650-V SiC transistors in 400-V dc variable-speed drives (VSDs) with LC output filter for standard 3-hp motors in variable-load centrifugal systems like pumps. Interestingly, we do not identify significant performance differences between GaN-based and SiC-based VSDs. However, equipping a fixed-speed motor with a VSD reduces the average drive system losses and hence the life-cycle carbon footprint by up to 90%, which — complementing the NEMA Power Index (PI) — is captured by a proposed Loss Reduction Index (LRI).