Reducing energy use in motor drives
1 min read
A new series of power transistors from STMicroelectronics is said to reduce the environmental impact of daily use equipment such as home appliances, HVAC systems, and industrial machines.
According to ST, this is achieved by minimising the two major sources of energy loss in motor control circuits.
The STGW30N120KD and the STGW40N120KD are insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) that have low energy loss when conducting, like an ordinary IGBT, and also reduce losses while switching.
The IGBTs achieve power savings using ST's PowerMESH process, and are said to deliver greater all round energy efficiency. Lower switching losses allow a higher operating frequency, which, says ST, permits smaller and lower cost components in power control circuits.
The 1200V IGBTs have been designed to survive short circuits lasting up to 10 microseconds, making them resistant to common causes of motor controller failures, such as an error in the gate drive signal, shorting at grounding and breakdown of motor phase to phase insulation.
The new series is rated for 1200V operation, which allows use at higher AC line voltages such as 440 or 480V. The STGW30N120KD and STGW40N120KD are for applications up to 30A and 40A, respectively.