Prototyping and evaluation of a fault-tolerant three-level TNPC inverter for aircraft propulsion

PCIM Conference 2025 - International Exhibition and Conference for Power Electronics, Intelligent Motion, Renewable Energy and Energy Management ; Nuremberg, Germany ; May 6-8, 2025

Publisher

VDE Verlag

Series or journal

Pcim Europe Conference Proceedings

Book title

PCIM 2025: International Exhibition and Conference for Power Electronics, Intelligent Motion, Renewable Energy and Energy Management

ISBN

978-3-8007-6541-6

First page

1408

Last page

1414

Peer-reviewed

✅

Part of the university bibliography

✅

Language

English

Abstract

This paper presents the prototyping of a fault-tolerant three-level T-type Neutral Point Clamped (TNPC) inverter for electric aircraft propulsion systems. To enhance robustness against various semiconductor failures, disconnecting devices are integrated in series with both the high-side and low-side switches. However, this implementation also increases parasitic inductance in the commutation loop. To mitigate the challenges associated with a highly inductive commutation path, a DC snubber circuit is designed to suppress overvoltage and damp switching oscillations. The switching behavior is analyzed through double-pulse testing (DPT). Additionally, a three-phase, three-level inverter employing space vector pulse-width modulation (SVPWM) is implemented, and its performance under normal operating conditions is evaluated. Furthermore, post-fault operation is investigated when one phase is connected to the neutral point.

Version

Published version

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