The development of a IGBT-based tap changer

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Voltage regulation on distribution networks has so far been done by means ofmechanical tap changers. However, these tap changers are plagued by highmaintenance costs due to the arcing caused while switching, which degradesboth the contacts and transformer oil. The major advances made during thelast decade with regard to semiconductor technology have led to the developmentof high power IGBTs. These high power IGBTs are capable of conductingcurrents up to 1 000 A, while the voltage over the IGBT reaches well over 3000 V. Using these high power IGBTs to design and build a solid-state tapchanger allows the tap changer to regulate the output voltage with higher accuracyand speed. The supporting hardware is also discussed, while the designis verified by the use of simulations and practical measurements conducted ona scale-model of the IGBT-based solid-state tap changer.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University