High performance modular inverter with integrated charging functionalities for sustainable EESM-based drive systems

This pre-study aims to assess the feasibility of three identified approaches to improve inverter design for sustainable external excited synchronous motor (EESM)-based drive systems, targeting high levels of sustainability, performance, integration, and apparatus reusability. The pre-study evaluates the approach of adopting low CO2 footprint gallium nitride (GaN) devices in EESM inverters.

It further assesses the possibility of reusing the inverter and e-machine’s winding inductance to achieve an integrated charging system, eliminating the expensive power devices and bulky passive components. It also defines the inverter hardware architecture integrating charging functionalities. Lastly, the pre-study overviews different integration levels and modular inverter designs.

It also establishes a generic methodology for developing inverters with design and manufacturing approaches, which balance modularity, integration, performance, manufacturing complexity, and cost.