Investigations on a 1kVA Reactive Power Compensated Current Converter using monolithic RB-IGBT modules

This work presents a current converter topology with an added free-wheeling path on the output load. This converter allows the compensation of the reactive power consumption by forcing the input current fundamental component to be in phase with the input voltage. Two basic input filters are investigated and an experimental comparison is proposed. A matrix type RLC input filter allows the converter to be run in a pulsed mode whereas a simple RC filter allows a natural snubbing against reverse recovery effects in the opening of the free-wheeling switch. An experimental comparison of the switching losses of an RB-IGBT module and a conventional IGBT with a serial diode is given as a conclusion.