High-Isolation
Power
The green energy revolution is well underway, driven by the challenges of climate change and the drive
towards sustainable development. And RECOM’s high-isolation DC/DC converters play a key role in green energy
designs.
Typical system block diagram of a transformer-less
solar power conversion system (Source: Texas Instruments)
solar power conversion system (Source: Texas Instruments)
Solar energy is the cleanest, most abundant global renewable energy source, and plays a key role in the
development of sustainable energy systems. The PV solar panel produces a high-voltage DC output that is
converted to AC by a high-voltage three-phase inverter.
The converter uses both high-voltage and low-voltage circuits. The DC rail voltage can be 1000 V or higher, and the inverter module is often floated by a few hundred volts above ground, so isolation is required for both functional and safety purposes.
Optocouplers provide isolation for control signals, but the gate driver power supply must also be isolated. This isolated supply consists of a DC/DC converter that supplies typically +15/-9 V for IGBT devices, +20/-5 V for SiC MOSFETs (+15/-3 V for 2nd Gen. devices), or +6 V and +9 V for GaN HEMTs. The simplest (functional) isolation of a DC/DC converter can withstand 1 kV DC for one second. However, this is often not sufficient for high-side gate drivers.
The converter uses both high-voltage and low-voltage circuits. The DC rail voltage can be 1000 V or higher, and the inverter module is often floated by a few hundred volts above ground, so isolation is required for both functional and safety purposes.
Optocouplers provide isolation for control signals, but the gate driver power supply must also be isolated. This isolated supply consists of a DC/DC converter that supplies typically +15/-9 V for IGBT devices, +20/-5 V for SiC MOSFETs (+15/-3 V for 2nd Gen. devices), or +6 V and +9 V for GaN HEMTs. The simplest (functional) isolation of a DC/DC converter can withstand 1 kV DC for one second. However, this is often not sufficient for high-side gate drivers.
DC/DC converter modules from RECOM
are versatile in use
are versatile in use