RT20 | Rapid Control Prototyping (RCP) Assessed Boost Mode Operation of a 15 kW SiC-based 380:480 V Matrix Converter

​The matrix converter (MxC) is an AC-to-AC direct power converter. It features low EMI, low common-mode voltage and potentially a higher power density compared to back-to-back counterparts. Combined with the latest SiC devices, the converter efficiency could be higher than 99%. One major concern of MxC is the 86.6% voltage gain limitation. In this research, the MxC is operated in boost mode to step-up the output voltage above 86.6% of input voltage. Both classical cascaded control and model predictive control (MPC) were considered. The rapid control prototyping (RCP) system was adopted to assess the control design on a custom-built 15 kW SiC-based MxC hardware. The interface between the RCP system and the SiC power stage were carefully designed and verified.