AC/DC Converter Topologies Comparison for More Electric Aircraft Application

This paper describes the potential AC/DC power converter topologies that are appropriate for medium voltage and medium/high power aircraft applications. The power converter’s rated power and the DC distribution voltage level are 1MW and 3kV. The solutions explore multiple and modular converter structures that are connected in series and/or in parallel to achieve the rated power and DC-link voltage. The main aim of this research is reviewing the resulting AC/DC converters topologies and then the best candidate for the target application. The loss and efficiency of the converter topologies are determined based on available SiC semiconductor devices. Simulation results obtained using PLECs software to compare between different power converter topologies in terms of loss, converter weight, and power density to identify the best candidate.