Design of a 20 kW SiC Current Source Inverter System for Machine Drives

This paper introduces a 20 kW Current Source Inverter (CSI) system implemented with 1200 V SiC MOSFETs on a modular 19-inch subrack platform. The design integrates two Power Electronic Building Blocks (PEBBs): a bidirectional 20 kW DC/DC converter and a 20 kW two-level CSI stage for electric drive applications. This platform serves as a versatile research basis for the control, optimization, and testing of CSI topologies, featuring exchangeable PEBBs to enable a future migration to GaN MBDS-based semiconductors. Initial measurements using a passive load at reduced power levels validate the control strategy, modulation and commutation logic. This work establishes the foundation for upcoming full-load drive-bench evaluations and system-level efficiency benchmarking against conventional voltage source topologies.