Medium Voltage Shore-to-Ship Connection System Enabled by Series Connected 3.3 kV SiC MOSFETs

Increasing concern about the environmental impact of ships has made Shore-to-Ship (STS) power an attractive solution for ship owners and port authorities worldwide in reducing emissions at ports. Existing shore-to-ship solutions for 0.1 MVA to 5 MVA applications employ silicon (Si) IGBT based static frequency converters. Recent developments in high voltage silicon carbide (SiC) devices have facilitated improvement in efficiency and power density of medium voltage (MV) converters in various applications. This paper proposes an MV STS system enabled by series connection of three 3.3 kV SiC MOSFETs, which shows the potential for improved power density and efficiency compared to existing Si IGBT based solutions. A 100 kVA 3-phase two-level voltage source converter (VSC) with series connected 3.3 kV SiC MOSFETs is designed and demonstrated. Experimental results for the series connected 3.3kV SiC MOSFET based converter is shown at 6 kV dc link voltage to validate the design and operation of such a system. Successful demonstration of a MV converter system enabled by series connection of high voltage SiC MOSFETs can open up opportunities to replace conventional Si IGBT based converters with SiC MOSFET based converters in applications interfacing with medium voltage grid.