11:25 – 11:45
Innovative Traction Drives with SiC Semiconductors
ŠKODA ELECTRIC is a renowned supplier of traction equipment for the SKODA Group and other important finalists of rail vehicles. For many electrical equipment applications, we use HV IGBT 6.5 kV/1000A transistors in large quantities (EMU trains ). In 2016, we built the first sample of a 200 kW SiC traction inverter. In 2019, we tested a traction drive for a new metro train for 1500V DC system and HV SiC technology (3.3 kV/ 750A) with a new IPMSM traction motor with natural cooling. The goal of the modern drive was to increase the reliability and reduce the maintenance of the traction drive, to reduce the weight and above all, due to the high efficiency of the traction drive, to reduce the electricity consumption of the train. The type tests of the train confirmed all these expectations.
The use of SiC technology leads to fantastic results in the field of electromobility, but it must also be combined with other modern elements of the traction drive. An example is the new ŠKODA ELECTRIC traction drive with a 5-phase IPMSM motor with third harmonic injection and a SiC inverter with a weight of 14.5 kg and a maximum power of 600 kW. Based on an objective measurement, this drive brings an electrical energy saving of 27.1% compared to an IGBT inverter and an asynchronous traction motor.
Ladislav Sobotka, Ph.D.
Skoda Electric
Ladislav is the Director of Development and Engineering at ŠKODA ELECTRIC, part of the ŠKODA Group. He joined Skoda in 1982 to develop electric locomotives, where he worked on traction drives. In 1996 he developed a new traction drive for the City Elephant double-decker unit (3 kV DC supply system ) with new HV IGBT transistors and a double star asynchronous traction motor. He also worked extensively on the development of trams and subway vehicles. He has been in the management of ŠKODA TRANSPORTATION since 1994, and in the following years he served as Technical Director and member of the Supervisory Board of ŠKODA TRANSPORTATION. In 2003, he founded ŠKODA ELECTRIC and was a member of the Board of Directors in charge of the technical departments. At ŠKODA ELECTRIC, he has been involved in a number of foreign projects, such as a traction drive for locomotives for Turkey in cooperation with the Korean company Hyundai-Rotem and a groundbreaking traction drive for a subway train for the Chinese city of Suzhou. Ladislav works very intensively with universities and is a member of three scientific councils. Since 2015 he has been working on SiC semiconductors and high efficiency traction drives.
Company Profile
We are Škoda Electric, belonging to the Škoda Group. We continue in the tradition of the one hundred and sixty-year tradition of Škoda plants and we are an experienced manufacturer of traction drives and motors for locomotives, trams, EMU, metro, mining vehicles.
