Switching Frequency Selection for Aerospace Power Converter System Considering the Design of Output LC Filter Inductor Optimizing Weight and Power Loss

Switching frequency is one of the main deciding factors in development of high power converter systems used in industrial applications. This paper aims at verifying the switching frequencies range between 9kHz and 20kHz by selecting and designing the inductor of the output LC filter for each switching frequency within that range while optimizing the weight and power loss of the overall power converter system used in aerospace industry. In this paper, the power loss of the inverter semiconductors is also studied for each switching frequency by considering the weight of the heat sink needed to cool the system using air as the coolant. An example design of 50kW, 540VDC, 0.8pf motor drive, 3 phase 2 level 400Hz system is used to analyze the results obtained using the proposed methods. The optimization of the overall power converter system weight is finalized by a trade-off between the heat sinking and filtering requirements.