Surprisingly, it is not the silicon in power semiconductors that presents the biggest problems in applications involving high operating voltages. On the contrary, it is standard auxiliary components, such as coolers, capacitors, clamping devices, or even power supplies, that fail to meet the insulation property requirements for medium-voltage applications.
Auxiliary power supplies are used, for example, to power driver boards for IGBTs, IGCTs, or GTOs, and to supply power or voltage sensors and other auxiliary equipment. Here, it is essential to ensure galvanic isolation between the secondary medium-voltage level and the supply level from which the auxiliary power supply is fed. Depending on the application, the isolation requirements are in the double-digit kV range. Furthermore, a partial discharge tolerance (<10 pC/50 Hz) must be defined at all operating points to prevent premature aging of the insulation barrier. When implementing the product, special attention must be paid to the stringent requirements for insulation materials and the device's field distribution. Finally, and importantly, the insulation requirements for medium-voltage applications, including clearance and creepage distances according to DIN/IEC standards, must be considered.
The highly efficient GPSS power supply from GvA Leistungselektronik GmbH addresses these market demands. Its scalable 2-channel platform can be easily expanded to 4 or 6 output channels. It features an isolation voltage of 35 kV with a partial discharge capacity of 21 kV (higher values available upon request) and a high output power of 150 W per channel. With a 24 V input voltage, GPSS delivers a 35 V output. Low power consumption and an efficiency level of up to 94% ensure operation with minimal power losses. Independently monitored temperature, short-circuit, and overload protection, as well as operating status for all connected devices, simplify system monitoring and guarantee a high level of reliability.
