Characterization and simulation of the power IGBT module used in VFD for drilling applications

Abstract

At present, billions of dollars are being invested in the oil and gas industry, and the intellectual forces of many countries are working on the improvement of technology. In this connection, the problem arises of increasing the efficiency of capital investments [1]. One of the ways to improve the quality and increase profits is the use of drilling rigs equipped with a variable frequency drive (VFD) technology, which have proven themselves in operation at difficult climatic conditions. In pursuit of increased quality and profitability the VFD may hold the key to efficiently performing intricate and high-speed tasks and thus make complex wells technically and economically feasible [2]. The inverter module plays an important role in the Variable-Frequency Drive and the most important switching devices used in the inverter module are the IGBT & MOSFET. This paper focuses on the characterization and simulation of the power IGBT module used in VFD of drilling rigs. This characterization is based on the use of ANSYS solver Circuit - Simplorer©. This modeling is only linked to the knowledge of the IGBT characteristics obtained from datasheets. The comparison between the simulation models and the datasheet is reported and conclusions are made