19 September 2016

ABB's SiC-based battery charger for trains shrinks size tenfold and cuts weight by 80%

At the InnoTrans trade show in Berlin, Germany (20-23 September), ABB of Zurich, Switzerland is launching a next-generation battery charger based on silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors for use in all rail applications.

Train batteries provide power for critical systems such as control and lighting. The new compact battery charger in the BORDLINE BC series complements ABB's large standalone auxiliary converter product family and is compatible with all standard train battery voltages. With a footprint of 360mm x 220mm (the size of a shoebox) it is about 10 times smaller and 80% lighter compared to previous generations. The new device also has a high power density of 1kW per liter and per kg (an improvement from previous generations by a factor of 15).

Modern trains have varying requirements for power electronics components. In local transportation (such as trams), the components need to be as lightweight as possible to improve overall system energy efficiency. The need in long-distance and high-speed transportation is for compact and powerful yet reliable devices.

The BORDLINE BC battery charger employs ABB's proven modular platform design while incorporating SiC technology for the first time. Due to its conductivity characteristics, SiC power semiconductor technology enables a power density and performance not possible with conventional silicon power semiconductors. Mastering SiC technology translates into dramatically reduced size, weight and cooling requirements, and increased system efficiency, all critical factors for rail operators, says ABB.

"The new battery charger leverages all the benefits available from SiC and soft switching technologies to allow for a new performance level of power electronics in railway," says Sami Atiya, president of ABB's Discrete Automation and Motion division. "ABB has a long history of providing innovative and energy-efficient technologies to the rail industry and we will continue innovating for the transportation sector, a key growth area in our Next Level strategy."

The technology will be used to equip the new high-speed trains by Stadler operated by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) on the new transalpine Gotthard base tunnel route between Zurich and Milan.

Tags: Power electronics SiC

Visit: http://new.abb.com/power-converters-inverters/traction/auxiliary/bordline-bc