PowerCare - Intelligent inverter and motor control

This innovative Fraunhofer funding project paves the way for improved electrification of production and mobility, as losses during energy transmission can be reduced by using novel wide-bandgap materials. PowerCare aims to make power modules in industry and mobility more efficient and sustainable by using intelligent power electronics with novel gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors and real-time-capable failure models in motor controllers.

The future of power electronics

Compared to other semiconductor materials such as silicon, gallium nitride offers many advantages, such as higher power density, the possibility of more compact and efficient power modules, as well as higher switching speeds and therefore lower power losses. In addition, the widespread use of GaN could lead to considerable savings in greenhouse gases in the gigaton range, which corresponds to the emissions of around 600 coal-fired power plants. In particular, the use of vertical GaN power semiconductors in industrial motor control systems as part of PowerCare could save around 124 megatons of CO2 per year.

However, power-efficient GaN power modules with vertical GaN power semiconductors with integrated failure prediction are not yet available on the market. The PowerCare project aims to counteract this with innovative vertical GaN power semiconductors and real-time AI failure prediction. The miniaturized and energy-efficient module, which can be integrated directly into drives, is the result of a co-design of power semiconductors, microcontrollers and prediction models and is intended to detect faults in the inverter and motor at an early stage in order to minimize unexpected failures. This should enable efficient and cost-saving maintenance planning as well as increased safety.