Power devices for automotive electrical systems: comparative study

Continued electrification of traditionally mechanical loads, such as, power assist steering, etc. As well as the introduction of new loads, like seat heating, electric air conditions and AC power points will overburden the traditional 14 Volt power generation and distribution system. With this growing of electrical power demand in modern vehicles, a higher voltage electrical system becomes mandatory. The vehicle industry is currently pursuing a 42 volt system that selected by industry-wide research consortiums as a new standard. Although the switching to the 42 volt system will revolutionize the automotive industry but this switching can not be easily achieved in a short period due to the huge industrial infrastructure of the traditional 14 volt system. It became mandatory to study the power semiconductor switching devices that constitute the heart of modern vehicle electronics systems. However, In this paper, theoretical and practical comparative study of three semiconductor switching devices are demonstrated. The performance of these devices have been analyzed and compared from the view point of power electronics. Moreover, for completeness, a brief review of other power devices have been incorporated.