New power technologies for industry modernization!

Industrial modernization is not just a buzz phrase, and with the implementation of new technologies required by Industry 4.0, many companies are migrating from traditional process control and infrastructures to networked types, including more communication, and with better utilization of energy must consider either upgrading existing equipment or buying brand new.

- Patrick Le Fèvre

When considering the installed base, taking into account the cost of a new installation and downtime, then upgrading and refurbishing is often considered an attractive solution. However, adding new functionality into existing packaging and enclosures can be very challenging. In a single article it is almost impossible to cover the wide variety of business cases when upgrading industrial equipment, but it is interesting to consider a dilemma faced by system architects: to get more power into a form, fit & function (3F) package, or to add more functionality to it while maintaining full compatibility with the installed equipment (Figure 01). So, what are the latest innovative power solutions that make this possible?

The benefits of the Wide Band Gap technology?

For decades, improvements in energy efficiency levels of power supplies have been made possible by technological evolutions. Moving from linear to switching technology was probably the major one, followed by several more minor leapfrogs until digital power came to market followed by the Wide Band Gap (WBG) semiconductors (Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC). Despite it having been on the market for several years, with the emerging WBG technology and the possibilities offered by those components, digital control becomes an absolute must and a major building block for power designers when developing new products, especially when addressing 3F as associated with industrial modernization. Component wise, WBG transistors are without doubt the ones that will prevail in the coming years.