Common Architectures and Devices for Current Source Inverter in Motor-Drive Applications: A Comprehensive Review

When compared to the much more common voltage-source inverter (VSI), the current-source inverter (CSI) is rarely used for variable speed drive applications, due to its disadvantages: the need of a constant DC-link current, typically realized with a front-end converter, and the need for reverse-voltage blocking (RVB) devices, typically implemented with in-series diodes. This limits the overall efficiency of the architecture. This paper investigates latest progress of the CSI research, with the aim of demonstrating why CSI could come back in the near future. Different architectures based on modern wide-bandgap (WBG) switches are analyzed, with an emphasis on why CSI can be advantageous compared to VSI.