Systems and methods for a dual-supply variable speed drive

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11515825-B2
Application number	US-201816755109-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2018
Priority date	Oct 10, 2017
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system includes a refrigerant loop and a compressor disposed along the refrigerant loop. The compressor is configured to circulate refrigerant through the refrigerant loop. The HVAC&R system also includes a motor configured to drive the compressor and a variable speed drive (VSD) configured to supply power to the motor. The VSD further includes a first power pod configured to supply a first power to the motor and a second power pod configured to supply a second power to the motor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
a refrigerant loop;
a compressor disposed along the refrigerant loop, wherein the compressor is configured to circulate refrigerant through the refrigerant loop;
a motor configured to drive the compressor; and
a variable speed drive (VSD) configured to supply power to the motor, wherein the VSD comprises:
a first power pod configured to supply a first power to the motor; and
a second power pod configured to supply a second power to the motor, wherein the first power pod and the second power pod are configured to operate independently of one another such that one of the first or second power pods is configured to operate while operation of another of the first or second power pods is discontinued.

2. The HVAC&R system of claim 1 , wherein the first power pod comprises a first rectifier, a first direct current (DC) link, and a first inverter, and the second power pod comprises a second rectifier, a second DC link, and a second inverter.

3. The HVAC&R system of claim 1 , wherein the motor is configured to receive the first power via first electrical windings and to receive the second power via second electrical windings.

4. The HVAC&R system of claim 3 , wherein the first electrical windings are insulated from the second electrical windings.

5. The HVAC&R system of claim 3 , wherein the motor comprises a rotor and a stator, wherein the rotor comprises a set of slots, and wherein the first electrical windings are disposed within the set of slots and the second electrical windings are disposed within the set of slots.

6. The HVAC&R system of claim 3 , wherein the first electrical windings are in a first delta configuration, wherein the second electrical windings are in a second delta configuration, and wherein the first delta configuration of the first electrical windings is galvanically isolated from the second delta configuration of the second electrical windings.

7. The HVAC&R system of claim 1 , comprising a microprocessor, wherein the microprocessor is configured to output a set of electrical signals, wherein the first power pod is configured to receive the set of electrical signals, and wherein the second power pod is configured to receive the set of electrical signals.

8. The HVAC&R system of claim 1 , wherein the motor is configured to provide at least 1200 horsepower as input to the compressor.

9. A method, comprising:
receiving a set of electrical signals via a first power pod of a variable speed drive;
receiving the set of electrical signals via a second power pod of the variable speed drive;
supplying a first voltage to first windings of a motor via the first power pod; and
supplying a second voltage to second windings of the motor via the second power pod, wherein the first and second power pods are configured to operate independently of one another such that one of the first or second power pods is configured to operate while operation of another of the first or second power pods is discontinued.

10. The method of claim 9 , comprising electrically insulating the first windings from the second windings.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first power pod and the second power pod are configured to receive the set of electrical signals from a microprocessor, and wherein the microprocessor is configured to produce the set of electrical signals via pulse-width modulation.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first power pod is configured to receive the set of electrical signals via a first inverter and the second power pod is configured to receive the set of electrical signals via a second inverter, wherein the first inverter is configured to supply the first voltage to the first windings based at least in part on the set of electrical signals, wherein the second inverter is configured to supply the second voltage to the second windings based at least in part on the set of electrical signals.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first power pod comprises a first rectifier configured to receive a first alternating current (AC) voltage from a power source and convert the first AC voltage to a first direct current (DC) voltage, wherein the second power pod comprises a second rectifier configured to receive a second AC voltage from the power source and convert the second AC voltage to a second DC voltage, wherein a first DC link of the first power pod is configured to receive the first DC voltage from the first rectifier, and wherein a second DC link of the second power pod is configured to receive the second DC voltage from the second rectifier.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein a first inverter of the first power pod is configured to receive the first DC voltage from the first DC link, convert the first DC voltage to the first AC voltage, and supply the first AC voltage to the first windings, and wherein a second inverter of the second power pod is configured to receive the second DC voltage from the second DC link, convert the second DC voltage to the second AC voltage, and supply the second AC voltage to the second windings.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first windings are electrically insulated from the second windings.

16. A system, comprising:
a microcontroller;
a variable speed drive (VSD) configured to receive a set of electrical signals from the microcontroller, wherein the VSD comprises a first power pod configured to provide a first power supply and a second power pod configured to provide a second power supply, wherein the first power pod and the second power pod are configured to operate independently of one another such that one of the first or second power pods is configured to operate while operation of another of the first or second power pods is discontinued; and
a motor configured to receive the first power supply and the second power supply from the VSD via first windings and second windings, respectively.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the VSD comprises a first rectifier, a first direct current (DC) link, a first inverter, a second rectifier, a second DC link, and a second inverter.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the first and second windings are galvanically isolated from one another.

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tech Co
• Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP

Inventors

• Jadric Ivan
• Kane Ajit Wasant
• Slothower Scott Victor

Classifications

• F25B31/026

  with compressor of rotary type · CPC title

• H02P27/08 Primary

  with pulse width modulation · CPC title

• H02P6/005 Primary

  Arrangements for controlling doubly fed motors · CPC title

• H02P2207/07

  Doubly fed machines receiving two supplies both on the stator only wherein the power supply is fed to different sets of stator windings or to rotor and stator windings · CPC title

• Y02B30/70

  Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating · CPC title