Method for operating a DC voltage grid and power converter for connecting a DC voltage grid to an AC voltage grid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12438363-B2
Application number	US-202318316303-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2023
Priority date	Nov 12, 2020
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

An electrical system includes a power converter and a DC/DC converter configured to transfer power between an AC side and a DC side thereof. The AC side is connected to an AC supply grid and the DC side is connected to a DC grid. The power converter has a bridge circuit connected to the AC side of the power converter via AC relays and connected to the DC side of the power converter via circuit breakers. A measuring device measures a DC power converter voltage and a DC/DC output voltage present on the output side of the DC/DC converter. A control circuit is configured to drive the DC/DC converter. The application also describes a method for operating an electrical system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical system comprising
a power converter and a DC/DC converter,
wherein the power converter is configured to transfer power between an AC side of the power converter and a DC side of the power converter,
wherein the power converter comprises a bridge circuit comprising AC terminals connected to the AC side of the power converter via AC relays and comprising DC terminals connected to the DC side of the power converter via circuit breakers,
wherein the DC/DC converter comprises an output side that is configured to couple electrically to the DC side of the power converter, and
wherein the electrical system comprises a measuring circuit or device configured to measure a DC power converter voltage and a DC/DC output voltage present on the output side of the DC/DC converter,
wherein the DC power converter voltage and the DC/DC output voltage are present on opposite sides of the circuit breakers,
wherein the electrical system has a control circuit configured to drive the DC/DC converter such that the DC/DC output voltage is set on the output side of the DC/DC converter, an absolute value of which voltage corresponds to the DC power converter voltage.

2. The electrical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the DC/DC converter is external to the power converter 10 , and the output side of the DC/DC converter is connected to the DC side of the power converter.

3. The electrical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the DC/DC converter is internal to the power converter, and is arranged between the bridge circuit and the circuit breakers.

4. The electrical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the circuit breakers are arranged between the DC/DC converter and the bridge circuit.

5. The electrical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the measuring circuit or device is configured to determine the DC power converter voltage and/or the DC/DC output voltage by measuring voltages on respective DC lines to ground potential, wherein a respective DC line is connected to a respective DC terminal.

6. The electrical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is configured to drive the DC/DC converter such that respective voltages to ground potential of the DC power converter voltage and the DC/DC output voltage are matched to one another.

7. The electrical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is configured to close the circuit breakers when the DC/DC output voltage corresponds to the DC power converter voltage.

8. The electrical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the DC/DC output voltage corresponds to the DC power converter voltage and forms a DC bus voltage of a DC grid.

9. The electrical system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the control circuit is configured to drive the DC/DC converter such that the DC bus voltage is balanced, wherein balancing is performed around a ground potential as a mid-potential.

10. The electrical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is configured to set the DC/DC output voltage on the output side of the DC/DC converter by clocking a symmetrical DC/DC voltage converter.

11. The electrical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is configured to connect the AC terminals of the bridge circuit to the AC side of the power converter via AC relays and then to set the DC/DC output voltage.

12. The electrical system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the AC terminals and the DC terminals of the bridge circuit are galvanically coupled and a power transfer path between the AC side and the DC side of the power converter is transformerless.

13. A method for operating an electrical system as claimed in claim 1 , comprising:
measuring a DC power converter voltage,
setting a DC/DC output voltage on the output side of the DC/DC converter,
wherein the DC power converter voltage and the DC/DC output voltage are present on opposite sides of the circuit breakers, and wherein an absolute value of the set DC/DC output voltage corresponds to the measured DC power converter voltage.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the DC power converter voltage and the DC/DC output voltage are determined by measuring voltages on respective DC lines to ground potential, wherein a respective DC line is connected to a respective DC terminal.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the respective measured voltages to ground potential of the DC power converter voltage and the DC/DC output voltage are matched to one another.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13 , comprising connecting the output side of the DC/DC converter to the power converter by closing the circuit breakers after setting the DC/DC output voltage.

17. The method as claimed in claim 13 , comprising connecting AC terminals of the bridge circuit to the AC side of the power converter via AC relays before setting the DC/DC output voltage.

18. The method as claimed in claim 13 , comprising balancing a DC bus voltage using the DC/DC converter around a ground potential as mid-potential after the circuit breakers are closed.

Assignees

• Sma Solar Technology Ag

Inventors

• Unru Alexander

Classifications

• H02J4/25

  for transfer of electric power between AC and DC networks, e.g. for supplying the DC section within a load from an AC mains system · CPC title

• H02M7/44

  by static converters · CPC title

• H02M3/04

  by static converters · CPC title

• H02M1/0009

  Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter · CPC title

• H02M1/32

  Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection · CPC title