Power converter with a first string having controllable semiconductor switches and a second string having switching modules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9252681-B2
Application number	US-201314014516-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2013
Priority date	Aug 30, 2013
Publication date	Feb 2, 2016
Grant date	Feb 2, 2016

Abstract

A power converter includes at least one leg including a first string that includes controllable semiconductor switches, a first connecting node, and a second connecting node and that is operatively coupled across a first bus and a second bus. A second string is operatively coupled to the first string via the first connecting node and the second connecting node. The second string includes a plurality of switching modules wherein each of the plurality of switching modules includes a plurality of fully controllable semiconductor switches and at least one energy storage device. The power converter includes a system controller to control activation of the controllable semiconductor switches and switching modules such that a controlled electrical variable is maintained at a first predetermined reference voltage value and the average internal stored energy of the energy storage devices is maintained at a second predetermined reference value.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power converter, comprising:
at least one power converter leg, each leg comprising:
a first string comprising a plurality of controllable semiconductor switches, a first connecting node, and a second connecting node, wherein the first string is operatively coupled across a first bus and a second bus; and
a second string operatively coupled to the first string via the first connecting node and the second connecting node, wherein the second string comprises a plurality of switching modules, wherein each of the plurality of switching modules comprises a plurality of fully controllable semiconductor switches and at least one energy storage device;
a system controller configured to control an activation mode of at least one of the plurality of controllable semiconductor switches from the first string, and a predetermined number of switching modules from the second string such that a controlled electrical variable is maintained at a first predetermined reference voltage value and the average internal stored energy of the energy storage devices are balanced and maintained at a second predetermined reference value;

wherein the second string comprises a first arm and a second arm; and
wherein the system controller further comprises:
a first regulator for generating activation commands for the plurality of semiconductor switches and the switching modules based on the first predetermined reference value;
a second regulator for generating activation commands for the plurality of switching modules based on internal stored energies of the energy storage devices to maintain the internal stored energies of the energy storage devices at the second predetermined value;
a third regulator for maintaining an equal distribution of total stored energy among each of the plurality of legs; and
a fourth regulator for maintaining an equal distribution of energy stored in each leg between the first and second arms of the second string of the leg.

2. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein the controllable semiconductor switches of the first string comprise partially controllable switches.

3. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein the first string comprises a first branch and a second branch, and wherein the second branch is operatively coupled to the first branch via a third connecting node.

4. The power converter of claim 3 , wherein the third connecting node of each leg is connected to a third bus comprising a DC bus.

5. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein the first and second arms of the second string are operatively coupled to a fourth bus.

6. The power converter of claim 5 , wherein the fourth bus comprises an alternating current phase.

7. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein the system controller further comprises a modulator configured to control the activation mode of the plurality of switching modules based on a plurality of commands generated by the first and second regulator.

8. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein the system controller further comprises a modulator configured to control the activation mode of the plurality of switching modules based on a plurality of commands generated by the first, second, third and the fourth regulator.

9. The power converter as recited in claim 1 , wherein the controlled electrical variable comprises output power.

10. A power converter, comprising:
at least one power converter leg, each leg comprising:
a first string comprising a plurality of controllable semiconductor switches, a first connecting node, and a second connecting node, wherein the first string is operatively coupled across a first bus and a second bus; and
a second string operatively coupled to the first string via the first connecting node and the second connecting node, wherein the second string comprises a first arm and a second arm having a plurality of switching modules, wherein each of the plurality of switching modules comprises a plurality of fully controllable semiconductor switches and at least one energy storage device;
a system controller configured to control an activation mode of at least one of the plurality of controllable semiconductor switches from the first string, and a predetermined number of switching modules from the second string such that a controlled electrical variable is maintained at a first predetermined reference voltage value and the average internal stored energy of the energy storage devices are balanced and maintained at a second predetermined reference value; and

a modulator configured to control the activation mode of the plurality of switching modules based on a plurality of commands generated by a first, second, third and a fourth regulator.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Zhang Di
• Garcés Luis José
• Rockhill Andrew Allen
• Lai Rixin

Classifications

• H02M2001/0003

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02M2007/4835

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02M7/7575

  for high voltage direct transmission link · CPC title

• H02M7/5152

  with separate extinguishing means · CPC title

• H02M7/537 Primary

  using semiconductor devices only, e.g. single switched pulse inverters · CPC title