Multi-pulse constant voltage transformer for a variable speed drive in chiller applications

• US 10,075,117 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2015
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Wu, Zhiqiao, Hansen, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Carrasquillo, Jorge L
• Application Number:
  US15/031,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20160248363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 318780, 3184003, 318813, 323355, 323358, 323359
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/025 Motor control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 30/14 for changing the number of phases
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/14 Arrangements for reducing ripples from dc input or output
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/068 mounted on a transformer
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 13/06 by tap-changing; by rearranging interconnections of windings
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/047 V/F converter, wherein the voltage is controlled proportionally with the frequency

Abstract

A multi-pulse transformer with multiple taps provides a constant magnitude voltage output to a variable speed chiller'"'"'s compressor motor over a range of input voltages. The 3-phase transformer includes primary windings and a plurality of secondary windings. The secondary windings are electromagnetically coupled with the associated primary winding. The primary windings include taps for receiving multiple input AC voltages and the secondary windings have a single output terminal for supplying a predetermined output voltage which, after rectification produces a DC multi-pulse waveform for powering a DC link of a variable speed drive. Alternatively the 3-phase transformer includes multiple taps on the secondary windings. Each of the primary windings has a terminal for receiving an input AC voltage. The taps of the secondary windings provide an output voltage that is converted to a multi-pulse waveform for powering a DC link of a variable speed drive.

Claims

1. A variable speed drive system configured to receive an input AC power at a fixed AC input voltage magnitude and frequency and provide an output AC power at a variable voltage and variable frequency, the variable speed drive comprising:

a multiple pulse transformer, connected to a three-phase AC power source providing the input AC voltage;

a converter configured to convert the input AC voltage to a DC voltage;

a DC link connected to the converter stage, the DC link being configured to filter and store the DC voltage from the converter stage; and

an inverter connected to the DC link, the inverter being configured to convert the DC voltage from the DC link into the output AC power having the variable voltage and the variable frequency;

the multiple pulse transformer comprising;

three primary windings, each of the primary windings connected to a phase of the three-phase AC power source, each of the primary windings comprising a plurality of input terminals, wherein a first input terminal of the plurality of input terminals is wound for a first utility voltage available at the AC power source and a second input terminal of the plurality of input terminals is wound for a second utility voltage available at the AC power source, and wherein the first utility voltage is different than the second utility voltage;

a plurality of secondary windings, each secondary winding comprising three phase windings respectively, each phase winding of the respective secondary winding comprising a predetermined phase shift with respect to a corresponding phase winding of the remaining secondary windings;

wherein the phase shifting of the phase windings results in three sinusoidal output voltage waves for each secondary winding, the sinusoidal output voltage waves being substantially evenly spaced over 360 degrees.

2. The variable speed drive system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of secondary windings comprises a first, a second and a third secondary winding, and the first secondary winding comprises a phase angle shift of −

θ

with respect to the second secondary winding, and a phase angle shift of +θ

with respect to the third secondary winding.

3. The variable speed drive system of claim 2, wherein the respective phase angle shift of the secondary windings and their respective phase windings results in nine sinusoidal output voltage waves at output terminals of the phase windings.

4. The variable speed drive system of claim 2, wherein the phase angles are about 40 degrees of separation between sinusoidal voltage waves.

5. The variable speed drive system of claim 1, wherein the converter is configured to rectify the nine sinusoidal output voltage waves to generate an 18-pulse DC waveform supplied to the DC link.

6. The variable speed drive system of claim 1, wherein the sinusoidal output voltage wave comprises 12-pulses and 6-phases to achieve a predetermined ripple factor at the DC link.

7. The variable speed drive system of claim 1, wherein the sinusoidal output voltage wave comprises 24-pulses and 12-phases to achieve a predetermined ripple factor at the DC link.

8. The variable speed drive system of claim 1, wherein the first utility voltage is 575 Volts, the second utility voltage is 460 Volts, and a third input terminal of the plurality of input terminals is wound for a third utility voltage at the AC power source, wherein the third utility voltage is 400 to 415 Volts, and wherein any of the respective voltage levels may be applied at the respective input terminals to provide a fixed secondary voltage at the output terminals of the associated secondary windings.

9. The variable speed drive system of claim 8, wherein the fixed secondary voltage is 580 VAC RMS voltage input to the converter to provide 820 VDC on the DC link, and wherein the motor being a four pole motor to be driven by the inverter over a range of at least two times a power line input frequency.

10. The variable speed drive system of claim 9, wherein the DC link voltage ranges from 813V to 1000V, and the inverter output voltage is 575 volts.

11. A variable speed drive system configured to receive an input AC power at a fixed AC input voltage magnitude and frequency and provide an output AC power at a variable voltage and variable frequency, the variable speed drive comprising:

a multiple pulse transformer, connected to a three-phase AC power source providing the input AC voltage;

a converter configured to convert the input AC voltage to a DC voltage;

a DC link connected to the converter stage, the DC link being configured to filter and store the DC voltage from the converter stage; and

an inverter connected to the DC link, the inverter being configured to convert the DC voltage from the DC link into the output AC power having the variable voltage and the variable frequency;

the multiple pulse transformer comprising;

three primary windings, each of the primary windings connected to a phase of the three-phase AC power source, each of the primary windings comprising a plurality of input terminals for connection to the AC power source, wherein a first input terminal of the plurality of input terminals is wound for a first utility voltage available at the AC power source and a second input terminal of the plurality of input terminals is wound for a second utility voltage available at the AC power source, and wherein the first utility voltage is different than the second utility voltage; and

a plurality of secondary phase windings, each secondary phase winding having multiple voltage output terminals.

12. The variable speed drive system of claim 11, wherein each secondary phase winding has a phase angle shift of θ

with respect to a first adjacent secondary phase winding, and has a phase angle shift of −

θ

with respect to a second adjacent secondary winding.

13. The variable speed drive system of claim 12, wherein the phase angle shift between each of the secondary phase windings generates nine sinusoidal voltage waves at the multiple voltage output terminals respectively of the secondary phase windings.

14. The variable speed drive system of claim 13, wherein the respective sinusoidal voltage waves are at substantially equally spaced phase angles.

15. The variable speed drive system of claim 13, wherein the phase angles are about 40°

angles of separation between sinusoidal voltage waves.

16. The variable speed drive system of claim 13, wherein the converter is configured to rectify the nine sinusoidal output voltage waves to generate an 18-pulse DC waveform supplied to the DC link.

17. The variable speed drive system of claim 13, wherein the multiple output voltage terminals are arranged to output 575 Volts on at least one of the multiple output voltage terminals, the output voltage terminals depending on an input AC voltage.

18. A chiller system comprising:

a refrigerant circuit comprising compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator connected in a closed refrigerant loop; and

a multiple pulse transformer comprising three primary windings connected to a three-phase AC power source and a plurality of secondary windings connected to a variable speed drive to power a motor of the compressor;

each of the primary windings comprising a plurality of input terminals for connection to the three-phase AC power source, wherein a first input terminal of the plurality of input terminals is wound for a first utility voltage available at the three-phase AC power source and a second input terminal of the plurality of input terminals is wound for a second utility voltage available at the three-phase AC power source, and wherein the first utility voltage is different than the second utility voltage;

at least one of the secondary windings comprising multiple terminals for providing a multiple phase output voltage comprising a predetermined phase shift with respect to a corresponding winding of the remaining secondary windings;

wherein the phase shifting of the multiple phase output voltage provides three multiple sinusoidal output voltage waves for each of the plurality of secondary windings with the multiple sinusoidal output voltage waves being substantially evenly spaced over 360 degrees.

19. The chiller system of claim 18, wherein the first utility voltage is 575 Volts, the second utility voltage is 460 Volts, and a third input terminal of the plurality of input terminals is wound for a third utility voltage at the three-phase AC power source, wherein the third utility voltage is 400 to 415 Volts, wherein any of the designated voltage levels applied at the associated first, second or third input terminals provide a fixed secondary voltage at the output terminals of the associated secondary windings.

20. The chiller system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of secondary winding each comprising three phase windings, and each phase winding comprising the multiple terminals for outputting a multiple sinusoidal output voltage wave wherein the multiple sinusoidal output voltage provides multiple sinusoidal output voltage waves for each of the plurality of secondary windings with the multiple sinusoidal output voltage waves substantially evenly spaced over 360degrees.