Frequency converter and drive for electric motor

• US 20050018459A1
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abb Oy (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: Abb Oy (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Miettinen, Erkki
• Granted Patent: US 6,977,449 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/136
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/4585 having a rectifier with controlled elements
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/125 Avoiding or suppressing excessive transient voltages or currents
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/17 arranged for operation in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 2207/073 wherein only one converter is used, the other windings being supplied without converter, e.g. doubly-fed induction machines
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 23/07 Polyphase or monophase asynchronous induction motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/08 with pulse width modulation

Abstract

A charging contactor and charging resistor of a capacitor battery in a prior art intermediate circuit of a frequency converter are replaced with three semiconductor switches connected between a three-phase voltage supply and a capacitor battery. When the frequency converter is connected to a supply network, the three semiconductor switches are arranged to operate at first in a current regulating mode in order to charge the capacitor battery using a regulated charging current until the voltage of the capacitor battery reaches a predetermined level. After this, the three semiconductor switches are directed to operate in a diode bridge mode in parallel with an actual network inverter, thus providing a second rectification branch. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each semiconductor switch comprises a diode and a series connection of a gate-triggered component, preferably a thyristor.

Claims

1. A frequency converter, comprising

a network inverter to be connected to a multiphase alternating voltage supply,

a capacitor battery of a direct voltage intermediate circuit, a second inverter to be connected to a load,

a switch means that transfers power bidirectionally and is connected between the multiphase alternating-voltage supply and the network inverter and configured to disconnect the power supply from the network inverter until the voltage of the capacitor battery reaches a predetermined level,

a first, second and third semiconductor switch connected to between a first, second and third phase, respectively, of the multiphase alternating voltage supply and said capacitor battery and configured to first operate in a current regulating mode for charging the capacitor battery with regulated charging current until the voltage of the capacitor battery reaches a predetermined level, and to operate then in a diode bridge mode in parallel with the network inverter.

2. A frequency converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the first, second and third semiconductor switches comprises a series connection of a diode and a gate-triggered component, preferably a thyristor, connected in parallel with the capacitor battery and having an intermediate node connected to the corresponding phase of the alternating voltage supply.

3. A frequency converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein

each of the first, second and third semiconductor switches comprises a series connection of the diode and the thyristor and constitute a diode/thyristor bridge, and

the frequency converter comprises control means, which in the current regulating mode control the thyristors to regulate the charging current until the voltage of the capacitor reaches a predetermined level, and which then control the thyristors to operate as rectifier diodes such that the diode/thyristor bridge acts as a diode rectification bridge.

4. A frequency converter as claimed in claim 2, wherein the timing of the triggering pulses of the gate-triggered components in the current regulating mode is adjustable relative to a mains cycle of a corresponding input voltage phase.

5. A frequency converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said switching means that transfers power bidirectionally comprises a fourth, fifth and sixth phase-specific semiconductor switch that transfers power bidirectionally.

6. A frequency converter as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of the fourth, fifth and sixth semiconductor switch comprises a diode and a gate-triggered component, preferably a thyristor, in anti-parallel connection between the corresponding supply voltage phase and the network inverter, the diode being configured to transfer power from the network inverter towards the alternating voltage supply, and the gate-triggered component is configured to transfer power in a conductive state from the alternating voltage supply towards the network inverter, and in a non-conductive state to break the power transfer in said direction.

7. A frequency converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switch means transferring power bidirectionally and the first, second and third semiconductor switch are connected in parallel to the same three-phase alternating voltage supply, and wherein the network inverter and the first, second and third semiconductor switch accomplish a 6-pulse rectification.

8. A frequency converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switch means transferring power bidirectionally and the first, second and third semiconductor switch are connected to the different phases of a six-phase alternating voltage supply, and wherein the network inverter and the first, second and third semiconductor switch accomplish a 12-pulse rectification.

9. A frequency converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frequency converter comprises, in parallel with said network inverter, at least one additional frequency converter connected through a corresponding switch means transferring power bidirectionally to a dedicated three-phase supply and configured to feed said capacitor battery, and wherein the network inverter, said at least one additional network inverter, and the first, second and third semiconductor switch accomplish an at least 18-pulse rectification.

10. A frequency converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the capacitor battery comprises one or more capacitors.

11. A frequency converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said multiphase alternating voltage supply is accomplished with a transformer in which secondary windings are connected to produce three-phase supplies that are mutually in phase shift.

12. An electric motor drive comprising a frequency converter, said frequency converter further comprising

a network inverter to be connected to a multiphase alternating voltage supply,

a capacitor battery of a direct voltage intermediate circuit, a second inverter to be connected to a load,

a switch means that transfers power bidirectionally and is connected between the multiphase alternating-voltage supply and the network inverter and configured to disconnect the power supply from the network inverter until the voltage of the capacitor battery reaches a predetermined level,

a first, second and third semiconductor switch connected to between a first, second and third phase, respectively, of the multiphase alternating voltage supply and said capacitor battery and configured to first operate in a current regulating mode for charging the capacitor battery with regulated charging current until the voltage of the capacitor battery reaches a predetermined level, and to operate then in a diode bridge mode in parallel with the network inverter.

13. An electric motor drive comprising n frequency converters in parallel such that each frequency converter is connected to a dedicated 6-phase alternating voltage supply, wherein n=2, 3, 4, . . . , each said frequency converter further comprising

a network inverter to be connected to a multiphase alternating voltage supply,

a capacitor battery of a direct voltage intermediate circuit, a second inverter to be connected to a load,

a switch means that transfers power bidirectionally and is connected between the multiphase alternating-voltage supply and the network inverter and configured to disconnect the power supply from the network inverter until the voltage of the capacitor battery reaches a predetermined level,

a first, second and third semiconductor switch connected to between a first, second and third phase, respectively, of the multiphase alternating voltage supply and said capacitor battery and configured to first operate in a current regulating mode for charging the capacitor battery with regulated charging current until the voltage of the capacitor battery reaches a predetermined level, and to operate then in a diode bridge mode in parallel with the network inverter.