COOLING AND SHIELDING OF A HIGH VOLTAGE CONVERTER

• US 20100014338A1
• Filed: 06/22/2006
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Power Grids Switzerland AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Technology Limited (ABB Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hedblad, Per-Olof, Jacobson, Björn
• Granted Patent: US 8,437,113 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/141
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/473 by flowing liquids H01L23/4332, H01L23/4338 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/552 Protection against radiation, e.g. light or electromagnetic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/60 Protection against electrostatic charges or discharges, e.g. Faraday shields
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/117 Stacked arrangements of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3025 Electromagnetic shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/14339 specially adapted for high voltage operation

Abstract

A converter for converting alternating voltage into direct voltage and vice versa in a converter station of a high voltage transmission system. A series connection of converter valves includes power semiconductor devices connected in series and arranged in superimposed layers. The valves are arranged on top of each other in a column. Coolant liquid conducting tubes are in an extension over at least one part of the circumference of the column having no connections to cooling blocks for cooling the devices made of metal. Such metal tubes are arranged in the part for over this part of the column circumference forming an electric field shielding screen. The coolant liquid conducting tubes are when extending over parts of a circumference of the column where connections are made to cooling blocks made of an electrically insulating material. An electric field shield is arranged outside the column over these parts.

Claims

1. A converter for converting alternating voltage into direct voltage and vice versa in a converter station of a high voltage transmission system, said converter comprising:

a series connection of converter valves having power semiconductor devices connected in series and arranged in superimposed layers, said valves forming at least one column of one or more converter valves,

a cooling module configured to cool the power semiconductor devices, the cooling module comprising coolant blocks in contact with each of said power semiconductor devices and tubes extending around the column while conducting a coolant liquid in at least one loop through said blocks, and

a shield configured to shield an environment of said column from an electric field arranged around the column outside said layers of power semiconductor devices,

wherein said power semiconductor devices are in each said layer arranged in at least one row with a coolant block in contact with each power semiconductor device,

wherein said coolant liquid conducting tubes arranged in an extension over at least one part of a circumference of said column having no connections to said coolant blocks made of metal, wherein at least one such metal tube is arranged in said part for over this part of the column circumference also forming an electric field shielding screen, wherein said coolant liquid conducting tubes are when extending over parts of said circumference of the column where connections are made to the coolant blocks made of an electrically insulating material, and wherein an electric field is shield arranged outside the column over these parts.

2. The converter according to claim 1, wherein said electric field shield comprises electric field shielding screens.

3. The converter according to claim 1, wherein said electric field shield is at least partly formed by having water flowing in said tubes of an electrically insulating material.

4. The converter according to claim 1, wherein said electric field shield comprises said tubes of an electrically insulating material comprising dopants for making the electric field shield somewhat semiconducting.

5. The converter according to claim 1, wherein said electric field shield comprises an arrangement of lengths of conducting material interposed between lengths of electrically insulating material in said tubes of an electrically insulating material.

6. The converter according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of metal tubes are arranged above each other in said part of the column circumference for forming said electric field shielding screen.

7. The converter according to claim 1, wherein said column has a substantially rectangular cross-section, wherein said power semiconductor devices are arranged in substantially horizontal rows extending along opposite sides of said column, and wherein said coolant liquid conducting tubes are formed by one or more metal tubes in the extension over the two other sides of the column connecting said opposite sides.

8. The converter according to claim 7, wherein said rows extend along the long sides of the column and said metal tubes along the short sides thereof.

9. The converter according to claim 7, further comprising:

members adapted to electrically connect one end of a row of power semiconductor devices to an end of an adjacent row of power semiconductor devices arranged on the opposite side of the column for series connection of said rows, wherein said members comprise said metal tubes being electrically connected to the ends of said rows for electrically connecting the ends to each other.

10. The converter according to claim 7, further comprising:

members adapted to electrically connect one end of a row of power semiconductor devices to an end of an adjacent row of power semiconductor devices arranged on the opposite side of the column for series connection of said rows, wherein said members comprise conductors electrically insulated with respect to said metal tubes and connecting to ends of said rows for electrically connecting these ends to each other.

11. The converter according to claim 7, wherein said rows of power semiconductor devices extend substantially horizontally along two opposite sides of the column while being stepwise from one such side to the other on a higher level, and wherein said metal tubes extend over said connecting sides inclined with respect to the horizontal from one such level to the next level.

12. The converter according to claim 1, wherein said coolant liquid conducting tubes extend around said column from the bottom to the top thereof in one single loop following the current path through the converter valves.

13. The converter according to claim 1, wherein said cooling means is adapted to feed water as coolant liquid in said tubes.

14. The converter according to claim 1, wherein said metal tubes comprise aluminum or stainless steel.

15. The converter according to claim 1, wherein the converter comprises two converter valves or four converter valves arranged on top of each other in said column.

16. The converter according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of series connections of converter valves connected in parallel with each other and each series connection is arranged in at least one said column.

17. The converter according to claim 16, wherein the converter comprises three said series connections of converter valves connected in parallel with each other for providing for three phases on AC-side of the converter.

20. The converter according to claim 1, wherein the converter connects an AC-system to an HVDC transmission line.

21. The converter according to claim 1, wherein the converter connects an AC-system to another AC-system in a back-to-back application.

22. The converter according to claim 1, wherein the converter is included in a high voltage direct current transmission system.

23. The converter according to claim 1, wherein the converter is included in a high voltage AC transmission system in a back-to-back application.

18. A converter for converting alternating voltage into direct voltage and vice versa in a converter station of a high voltage transmission system, said converter comprising:

a series connection of converter valves having power semiconductor devices connected in series and arranged in superimposed layers, said valves forming at least one column of one or more converter valves, and

a cooling module configured to cool the power semiconductor devices including cooling blocks in contact with each of said devices and tubes extending around the column while conducting a coolant liquid in at least one loop through said blocks,

wherein said power semiconductor devices are in each said layer arranged in at least one row with a coolant block in contact with each power semiconductor device, and

wherein said coolant liquid conducting tubes extend around said column from the bottom to the top thereof in one single loop following the current path through the converter valves.

19. The converter according to claim 18, wherein the converter is adapted to convert voltages being on a DC-side of the converter above 50 kV.

24. (canceled)

25. (canceled)