MULTILEVEL POWER CONVERTER

• US 20130322142A1
• Filed: 05/31/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Raju, Ravisekhar Nadimpalli
• Application Number:
  US13/484,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20130322142A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/126
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/217 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/4835 comprising two or more cells, each including a switchable capacitor, the capacitors having a nominal charge voltage which corresponds to a given fraction of the input voltage, and the capacitors being selectively connected in series to determine the instantaneous output voltage

Abstract

An AC-DC power converter is provided. The power converter includes an electrical terminal including a positive node and a negative node. The power converter also includes a first switch coupled across the positive node and the negative node and a second switch coupled in a reverse orientation relative to the first switch and in parallel to the first switch forming a first path and a second path. The power converter further includes a first electrical storage device situated in the first path and a second electrical storage device situated in the second path.

Claims

1. An AC-DC power converter comprising:

an electrical terminal comprising a positive node and a negative node;

a first switch coupled across the positive node and the negative node;

a second switch coupled in a reverse orientation relative to the first switch and in parallel to the first switch forming a first path and a second path;

a first electrical storage device situated in the first path; and

a second electrical storage device situated in the second path.

2. The power converter of claim 1, wherein the electrical terminal comprises an output terminal.

3. The power converter of claim 1, wherein the first and second switches comprise insulated gate bipolar transistors.

4. The power converter of claim 1, wherein the first and second electrical storage devices comprise capacitors.

5. A power conversion system comprising;

phase units wherein each phase unit comprises an upper converter arm and a lower converter arm configured to convert power for a distinct phase of an input power,

wherein each converter arm comprises power modules coupled in series to each other and each module comprises a power converter,

wherein each power converter comprises an electrical terminal comprising a positive node and a negative node,

a first switch coupled across the positive node and the negative node,

a second switch coupled in a reverse orientation relative to the first switch and in parallel to the first switch forming a first path and a second path,

a first electrical storage device situated in the first path, and

a second electrical storage device situated in the second path.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the power conversion system comprises a modular stacked power conversion system.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the first and second switches comprise insulated gate bipolar transistors.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the phase units are coupled in parallel to each other.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the upper converter arm and the lower converter arm are coupled in series to each other.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the power converter comprises an AC-DC power converter or a DC-AC power converter.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein the power conversion system comprises a three phase power conversion system.