POWER CONVERTER ARRANGEMENT ATTENUATION ELEMENT FOR ELECTRICAL RINGING

• US 20200136498A1
• Filed: 10/23/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Kinnunen, Henri, Laitinen, Matti, Kittila, Jukka-Pekka
• Granted Patent: US 11,228,234 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/123 Suppression of common mode voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/126 using passive filters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/14 Arrangements for reducing ripples from dc input or output
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/34 Snubber circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/346 Passive non-dissipative snubbers
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/44 Circuits or arrangements for compensating for electromagnetic interference in converters or inverters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/125 Avoiding or suppressing excessive transient voltages or currents
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/005 arrangements of circuit components without supporting structure

Abstract

A power converter arrangement including a semiconductor switch system including at least one controllable switch, a capacitor unit including at least one capacitor having a capacitance value, the capacitor unit being operatively connected to the semiconductor switch system, a conductor arrangement including of at least one conductor adapted to conduct an electric current between the capacitor unit and the semiconductor switch system, wherein the at least one conductor having a resistance and an inductance, and wherein a resonant circuit is formed by the resistance, the inductance and the capacitance, and wherein the power converter arrangement includes at least one attenuating element for attenuating an electrical ringing in the resonant circuit, wherein the at least one attenuating element is conductively isolated from the resonant circuit, and wherein the at least one attenuating element includes ferromagnetic material, and wherein the at least one attenuating element is magnetically coupled to the at least one conductor such that variations in the electric current intensity of the at least one conductor induces eddy currents within the at least one attenuating element.

Claims

1. A power converter arrangement comprising:

a semiconductor switch system comprising at least one controllable switch;

a capacitor unit comprising at least one capacitor having a capacitance value, the capacitor unit being operatively connected to the semiconductor switch system;

a conductor arrangement comprising at least one conductor adapted to conduct an electric current between the capacitor unit and the semiconductor switch system, wherein the at least one conductor having a resistance and an inductance, and wherein a resonant circuit is formed by the resistance, the inductance and the capacitance,

p1 wherein the power converter arrangement comprises at least one attenuating element for attenuating an electrical ringing in the resonant circuit, wherein

p1 the at least one attenuating element is conductively isolated from the resonant circuit, and

p1 wherein the at least one attenuating element comprises ferromagnetic material, and

p1 wherein the at least one attenuating element is magnetically coupled to the at least one conductor such that variations in the electric current intensity of the at least one conductor induces eddy currents within the at least one attenuating element.

2. The power converter arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor switch system has at least one switching frequency f_SW or at least one switching frequency range f_{SW_range} and

p1 the resonant circuit has at least one resonant frequency f_res or at least one resonant frequency range f_{res_range}, wherein

p1 the at least one resonant frequency f_res or at least one resonant frequency range f_{res_range} being different than the at least one switching frequency f_SW or the at least one switching frequency range f_{SW_range}, and wherein

p1 the at least one attenuating element is adapted to generate more eddy currents at the at least one resonant frequency f_res or at the at least one resonant frequency range f_{res_range} of the resonant circuit than at the at least one switching frequency f_SW or at the at least one switching frequency range f_SW range of the semiconductor switch system.

3. The power converter arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the ferromagnetic material is an alloy comprising a base material of the alloy having a first resistive value and at least one additive element having a second resistive value, and the second resistive value being higher than the first resistive value.

4. The power converter arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the base material for the alloy comprises iron and the at least one additive element comprises carbon and/or manganese.

5. The power converter arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one conductor comprises a first conductor and a second conductor, and the at least one attenuating element is located between the first conductor and the second conductor.

6. The power converter arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one attenuating element comprises a ferromagnetic coating on a surface of the at least one insulator of the at least one conductor.

7. The power converter arrangement according claim 1, wherein the at least one attenuating element has a form of a sheet, plate or a rod.

8. The power converter arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the resonance circuit of the power converter arrangement further comprises a snubber capacitor operatively connected to the terminals of the semiconductor switch system, and that the resonant circuit further comprises the snubber capacitor.

9. The power converter arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the capacitor unit is part of a DC-link of the power converter.

10. The power converter arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the power converter arrangement is part of a frequency converter, inverter or a DC-DC chopper.

11. The power converter arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the ferromagnetic material is an alloy comprising a base material of the alloy having a first resistive value and at least one additive element having a second resistive value, and the second resistive value being higher than the first resistive value.

12. The power converter arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the base material for the alloy comprises iron and the at least one additive element comprises carbon and/or manganese.

13. The power converter arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the at least one conductor comprises a first conductor and a second conductor, and the at least one attenuating element is located between the first conductor and the second conductor.

14. The power converter arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the at least one conductor comprises a first conductor and a second conductor, and the at least one attenuating element is located between the first conductor and the second conductor.

15. The power converter arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the at least one attenuating element comprises a ferromagnetic coating on a surface of the at least one insulator of the at least one conductor.

16. The power converter arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the at least one attenuating element comprises a ferromagnetic coating on a surface of the at least one insulator of the at least one conductor.

17. The power converter arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the at least one attenuating element has a form of a sheet, plate or a rod.

18. The power converter arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the at least one attenuating element has a form of a sheet, plate or a rod.

19. The power converter arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the resonance circuit of the power converter arrangement further comprises a snubber capacitor operatively connected to the terminals of the semiconductor switch system, and that the resonant circuit further comprises the snubber capacitor.

20. The power converter arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the resonance circuit of the power converter arrangement further comprises a snubber capacitor operatively connected to the terminals of the semiconductor switch system, and that the resonant circuit further comprises the snubber capacitor.