Multilevel converter arrangement

• US 7,554,824 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2008
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Research Ltd. (ABB Ltd.)
• Inventors: Meysenc, Luc, Hugo, Nicolas, Piazzesi, Alice, Stefanutti, Philippe, Noisette, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Riley; Shawn
• Application Number:
  US12/025,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20080175028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 318/49, 318/113, 307/17, 307/11, 363/69, 363/70
• US Class Current: 363/69
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/483 Converters with outputs that each can have more than two voltages levels

Abstract

A power loop has a power-loop emitter and a power-loop receptor located in different housings and connected via a power-loop conductor that is at least partially exterior to both housings. By means of a current transformer inductively coupling the conductor to the emitter or receptor, the power-loop also provides for electrical insulation between the emitter and the receptor. The emitter and receptor being distant from each other offers greater flexibility in the positioning and design of the galvanic separation between the emitter and the receptor or the supplied gate-drive, respectively. For example, the local voltages of converter levels ranging up to the supply voltage of e.g. 21 kV RMS of the multilevel converter can thus be insulated from the global earth potential of the power-loop emitter. Several power-loop receptors can be coupled to the same power-loop conductor to be fed by the same power-loop emitter.

Claims

1. A multilevel converter arrangement with N≧

2 converter levels, each level comprising a primary converter connected to a primary winding of a transformer unit of a transformer arrangement, and a secondary converter connected to a secondary winding of the transformer unit, wherein the arrangement comprises;

a gate-drive for controlling a controllable power semiconductor device in a primary converter with electrical power supplied to the gate-drive by a rectifier unit; and

a power-loop with a power-loop emitter and a power-loop receptor comprising the rectifier unit, wherein the emitter is inductively coupled to the receptor via a current transformer and a power-loop conductor that is at least partially exterior to housings of both the emitter and the receptor.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the power-loop emitter feeds several power-loop receptors.

3. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the power-loop conductor is a cable with a high or medium voltage insulation.

4. The arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the current transformer comprises a toroidal transformer core and a conductive screen arranged between the core and the power-loop conductor.

5. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a capacitor is provided between the rectifier unit and the gate drive as a short-term backup power supply to the gate-drive.

6. A use of a multilevel converter arrangement according to claim 1 for converting a single-phase high voltage of a supply line to a lower voltage of a DC link in railway traction applications, wherein the transformer units operate at a medium frequency above the frequency of the supply line.

7. A use of a multilevel converter arrangement according to claim 5 for converting a single-phase high voltage of a supply line to a lower voltage of a DC link in railway traction applications, wherein the transformer units operate at a medium frequency above the frequency of the supply line.