Automatic self-adjusting voltage controller

• US 8,179,104 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2009
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Energy Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Edris, Abdel-Aty
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, RAJNIKANT B
• Application Number:
  US12/613,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20110109280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 323207-216, 323/255, 323/258, 323/343, 323/356, 307/102, 307/105, 307/109, 307/126, 307/140, 363 59- 65, 363 16- 17, 363/88, 363/98, 363/132, 363/34, 363/37, 363/39, 363/127, 363/56.12, 361/42, 361/58, 361/62, 361/88, 361/111
• US Class Current: 323/207
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/70 Regulating power factor; Regulating reactive current or power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/1835 with stepless control
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/1842 wherein at least one reactive element is actively controlled by a bridge converter, e.g. active filters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/20 Active power filtering [APF]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/30 Reactive power compensation

Abstract

An apparatus (14/18) for controlling a voltage on a transmission line (10). The apparatus (14/18) comprises a first voltage sourced converter controller (18) connected to a first node (22) of the transmission line (10); a second voltage sourced converter controller (14) connected to a second node (20) of the transmission line (10), the second node (20) spaced apart from the first node (22) wherein the first voltage sourced converter controller (18) supplies capacitive reactive current and the second voltage sourced converter controller (14) absorbs inductive reactive current to control the voltage.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a voltage on a transmission line, the apparatus comprising

a first voltage sourced converter controller connected to a first node of the transmission line;

a second voltage sourced converter controller connected to a second node of the transmission line, the second node spaced apart from the first node;

wherein the first voltage sourced converter controller supplies capacitive reactive current and the second voltage sourced converter controller absorbs inductive reactive current to control the voltage.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the capacitive reactive current comprises capacitive reactive power and the inductive reactive current comprises inductive reactive power.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the capacitive reactive power and the inductive reactive power are each measured in VARS.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first and the second voltage sourced converter controllers each comprise a capacitor and a plurality of gate turn-off switches, the gate turn-off switches of the first voltage sourced converter controller configured and controlled to supply capacitive reactive current and the gate turn-off switches of the second voltage sourced converter controller configured and controlled to absorb inductive reactive current.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a capacitor bridging the first and the second voltage sourced converter controllers, the first and the second voltage sourced converter controllers each comprising a plurality of gate turn-off switches, the gate turn-off switches of the first voltage sourced converter controller configured and controlled to supply capacitive reactive current and the gate turn-off switches of the second voltage sourced converter controller configured and controlled to absorb inductive reactive current.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first and the second voltage sourced converter controllers are connected to the respective first and second nodes through a coupling transformer.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first voltage sourced converter controller supplies capacitive reactive current when a transmission line voltage is less than a voltage at a node of the first voltage sourced converter controller and wherein the second voltage sourced converter controller absorbs inductive reactive current when a transmission line voltage is greater than a voltage at a node of the second voltage sourced converter controller.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transmission line comprises a three-phase transmission line, further comprising a phase A conductor, a phase B conductor and a phase C conductor, and wherein,

the first voltage sourced converter controller is connected to a first node of the phase A conductor, a first node of the phase B conductor and a first node of the phase C conductor;

the second voltage sourced converter controller is connected to a second node of the phase A conductor, a second first node of the phase B conductor and a second node of the phase C conductor;

the first node of the phase B conductor spaced apart from the second node of the phase B conductor and the first node of the phase C conductor spaced apart from the second node of the phase C conductor; and

wherein the first voltage sourced converter controller supplies capacitive reactive current and the second voltage sourced converter controller absorbs inductive reactive current to control the voltage on the phase A, phase B and phase C conductors.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the first voltage sourced converter controller comprises:

a first and a second circuit connected in series with a third node disposed therebetween, the first and the second circuits each comprising a parallel combination of a gate turn-off switch and a diode;

a third and a fourth circuit connected in series with a fourth node disposed therebetween, the third and the fourth circuits each comprising a parallel combination of a gate turn-off switch and a diode;

a fifth and a sixth circuit connected in series with a fifth third node disposed therebetween, the fifth and the sixth circuits each comprising a parallel combination of a gate turn-off switch and a diode;

a capacitor connected in parallel with the series connection of the first and the second circuits, the series connection of the third and the fourth circuits, and the series connection of the fifth and the sixth circuits; and

the third node connected to the first node of the phase A conductor through a first coupling transformer, the fourth node connected to the first node of the phase B conductor through a second coupling transformer and the fifth node connected to the first node of the phase C conductor through a third coupling transformer.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the second voltage sourced converter controller comprises:

a first and a second circuit connected in series with a third node disposed therebetween, the first and the second circuits each comprising a parallel combination of a gate turn-off switch and a diode;

a third and a fourth circuit connected in series with a fourth node disposed therebetween, the third and the fourth circuits each comprising a parallel combination of a gate turn-off switch and a diode;

a fifth and a sixth circuit connected in series with a fifth third node disposed therebetween, the fifth and the sixth circuits each comprising a parallel combination of a gate turn-off switch and a diode;

a capacitor connected in parallel with the series connection of the first and the second circuits, the series connection of the third and fourth circuits, and the series connection of the fifth and sixth circuits; and

the third node connected to the second node of the phase A conductor through a first coupling transformer, the fourth node connected to the second node of the phase B conductor through a second coupling transformer and the fifth node connected to the second node of the phase C conductor through a third coupling transformer.

11. A method for controlling the voltage on a transmission line having first and second spaced-apart nodes, the method comprising:

supplying capacitive reactive current at the first node, the capacitive reactive current supplied from a first voltage sourced converter controller; and

absorbing inductive reactive current at the second node, the inductive reactive current absorbed at a second voltage sourced converter controller.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising;

storing energy in a first capacitor of the first voltage sourced converter controller; and

storing energy in a second capacitor of the second voltage sources converter controller.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the first voltage sourced converter controller supplies the capacitive reactive current to the first node through a first coupling transformer and the second voltage sourced converter controller absorbs the inductive reactive current from the second node through a second coupling transformer.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein a step of supplying capacitive reactive current is executed when a transmission line voltage is less than a voltage at the first voltage sourced converter controller and wherein the step of absorbing inductive reactive current is executed when a transmission line voltage is greater than a voltage at the second voltage sourced converter controller.