Redundancy structures for static converters

• US 9,184,585 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2011
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique, Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, Universite De Toulouse Ii Le Mirail, Universite Montpellier II
• Original Assignee: Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique, Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, Universite De Toulouse Ii Le Mirail, Universite Montpellier II
• Inventors: Huselstein, Jean-Jacques, Sarraute, Emmanuel, Richardeau, Frdric, Martire, Thierry
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhane, Adolf
• Assistant Examiner(s): Torres-Rivera, Alex
• Application Number:
  US13/808,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20130194840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,600 Days
• Field of Search: 363/50, 363/51, 363/52, 363/53, 363/54, 363/55, 363/56.01, 363/56.02, 363/56.03, 363/56.04, 363/56.05, 363/56.06, 363/56.07, 363/56.08, 363/56.09, 363/56.1, 363/56.11, 363/56.12, 363/57, 363/58
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/1206 specially adapted to conversion cells composed of a plurality of parallel or serial connected elements
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/007 Plural converter units in cascade push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0095 Hybrid converter topologies, e.g. NPC mixed with flying capacitor, thyristor converter mixed with MMC or charge pump mixed with buck
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/325 with means for allowing continuous operation despite a fault, i.e. fault tolerant converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/271 from a three phase input voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/217 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/4837 Flying capacitor converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/487 Neutral point clamped inverters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/5387 in a bridge configuration

Abstract

The invention relates to a static converter connected between an electrical voltage source and an electrical load, said converter including a main static conversion arm comprising an output electronic switching cell and a backup conversion arm having identical structures. The static converter includes a pair of fuses connected on either side of the main arm, and a switching circuit comprising a connection element connecting the backup arm to the connection points between the fuses and the input terminals of the main arm, such that, when a fault occurs on one of the switching cells forming the main arm, a stable conductive link is established between the two fuses, the main arm is isolated by the two fuses, and the backup arm is spontaneously connected to the output of the main arm via the conductive line and replaces the main arm.

Claims

1. A static converter for a conversion of electrical energy between a power voltage source and an electrical load comprising:

a main static conversion arm comprising of at least one electronic switching cell with semiconductors equipped with associated control means, a first input terminal and a second power supply input terminal capable of being connected respectively to a first polarity and a second polarity of the power voltage source, an output terminal connected to an output switching cell and suitable for being connected to the electrical load, each switching cell being configured through the associated control means of the switching cell to be active in a predetermined nominal mode of the static converter,

a pair of isolation components, associated with the main static conversion arm, formed of a first isolation component and a second isolation component each forming a dipole, the first isolation component and the second isolation component being connected directly and respectively to the first terminal and to the second power supply input terminal of the main static conversion arm,

an emergency back up conversion arm consisting of at least one electronic switching cell with semiconductors equipped with associated control means, a first input terminal and a second power supply input terminal, suitable for being connected respectively to the first polarity and the second polarity of the power voltage source, an output terminal connected to an output switching cell, and

an electronic semiconductor switching circuit having a connection element connected between the output terminal of the emergency back up conversion arm and an input terminal of the main static conversion arm from among the first input terminal and the second power supply input terminal of the main static conversion arm,

the at least one electronic switching cell of the main static conversion arm connected in series between the first input terminal and the second power supply input terminal of the main static conversion arm are each capable of providing a stable permanent impedance less than a few tens of milli-ohms when the main static conversion arm has experienced a failure resulting from a thermal runaway or a short circuit in one of the semi-conductor components of the main static conversion arm, the pair of isolation components of the main static conversion arm are dimensioned in a manner so as to isolate the main static conversion arm after a lapse of a first time period (t1) for an establishment of a stable low impedance failure mode on the at least one electronic switching cell of the main static conversion arm connected in series and before a lapse of a second time period (t2) to avoid a creation of a circuit opening on the main static conversion arm,

the associate control means of the at least one electronic switching cell of the emergency back up conversion arm are capable of being deployed after the isolation of the main static conversion arm that has become faulty so as to replace the main static conversion arm partially or entirely,

the connection element is configured to be in a locked state when the main static conversion arm is active in the predetermined nominal mode and to be in a conductive state when the main static conversion arm has become faulty and the emergency back up conversion arm has become active.

2. The static converter according to claim 1, wherein the connection element is an element that is included in an assembly consisting of a diode, a thyristor, a combination of two thyristors connected in inverse parallel (head to tail) and a transistor.

3. The static converter according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductors of the at least one electronic switching cell of the emergency back up conversion arm are configured so as to be in the locked state when the main static conversion arm is active in the predetermined nominal mode and to replace the main static conversion arm partially or entirely after isolation of the main static conversion arm that has become faulty.

4. The static converter according to claim 1, comprising means for aiding in the isolation of the main static conversion arm, the isolation aiding means comprising;

an auxiliary thyristor or a combination of two auxiliary thyristors assembled in inverse parallel, connected in parallel to the first input terminal and to the second power supply input terminal of the main static conversion arm, an auxiliary thyristor being connected when the voltage source is a direct current source and a combination of two auxiliary thyristors connected in inverse parallel being used when the power voltage source is an alternating current source, and

a control means of the auxiliary thyristor or of the two auxiliary thyristors configured in a manner such that if a faulty main static conversion arm is not symmetrically isolated by the pair of isolation components that are associated with it, it creates a short circuit at the output terminal of the electrical load in order to induce a symmetrical isolation by each isolation component of the pair of isolation components.

5. The static converter according to claim 4, comprising for each at least one electronic switching cell of the main static conversion arm, associated rapid protection means capable of detecting an intolerable short circuit current flowing through the at least one electronic switching cell in comparison to a predetermined threshold value of a current and capable of triggering an opening of the at least one electronic switching cell after the detection of the predetermined threshold value of the current being exceeded.

6. The static converter according to claim 1, further comprising means for detecting a faulty main static conversion arm that are capable of commanding the associate control means of the at least one electronic switching cell of the emergency back up conversion arm to adopt same control configuration as the faulty main static conversion arm.

7. The static converter according to claim 1, wherein

the static converter comprises at least two main static conversion arms

each of the at least two main static conversion arms being identical in structure and including at least one electronic switching cell equipped with associated control means, a first input terminal and a second power supply input terminal capable of being respectively connected to the first polarity and the second polarity of the power voltage source, a phase output terminal connected to an output switching cell capable of being connected to a separate and distinct phase of the electrical load, each of the at least one electronic switching cell being configured through associate control means of the at least one electronic switching cell so as to be active in the predetermined nominal mode of the static converter,

the static converter comprises, for each main static conversion arm, of a pair of associated isolation components that are formed of a first isolation component and a second component isolation each forming a dipole, the first isolation component and the second isolation component being directly and respectively connected to the first input terminal and the second power supply input terminal of the associated main static conversion arm,

the static converter comprises a single emergency back up conversion arm having at least one output switching cell and an output terminal connected to the output switching cell, and

the static converter comprises, for each of the at least two main static conversion arms, an associated switching circuit having a connection element connected between the output terminal of the single emergency back up conversion arm and the first input terminal of the associated main static conversion arm,

the static converter comprises, for each main static conversion arm, means for detection and location of a faulty main static conversion arm that are capable of commanding the associate control means of the switching cells of the single emergency back up conversion arm to adopt same control configuration as the faulty main static conversion arm that has been detected and located,

the at least one electronic switching cell of any of the at least two main static conversion arms connected in series between the first input terminal and the second power supply input terminal are each capable of providing a stable permanent impedance less than a few tens of milli-ohms when any of the at least two main static conversion arms has experienced a failure resulting from the thermal runaway or the short circuit of one of the semi-conductor components of any of the at least two main static conversion arms,

the pair of isolation components of each of the at least two main static conversion arms are dimensioned in a manner so as to isolate any of the at least two main static conversion arms after the lapse of the first time period (t1) for the establishment of the stable low impedance failure mode on the at least one electronic switching cell of the at least two main static conversion arms connected in series and before the lapse of the second time period (t2) to avoid the creation of the circuit opening on any of the at least two main static conversion arms;

the associate control means of the at least one electronic switching cell of the single emergency back up conversion arm are capable of being deployed after the isolation of any of the at least two main static conversion arms that has become faulty so as to replace any of the at least two main static conversion arms that has become faulty partially or entirely,

the connection element of each switching circuit associated with the at least two main static conversion arms are configured to be in the locked state when any of the at least two main static conversion arms is active in the nominal mode and in a conductive state when any of the at least two main static conversion arms has become faulty and the single emergency back up conversion arm has become active.

8. The static converter according to claim 1, comprising:

a first number N greater than or equal to two, of the main static conversion arms, a second number K greater than or equal to two, of the emergency back up conversion arms, the same second number K of the switching circuits, each switching circuit being associated with a distinctly separate main static conversion arm, the first number N being greater than or equal to the second number K; and

each of the main static conversion arms are identical in structure and comprises at least one electronic switching cell equipped with associated control means, a first input terminal and a second power supply input terminal capable of being respectively connected to the first polarity and the second polarity of the power voltage source, a phase output terminal connected to an output switching cell capable of being connected to a separate and distinct phase of the electrical load, each of the at least one electronic switching cell being configured through the associate control means of the at least one electronic switching cell so as to be active in the predetermined nominal mode of the static converter;

the static converter comprises for each of the main static conversion arms, a pair of associated isolation components that are formed of a first isolation component and of a second isolation component each forming a dipole, the first isolation component and the second isolation component being directly and respectively connected to the first input terminal and the second power supply input terminal of corresponding main static conversion arm;

each of the emergency back up conversion arms consisting of at least one electronic switching cell with semiconductors equipped with associated control means, a first input terminal and a second power supply input terminal, suitable for being connected respectively to the first polarity and the second polarity of the power voltage source, an output terminal connected to an output switching cell; and

each switching circuit of the main static conversion arms is an electronic semiconductor multi-pole comprising K connection elements, each of the K connection elements is a thyristor when the power voltage source is a direct current source and a combination of two auxiliary thyristors connected in inverse parallel when the power voltage source is an alternating current source,

each switching circuit comprises control means associated with the thyristors,

each of the K connection elements of same switching circuit includes an input connected to the output of a different emergency back up conversion arm and an output connected to the first input of the main static conversion arm with which the switching circuit is associated;

the associate control means of the thyristors of the switching circuits are configured so as to be in the locked state when the main static conversion arms corresponding to the associate control means are active;

the associate control means of the thyristors of the switching circuits are configured in a manner such that when any of the main static conversion arms connected to a switcher is faulty, the faulty main static conversion arm is able to be backed up by any one of the emergency back up conversion arms that have not yet become active.

9. The static converter according to claim 1, wherein the static converter is an inverter capable of being connected to a direct current voltage source and of outputting to the electrical load an alternating current over at least one phase,

the first input terminal and the second power supply input terminal of the main static conversion arm is capable of being respectively connected to the first positive polarity and the second negative polarity of the power voltage source;

each of the at least one electronic switching cell of the main static conversion arm or of the emergency back up conversion arm includes a pair of bidirectional power switches connected in series, each bidirectional power switch being formed by a controlled switch and an associated diode connected in antiparallel, each controlled switch being an element included in an assembly formed by thyristors, IGBT transistors, and MOS transistors;

the associate control means of the at least one electronic switching cell of the main static conversion arm are configured in a manner such that the static converter operates as the inverter on one or more phases;

the switching circuit comprises of a first uncontrolled unidirectional power semiconductor connection element and a second uncontrolled unidirectional power semiconductor connection element, the first uncontrolled unidirectional power semiconductor connection element being connected in direct from the output terminal of the emergency back up conversion arm to the first input terminal of the main static conversion arm, the second uncontrolled unidirectional power semiconductor connection element being connected in reverse from the output terminal of the emergency back up conversion arm to the second power supply input terminal of the main static conversion arm.

10. The static converter according to claim 1, wherein

the static converter is a chopper capable of being connected to a direct current voltage source and of outputting to the electrical load a direct current over at least one output phase,

the first input terminal and the second power supply input terminal of the main static conversion arm are capable of being respectively connected to the first positive polarity and the second negative polarity of the power voltage source,

each of the at least one electronic switching cell of the main static conversion arm or of the emergency back up conversion arm includes a pair of bidirectional power switches connected in series with a diode or a second switch, each bidirectional power switch being formed by a controlled switch and an associated diode connected in antiparallel, each controlled switch being an element included in an assembly formed by thyristors, IGBT transistors, and MOS transistors;

the associate control means of the at least one electronic switching cell of the main static conversion arm are configured in a manner such that the static converter operates as a chopper,

the switching circuit associated with the main static conversion arm comprises of a single semiconductor connection element configured to have unidirectional power flow, the single semiconductor connection element being connected in direct from the output of the emergency back up conversion arm to the first input terminal of the associated main static conversion arm.

11. The static converter according to claim 1, wherein

the static converter is an AC/AC converter capable of converting electrical energy between an alternating current source and of outputting to the electrical load an alternating current over at least one output phase,

the first input terminal and the second power supply input terminal of the main static conversion arm are capable of being respectively connected to the first positive polarity and the second negative polarity of the power voltage source,

each of the at least one electronic switching cell of the main static conversion arm or of the emergency back up conversion arm includes a pair of bidirectional power switches connected in series, each bidirectional power switch being formed by a controlled switch and an associated diode connected in antiparallel, each controlled switch being an element included in an assembly formed by thyristors, IGBT transistors, and MOS transistors;

the associate control means of the at least one electronic switching cell of the main static conversion arm are configured in a manner such that the static converter operates as the AC/AC converter on one or more output phases,

the switching circuit comprises a first bidirectional power semiconductor connection element and a second bidirectional power semiconductor connection element, the first bidirectional power semiconductor connection element being connected from the output of the emergency back up conversion arm to the first input terminal of the main static conversion arm, the second bidirectional power semiconductor connection element being connected in reverse from the output of the emergency back up conversion arm to the second negative input terminal of the main static conversion arm.

12. The static converter according to claim 1, wherein

the static converter is an inverter configured to be connected to a direct current voltage source and for outputting to the electrical load an alternating current over at least one phase (A, B, C),

comprising a capacitive divider bridge, configured to provide a stable input power supply voltage centre tap, and

comprising for each of the at least one phase an associated main static conversion arm a component for isolation of each of the main static conversion arm from the centre tap of the capacitive divider bridge,

each of the main static conversion arm associated with a phase, and the emergency back up conversion arm, comprises a separate input terminal for imposition of voltage centre tap;

the first input terminal and the second input power supply terminal of any of the main static conversion arms are connected respectively to the first positive polarity and to the second negative polarity of the power voltage source through a different pair of isolation components,

each input terminal for imposition of voltage centre tap is connected to the stable input power supply voltage centre tap via an isolation component of an associated main static conversion arm of the centre tap of the capacitive divider bridge,

each of the main static conversion arm comprises an output switching cell, having a connection terminal at the pair of bidirectional power switches of the main static conversion arm forming an output terminal of one phase (A),

the switching circuit comprises a first uncontrolled unidirectional current flow semiconductor connection element and a second uncontrolled unidirectional current flow semiconductor connection element, the first uncontrolled unidirectional current flow semiconductor connection element being connected in direct from the output of the emergency back up conversion arm to the first input terminal of the main static conversion arm, the second uncontrolled unidirectional current flow semiconductor connection element being connected in reverse from the output terminal of the emergency back up conversion arm to the second input power supply terminal of the main static conversion arm;

the associate control means of the at least one electronic switching cell of the main static conversion arm are configured in a manner such that the static converter operates as inverter over one or more phases when all the main static conversion arms function without fault.

13. The static converter according to claim 12, wherein

the static converter is a multi-level voltage Active Neutral Point Clamped or Neutral Point Clamped type inverter,

each of the main static conversion arm comprises a first internal switching cell and a second internal switching cell, grouped in parallel, or in a single internal cell of which a series of switches is connected in parallel with a series of two diodes, and an external switching cell in which are nested the first and second internal switching cells, or the single internal cell and the series of two diodes, the first internal cell or the series of two diodes having a common point, the second internal cell or the single internal cell forming the output switching cell and having a terminal for connection to a pair of power switches of the output switching cell forming an output terminal of a phase (A),

the means for controlling the at least one electronic switching cell of the main static conversion arm are configured such that the static converter operates as the multi-level voltage Active Neutral Point Clamped or Neutral Point Clamped type inverter over one or more phases when all the main static conversion arms function without fault.

14. The static converter according to claim 12 comprising for each of the main static conversion arm a different associated means of isolation of the centre tap of the main static conversion arm from the centre tap of the capacitive divider bridge.

15. A method for maintaining the static converter in service defined according to claim 1, comprising the steps of:

the associate control means of the at least one electronic switching cell of the main static conversion arm are configured so that the static converter operates in a nominal manner over the main static conversion arm when none power components forming the main static conversion arm is faulty,

when a fault occurs on a switch of the at least one electronic switching cell of the main static conversion arm, all switches of the main static conversion arm to which the defective switch belongs and which are connected in series, are short circuited for a time period (t) for obtaining the isolation of the main static conversion arm that became faulty, which is greater than the first time period (t1) for the main static conversion arm to reach a stable and permanent conductive state at very low impedance less than the few tens of milli-ohms, and less than the second time period (t2) below which an integrity of components of a defective main static conversion arm is preserved as well as a conductive state attained by the defective main static conversion arm,

switches of the emergency back up conversion arm configured in a same configuration as switches of the faulty main static conversion arm which are connected automatically by a switching circuit of the defective main static conversion arm that became a stable conductor.