Method for controlling a cycloconverter, electronic control device therefor, cycloconverter, and computer program

• US 9,343,989 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2012
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innomotics GmbH
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Baruschka, Lennart
• Primary Examiner(s): Laxton, Gary L
• Application Number:
  US14/232,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20140167709A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: 363/65, 363/157, 363/159, 363/163, 363/164, 363/165
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/22 using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/293 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
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/49 Combination of the output voltage waveforms of a plurality of converters

Abstract

In a method for controlling a cycloconverter having six converter branches connected in series, in which converter branches electrical energy stores are provided, the energy transfer from a first three-line network into a second three-line network or vice versa is controlled according to energy demand criteria, energy supply criteria, and/or reactive power criteria for converter operation control. The amount of electrical energy stored in each converter branch or an electrical variable that characterizes the amount of electrical energy is controlled to a predetermined setpoint range for energy converter control.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a cycloconverter comprising six converter branches connected in series, each of the converter branches comprising electrical energy converters, the cycloconverter configured to connect a first three-line network to a second three-line network, the method comprising:

controlling energy transfer from the first three-line network to the second three-line network or vice versa in accordance with at least one of energy demand, energy supply and reactive power criteria, and

regulating an amount of electrical energy stored in each converter branch or an electrical variable identifying the amount of electrical energy to a predetermined setpoint range.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein regulating the amount of electrical energy or the electrical variable comprises controlling a reactive power generated by the cycloconverter in at least one of the first three-line network and the second three-line network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the reactive power supplied to the first three-line network is identical to the reactive power supplied to the second three-line network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein regulating the amount of electrical energy or the electrical variable comprises controlling at least one of a circular electric current flowing in a circular pattern through all six series-connected converter branches and a differential star point voltage present between respective star points of the first three-line network and the second three-line network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the differential star point voltage is applied as a DC voltage and the circular electric current is applied as a direct current.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising applying a circular electric current and a differential star point voltage, which have identical frequency that is different from a frequency of the first three-line network and a frequency of the second three-line network and which are either in-phase or out-of-phase in relation to each other.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein a current component having a frequency of at least one of the first three-line network and the second three-line network is superimposed on the circular electric current.

8. The of claim 4, wherein a voltage component having a frequency of at least one of the first three-line network and the second three-line network is superimposed on the differential star-point voltage.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein

a) a current component having a frequency of at least one of the first three-line network and the second three-line network is superimposed on the circular electric current, and

b) a voltage component having a frequency of at least one of the first three-line network and the second three-line network is superimposed on the differential star-point voltage.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the cycloconverter comprises a plurality of controllers for controlling different control variables of the cycloconverter, with one of the plurality of controllers controlling an overall energy content of the cycloconverter at a respective operating point.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the cycloconverter comprises a plurality of controllers for controlling different control variables of the cycloconverter, with one of the plurality of controllers controlling energy displacement between adjacent converter branches.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the cycloconverter comprises a plurality of controllers for controlling different control variables of the cycloconverter, with four of the plurality of controllers controlling energy balance between converter branches that are not directly adjacent.

13. An electronic control device for a cycloconverter, the cycloconverter comprising six converter branches connected in series, each of the converter branches comprising electrical energy converters, the cycloconverter connecting a first three-line network to a second three-line network, the electronic control device comprising:

a converter operation controller controlling energy transfer from the first three-line network to the second three-line network or vice versa in accordance with at least one of energy demand, energy supply and reactive power criteria, and

an energy content controller regulating an amount of electrical energy stored in each converter branch or an electrical variable identifying the amount of electrical energy to a predetermined setpoint range.

14. A cycloconverter comprising six converter branches connected in series, each of the converter branches comprising electrical energy converters, the cycloconverter connecting a first three-line network to a second three-line network and comprising a control device which includes

a converter operation controller controlling energy transfer from the first three-line network to the second three-line network or vice versa in accordance with at least one of energy demand, energy supply and reactive power criteria, and

an energy content controller regulating an amount of electrical energy stored in each converter branch or an electrical variable identifying the amount of electrical energy to a predetermined setpoint range.

15. A computer program having program code embodies on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the computer program when read into a processor operatively connected to a cycloconverter, the cycloconverter comprising six converter branches connected in series, each of the converter branches comprising electrical energy converters, the cycloconverter connecting a first three-line network to a second three-line network, causes the processor to:

control energy transfer from the first three-line network to the second three-line network or vice versa in accordance with at least one of energy demand, energy supply and reactive power criteria, and

regulate an amount of electrical energy stored in each converter branch or an electrical variable identifying the amount of electrical energy to a predetermined setpoint range.