Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Electric Power Research Institute Incorporated

Satcon Technology Corporation

Perfect Galaxy International Limited

Other

Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Inventio Ag

Siemens Power Transmission & Distribution, Inc.

Colin D Schauder

Laszlo Gyugyi

Theodore M Heinrich

Leo Francis Casey

Scott Lawrence Williams

Eric J Stacey

John Rosa

Charles W Edwards

Steven A Moran

Miklos Sarkozi

Janos Rajda

Tac H Nguyen

Kenneth C Scott

Scott L Williams

Anthony William Galbraith

Mark G Gernhardt

A system for automatically regulating voltage on a distribution-level AC bus having an actual voltage and a nominal voltage includes an electronic power converter connected to the distribution-level AC bus. The system generates a feedback signal representative of the actual voltage of the distribution-level AC bus and produces an input control signal in response to the feedback signal. The input control signal is representative of a commanded level of reactive power. The electronic power converter is responsive to the input control signal to deliver a commanded reactive power output to the distribution-level AC bus, and the commanded reactive power output pushes the actual voltage towards the nominal voltage.

Automatic AC bus voltage regulation for power distribution grids

A system and method for providing constant-frequency electrical power from variable-speed mechanical power are disclosed. The system includes a wound-rotor induction machine generator (WRIMG), a first power converter, e.g., an inverter or a bridge rectifier, that provides power from the stator assembly of the WRIMG to the load, and a second power converter, e.g., an inverter or a bridge rectifier, that provides power from the rotor assembly of the WRIMG to the load. A controller controls the output stator-current based on comparisons between measured DC load bus data and a reference DC load bus voltage value, measured machine shaft angular position and reference rotor frequency data, and measured stator-current data that is fed-back to the stator-current controller by the power converter device(s).

Slip-controlled, wound-rotor induction machine for wind turbine and other applications

A device, a system, and a method for preventing power-producing wind turbine generators from tripping due to the detection of a low-voltage condition on a power grid are disclosed. The disclosed device includes a resistor bank that absorbs real power and a control system that maintains the collector bus voltage above a threshold voltage level during the duration of low-voltage condition on the power grid. Collector bus voltage is maintained using gating signals that include phase delay angles to adjust the opening/closing of the switching devices.

Device, system, and method for providing a low-voltage fault ride-through for a wind generator farm

A high power dc power regulator utilizes a voltage sourced inverter connected on the ac side in series with a large inductance to an ac power system through a coupling transformer. The dc side of the inverter is connected to the dc load. The inductance is sized such that the voltage at the ac terminals of the inverter can be varied from zero to a maximum specified value for use, for example, in melting ice on transmission lines. As there is only infrequent need for ice melting operation, the large inductance can be shunted and the dc load disconnected so that the inverter may be operated for the majority of the time as a conventional STATCOM to provide reactive compensation for the ac power system.

Dc power regulator incorporating high power ac to dc converter with controllable dc voltage and method of use

A three-phase dc to-ac power inverter includes a dc power source with a first dc node for positive voltage, a second dc node for negative voltage, and a third dc node for zero voltage. A set of three-level pole circuits are connected to the first dc node, the second dc node, and the third dc node of the dc power source. A control circuit, responsive to an inverter voltage vector reference demand signal with a voltage magnitude reference demand component and a voltage phase reference demand component, generates pole control signals for the three-level pole circuits using logic circuitry which combines phase indexed digital waveform values stored in a pair of lookup tables. The pole control signals force the three-level pole circuits to generate a set of phase-shifted waveforms with zero voltage components. The phase-shifted waveforms are combined by a set of transformers to produce a three-phase output voltage with a harmonic content lower than the harmonic content of the phase-shifted waveforms.

Three-phase DC-to-AC power inverter with three-level poles

A unified power flow controller has a dc-to-dc converter which uses the dc voltage produced by a first static inverter, connected in shunt with a transmission line and providing parallel reactive compensation, to establish the magnitude of a series compensation voltage injected into the transmission line by a second static inverter. The second static inverter then only has to regulate the phase angle of the series injected voltage. With the dc-to-dc converter turned off, the two inverters are decoupled and can be operated independently even if the other inverter is not operational.

Power flow controller with dc-to-dc converter linking shunt and series

A transmission line power controller for controlling the flow of electric power in an alternating current three-phase transmission system is described. The power line controller includes a parallel inverter connected to a series inverter through a dc link. The parallel inverter is connected in shunt to the transmission system through a shunt transformer. The series inverter is connected in series with the transmission system through a series transformer. A transmission line power control circuit is used to specify a desired real power demand and reactive power demand for the transmission system. The power control circuit processes this information along with a transmission line voltage vector and a transmission line current vector to produce a voltage source reference signal that is applied to the series inverter. In response to the voltage source reference signal, the series inverter produces an injected voltage vector into the transmission system. The injected voltage vector forces the transmission line current vector to a desired value corresponding to the specified real power and reactive power demand. Thus, desired real power and reactive power flow is rapidly achieved on the transmission system.

Transmission line power controller with a continuously controllable

An apparatus for use in the simultaneous deactivation of a set of series-connected switching devices includes gate command control logic to generate a gate command signal for application to a selected switching device of the set of series-connected switching devices. A command compensation circuit processes the gate command signal. The command compensation circuit includes a time differential measurement module that forms a time differential signal indicative of the time from the previous turn-off of the selected switching device and the previous turn-off of the last switching device in the set of series-connected switching devices. A time difference processing module of the command compensation circuit process the time differential signal and creates a delay signal. A delay module of the command compensation circuit delays the gate command signal in response to the delay signal. Each switching device of the set of series-connected switching devices includes a command compensation circuit. Consequently, the generated delay signals cause the series-connected switching devices to turn-off simultaneously.

Apparatus and method for simultaneously deactivating series-connected

A series compensator for damping power oscillations in an electric power transmission system includes a switching power converter which injects a voltage into the transmission line having a phase angle relative to transmission line current which is controlled to provide reactive compensation and to inject virtual real impedance into the line. The switching power converter is a dc to ac converter which is capable of injecting virtual real impedance into the transmission line by virtue of the fact that it has a power exchange device connected to its dc terminals. Where the power exchange device is a resistor, the switching power converter is capable of absorbing real power during surges in power on the line. Alternatively, the power exchange device is a storage device such as a battery bank or a super conducting magnet, in which case the switching power converter can provide both virtual positive and negative real impedance.

Series compensator inserting real and reactive impedance into electric

A method and apparatus for AC-to-AC power conversion wherein commutation from one switch in a switching group to a second switch is effected while both switches are enabled simultaneously without causing a short circuit between the phase input lines associated with each respective switch. Each switch in a switching group is bidirectional and polarity-controlled, and may be selectively enabled to conduct only negative-polarity or positive-polarity current, or may be disabled. An overvoltage clamping circuit is also provided with each switch. A switch gating control circuit is employed to provide selective operation of the switches in a particular switch group.

Matrix converter circuit and commutating method

A valve for rapidly switching high voltage at high currents includes several identical modules series-coupled between the high voltage rails. Each module includes a three-terminal semiconductor voltage controlled gate turn-off device ('VCGTO'), an input port for receiving a preferably optically coupled gate drive signal, input circuitry, two power switching ports coupled to the VCGTO device output terminals, and an output circuit coupled across the device output terminals. The input circuitry includes an interface circuit and a drive circuit for driving the VCGTO device in response to the gate drive signal, while the output circuit includes a clamping mechanism and regulated clamp voltage circuit that maintains a safe, regulated maximum differential potential across the VCGTO device. The regulated clamp voltage circuit derives its operating potential from the high voltage switched by the associated GTO device, and provides therefrom a regulated low voltage potential that operates the associated input interface and gate drive circuitry. Because each module is identical, any non-simultaneous switching of the various devices in the series-coupled modules causes only a slight disparity in the amount of energy absorbed by each regulated clamp voltage circuit. Further, each module sees substantially the same differential potential between the module output ports, and operates independently regardless of where in the series-coupled chain the module is located. Dynamic voltage sharing among the various modules is assured, and the valve may be operated at a relatively rapid switching frequency, as no snubber is required.

Apparatus and method for switching high power levels

First and second dc linked, preferably voltage sourced, inverters are connected to an electric power transmission line in shunt and in series, respectively, by coupling transformers. Firing of the GTO-thyristors of the first inverter is controlled to regulate reactive power on the transmission line and to supply real power requirements of the second inverter. The second inverter is controlled to inject into the transmission line in series a voltage which can be adjusted in magnitude and from zero through 360 degrees in phase with respect to the transmission line voltage to selectively adjust any one or more of transmission line voltage magnitude, transmission line impedance and transmission line voltage phase angle. In a high power configuration of the controller each of the inverters includes a plurality of six-pluse inverter modules connected by interstage transformers to form balanced higher order pulse groups controlled through pulse width modulation or through adjustment of the phase between opposite groups to generate the appropriate ac voltages.

Generalized fast, power flow controller

An advanced static VAR (volt ampere reactive) compensator (ASVC) system for coupling with and compensating a transmission line of a power system includes an ASVC controller. A voltage-sourced inverter has an AC side coupled through a series inductance to the transmission line, and a DC side coupled to a capacitor. By monitoring the DC side voltage, two line-to-line voltages and two line currents between the series inductance and the transmission lines, the ASVC controller determines an instantaneous reactive current component of the line current. The ASVC controller adjusts the phase angle of the inverter AC output voltages to compensates the transmission line by negating the instantaneous reactive current, and thus, the undesirable instantaneous reactive power on the transmission line. A method is also disclosed of compensating the instantaneous reactive power flowing over the transmission line.

Advanced static var compensator control system

A system and method is provided compensating utility distribution line transients such as voltage sags in a dynamic manner, by inserting a voltage signal in series with the distribution signal having a magnitude and phase to effectively cancel out the voltage deviation caused by a network disturbance. An energy storage device such as a storage capacitor is used to provide energy to an inverter circuit which is controlled to generate the series-inserted signal. Preferably a converter such as a chopper is utilized between the storage element and the inverter, to provide a constant dc input to the inverter. A controller generates a corrective error signal based upon the deviation between the utility supply voltage as affected by the disturbance, and the nominal ideal voltage signal, and adjusts the insertion voltage so as to optimize real power delivery to the utility distribution line.

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Murrysville, PA, United States of America

Colin D Schauder