General Electric Company

Ge Energy Power Conversion Technology Gmbh

Di Zhang

Luis Jose Garces

Dong Dong

Rixin Lai

Rui Zhou

Andrew Allen Rockhill

Jiangbiao He

Ravisekhar Nadimpalli Raju

Zhi Zhou

Xu She

Luis José Garcés Rivera

Luis José Garcés

Manoj Ramprasad Shah

Hao Huang

James William Bray

Timothy John Sommerer

Rajib Datta

Ruxi Wang

Di Pan

Satish Prabhakaran

Tomas Sadilek

Mark Dame

Song Chi

Ranjan Kumar Gupta

Rahul Shantilal Chokhawala

Sachin Madhusoodhanan

Juan Antonio Sabate

Konrad Roman Weeber

Maja Harfman Todorovic

Feng Chen

Jian Dai

Steven Michael Mankevich

An electric propulsion system includes at least one generator. The electric propulsion system also includes at least one drive engine coupled to the at least one generator. The electric propulsion system further includes at least one electrical device. The electric propulsion system also includes at least one battery integrated isolated power converter (BIIC), where the at least one generator and at least one of the at least one BIIC and the at least one electrical device are coupled, and where the at least one BIIC and the at least one electrical device are coupled.

Battery integrated isolated power converter and systems for electric vehicle propulsion

Systems and methods to improve operation of a modular multilevel converter. Some embodiments include a first upper arm with a first active power link module, which facilitates producing a first portion of a first alternating current electrical power at a base frequency and injecting a first even-order current harmonic of the base frequency in the first upper arm, and a first lower arm with a second active power link module, which facilitates producing a second portion of the first alternating current, in which the first portion of the first alternating current and the second portion of the alternating current are combined to facilitate outputting the first alternating current electrical power at a first alternating current terminal, and injecting the first even-order current harmonic in the first lower arm, in which magnitude of the first even-order current harmonic is zero at the first alternating current terminal.

Modular multilevel converter harmonic injection systems and methods

In an embodiment, a three-level active neutral-point clamped (ANPC) converter system is provided. The system includes first and second Direct Current (DC)-bus structures that include at least one of a number of DC-bus capacitors on printed circuit boards (PCBs). The PCBs are laminated together with an air gap (e.g., one or more millimeters) in between for a thermal dissipation and an insulation creepage. The three DC-bus terminals include PCBs, and are electrically connected to the three-level power converter, which are typically mounted on a heatsink or a cold plate.

Compact design of multilevel power converter systems

A system includes a voltage converter and a controller for controlling the operation of the voltage converter. The voltage converter includes a plurality of legs, wherein each leg includes a first and a second set of silicon (Si)-based power devices. The first set of Si-based power devices includes a first and second Si-based power devices connected to each other at a first interconnection node and the second set of Si-based power devices includes a third and fourth Si-based power devices connected to each other at a second interconnection node. The first and second set of Si-based power devices are coupled across a first and second DC voltage sources respectively. A first set of Silicon-Carbide (SiC) based power devices is coupled across the first and second interconnection nodes. The system also includes a snubber capacitor connected across the first and the second interconnection nodes.

Three-level two-stage decoupled active NPC converter

A method for shutting down a phase-leg of a three-level active neutral point clamped converter is provided. The method includes the following steps. A determining step determines if a switch fault has occurred, and if a switch fault has occurred then each switch of the plurality of switches are turned off. If a switch fault has not occurred and a shutdown is requested, then an operating step operates the plurality of switches to turn off a first switch and a fourth switch. A waiting step waits for a first predetermined time period. An operating step operates the plurality of switches to turn on a second switch and a third switch. A waiting step is repeated. An operating step operates the plurality of switches to turn off a fifth switch and a sixth switch. A waiting step is repeated. An operating step turns off the second switch and the third switch.

Method for shutdown of an active neutral point clamped converter

A modular power conversion device includes at least one first-type energy storage device (ESD) configured to induce a first direct current (DC) voltage, and at least one active power link module (APLM) string coupled to the at least one first-type ESD. The at least one APLM string includes a plurality of APLMs coupled to each other. Each APLM of the plurality of APLMs has a plurality of switching devices including a first switching device and a second switching device coupled to each other in electrical series. Each APLM of the plurality of APLMs also has at least one second-type ESD coupled in electrical parallel with both of the first switching device and the second switching device. The at least one second-type ESD is configured to induce a second DC voltage.

System and method for integrating hybrid energy storage into direct current power systems

A filtering unit is presented. The filtering unit includes at least two operational amplifiers, where each of the at least two operational amplifiers includes an input end and an output end, where the input end of one operational amplifier is coupled across the corresponding input end of another operational amplifier of the at least two operational amplifiers. The filtering unit also includes a direct current link operatively coupled to the at least two operational amplifiers and at least one thermoelectric module, where each thermoelectric module includes a conducting layer, where the direct current link and at least one of the at least two operational amplifiers are operatively coupled to the at least one thermoelectric module. A filtering system is also presented.

Filtering system and an associated method thereof

A method for operating a phase-leg of a three-level active neutral point clamped (3L-ANPC) converter is presented. The phase-leg includes an output terminal, a plurality of input terminals, and a plurality of switches disposed therebetween. The method includes operating the phase-leg in a neutral state to generate an output voltage having a neutral level. The method further includes transitioning the phase-leg to a first intermediate neutral state from the neutral state. Moreover, the method includes transitioning the phase-leg from the first intermediate neutral state to a first state to generate the output voltage having a first level. A modulator for operating the phase-leg of the 3L-ANPC converter is also presented. Moreover, a 3L-ANPC converter including the modulator is presented.

Method and system for operating a phase-leg of a three-level active neutral point clamped converter

A system for integrating energy storage into a modular power converter includes at least one energy storage unit coupled to a first converter for converting a first direct current (DC) voltage of the at least one energy storage unit into a first high frequency alternating current (AC) voltage. At least three phase legs of the modular power converter generate three phase AC voltages. Each phase leg includes a plurality of switching modules connected in series. The switching modules have a plurality of fully controllable semiconductor switches, an energy storage device, and a second converter coupled to the respective energy storage device for converting a second DC voltage of the energy storage device into a second high frequency AC voltage. In the system, three similarly positioned switching modules of the three phase legs form one power unit. Further, a high frequency transformer is provided which has at least one primary winding connected to the first converter and at least three secondary windings, each connected to the second converter of each of the three similarly positioned switching modules. A controller is configured to regulate at least one electrical parameter of the modular power converter.

System and method for integrating energy storage into modular power converter

A voltage converter may include a first set of silicon (Si)-based power devices coupled to a first direct current (DC) voltage source and a second set of Si-based power devices coupled to a second DC voltage source. The voltage converter may also include a first set of silicon-carbide (SiC)-based power devices coupled to the first set of Si-based power devices and to the second set of Si-based power devices. Each SiC-based power device of the first set of SiC-based power devices may switch at a higher frequency as compared to each Si-based power device of the first and second sets of the Si-based power electronic devices.

Hybrid converter system

A method for power conversion includes coupling a first string to a second string via a first connecting node and a second connecting node to form at least one leg of a power converter. The first string is operatively coupled across a first bus and a second bus and comprises a first branch and a second branch coupled via a third connecting node. The first branch and the second branch include a plurality of controllable semiconductor switches. Furthermore, the second string comprises a first chain link and a second chain link coupled via an alternating current phase bus and includes a plurality of switching units. The first chain link and/or the second chain link are controlled to generate a negative voltage across at least one of the plurality of controllable semiconductor switches during a switch turn off process.

Modular embedded multi-level converter

Systems and methods related to controlling flux through an inductor of a power converter are described. For example, a control system is configured to control a multi-level converter having a first leg, a second leg, and at least one inductor. The control system includes a processor operatively coupled to a memory. The processor receives a reference signal. The processor determine flux through at least one inductor of a converter. The processor controls a temporal distribution of the flux through the at least one inductor based on the flux through the at least one inductor according to the reference signal.

Direct flux control power converter

The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for modulating a voltage output of a hybrid converter system having first and second set of Si-based power electronic devices coupled to first and second voltage source, respectively, and a first set of SiC-based power electronic devices coupled to the first and second sets of Si-based power electronic devices. The method includes switching between operational states of the hybrid converter system based on a desired voltage output, wherein each operational state includes one of the Si-based power electronic devices from the first and second sets of Si-based power electronic devices and one of the SiC-based devices from the first set of SiC-based power electronic devices being switched on and the remaining power electronic devices being switched off. Each SiC-based power electronic device of the first set of SiC-based power electronic devices switches at a higher frequency as compared to each Si-based power electronic device of the first and second sets of the Si-based power electronic devices.

Modulator for a hybrid converter system

A power system for a marine ship includes a plurality of protection zones, wherein at least two protection zones are coupled to each other via at least one bus-tie converter. Each of the protection zones includes a plurality of direct current (DC) buses and a plurality of power converters. The bus-tie converter includes at least two converter legs coupled by at least one inductor. Each converter leg includes a first branch connected with a snubber circuit. The first branch includes two outer switching devices and at least one inner switching device connected between the two outer switching devices. The first branch also includes a damping resistor coupled between the two outer switching devices to dissipate a fault current. The snubber circuit includes a combination of a diode, a resistor and a capacitor. A controller controls the operation of the plurality of power converters and the at least one bus-tie converter.

Growing community of inventors

Niskayuna, NY, United States of America

Di Zhang