General Electric Company

John D D'Atre

Allen Michael Ritter

Allan B Plunkett

Robert Allen Seymour

Loren H Walker

Robert William Delmerico

Rajib Datta

Xiaoming Yuan

Haiqing Weng

Renchang Dai

Luis Jose Garces

Anthony Michael Klodowski

Paul M Espelage

William P Giewont

Robert Gregory Wagoner

David Grey Smith

Einar Vaughn Larsen

Thomas Anthony Lipo

Sidney Allen Barker

John H Cutler

Cyrus David Harbourt

Kunlun Chen

David L Lippitt

Henning Luetze

Jordan Brantley Casteel

Goran Drobnjak

William D Brackman, Jr

Dennis F Williamson

Rafael Ignacio Bedia

Richard A Kellogg

B Paul Chausse

Kenneth W Wadding

A method and system for a control circuit are provided. The circuit includes an integrating counter coupled to a process wherein the integrating counter is configured to integrate over time a process parameter signal received from the process and to generate a trigger signal when the integrated signal equals a predetermined count. The control circuit also includes a transition controller electrically coupled to a respective control element and configured to receive the trigger signal generated by the integrating counter.

Method and system for power conversion

A method and system for a commutation control circuit are provided. The system includes an integrating voltage counter electrically coupled to an electrical power bus, wherein the integrating voltage counter is configured to integrate over time a voltage signal received from the power bus and to generate a trigger signal when the integrated voltage signal equals a predetermined count. The system also includes a plurality of transistor pairs configured to receive a trigger signal generated by the integrating voltage counter and electrically coupled to respective windings of a motor.

An apparatus for rapidly tracking fundamental frequency information in the signal of an electric grid is a cross-coupled phase-lock loop filter (CCPLL) that includes the use of a phase-lock-loop (PLL) apparatus having a plurality individual filters, wherein an input for a first filter in the plurality of individual filters comprises the signal of the electric grid and an output signal from at least a second filter in the plurality of individual filters. A method for using the CCPLL includes applying a signal to the CCPLL and monitoring the output of the CCPLL. Use of the CCPLL may be accomplished or modeled via computer instructions stored on machine readable media.

Apparatus, method and computer program product for tracking information in an electric grid

A power generation system for supplying a resultant output voltage is provided. The system comprises a power converter system. The power converter system comprises at least two power converter bridges, each configured for switching at a low frequency and generating a corresponding converter output voltage including a fundamental voltage component and harmonic components, and at least two power converter transformers. Each power converter bridge is coupled to a primary winding of a corresponding power converter transformer and a secondary winding of one power converter transformer is coupled to a secondary winding of a second power converter transformer. The resultant output voltage comprises a sum of the fundamental voltage components of each converter output voltage.

Power conversion system and method

A method for operating an electrical machine includes coupling the electrical machine to an electric power system such that the electric power system is configured to transmit at least one phase of electric power to and from the electrical machine. The method also includes configuring the electrical machine such that the electrical machine remains electrically connected to the electric power system during and subsequent to a voltage amplitude of the electric power system operating outside of a predetermined range for an undetermined period of time.

Method and apparatus for operating electrical machines

A power converting apparatus and method providing for the addition of a fourth power connection wire to the neutral point of the normal three phase load circuit. This allows delivery of combined current from the center of the DC link voltage to load. The added control enables a third harmonic injection to flow and allows for increased power rating per peak amp handled by the conversion system. Limiting of faults to the positive half versus the negative half of the DC system allows for more robust behavior when encountering these fault conditions.

Systems and methods for balancing of DC link in three level PWM power conversion equipment

Method and apparatus that provide a response to the negative sequence current demands during a disturbance of the grid system connected to power-generating equipment, such as a wind turbine system, provide for tracking components in the grid signal, orienting at least a portion of the signal, and injecting the oriented portion. Controlled injection of negative sequence current provides for extending small-signal control response, and also provides for modifications of the apparent impedance to the grid interconnect of the power conversion equipment.

Method, apparatus and computer program product for injecting current

A system and method for power control in wind turbines are provided. The method includes switching a plurality of switching devices in a power conversion component of the wind turbine system in a normal switching mode to provide power flow through the power conversion component. The method further includes switching the plurality of switches devices in the power conversion component of the wind turbine system in a short circuit switching mode to prevent power flow through the power conversion component.

System and method for power control in wind turbines

A method for providing a smooth transition to powered operation in a motor control system in which a variable voltage inverter regulates power to the motor on a volts per Hertz basis. The method is particularly applicable to systems for energizing and rapidly gaining control of a motor driving a load in which the motor armature is turning at the time that power is supplied from the variable voltage converter. The method is implemented by sweeping the frequency of the excitation applied to an alternating current motor while holding the magnitude of the excitation at a level sufficient to prevent over current excitation of the motor.

Method for starting a variable voltage inverter with a pre-spinning load

A dynamic brake control system for an alternating current motor powered by a variable voltage, variable frequency inverter which regulates the speed of the motor. An AC to DC converter converts AC line power to DC power with the DC power being transferred to the inverter via a DC link. During electrical dynamic braking, the inverter functions to transfer power from the motor to the DC link. The torque available to the motor during braking is a function of the receptivity of the DC link. Link receptivity controlled by a resistance connected to the link in which the resistance is modulated at a frequency dependent upon the incoming AC line frequency at the converter. The modulation is binarily controlled so as to minimize ripple current on the DC link without the necessity of providing high frequency control of the modulating electronics.

Dynamic brake control

A method for developing current control signals from motor terminal voltage in the control of alternating current electric motors which utilize electric current control signals oriented to the phase of a flux component in a rotating field for applying current so as to control the flux and torque in the motor. The method includes developing flux signals from measurement of motor terminal voltage and integrating those signals to develop corresponding flux signals. In one form, the method eliminates DC components occuring in the resultant flux signals by locating local maxima and minima of the resultant flux signal and correcting the value of the flux integrator so as to provide maxima and minima flux signals having equal absolute values. The method also includes establishing an initial flux in the motor prior to startup which is oriented in a predetermined manner such that initial current applied to the motor can be applied so as to immediately develop torque, if required. The method further provides for initializing the flux integrators and associated logic such that discontinuities attributable to events such as frequency reversals are avoided.

Method of digital flux reconstruction with DC elimination

An automated SCR cell test exercises each of the twelve SCRs in a dual, 3 phase, full wave SCR rectifier bridge singly to detect shorted SCRs and in pairs to detect open SCRs or faulty gate circuits.

Method of automated in-place SCR testing

A method of adaptively controlling the time of rendering the individual controlled devices of a controllable power conversion bridge includes the sensing of the instant in time at which the current from the bridge to a load becomes discontinuous. From the time of this sensing, the time period to a predetermined time such as a normally calculated time of rendering the controlled devices conductive is derived. This time period is then multiplied by a multiplier and the resultant product is combined with the predetermined time to provide an actual time of rendering the controlled devices conductive.

Method for adaptive control in a power converter operating in a

A fault protective system for a load commutated inverter motor drive including an AC to DC source side converter coupled from an AC source to a DC to AC load side converter via a DC link circuit and wherein the load side converter supplies AC power of varying magnitude and frequency to the synchronous motor load. A pair of microcomputers interlinked by a common digital memory respectively control the inverters and interface with hardware type sensor means for detecting the occurrence of a plurality of different types of faults. Additionally, a number of stored instructional sets or programs are respectively included in both microcomputers to detect by software means another plurality of faults. The detection of a fault on either side of the link circuit is communicated to the respective computer which subsequently communicates with the other microcomputer to effect a coordinated protective action in response to thyristor cell failures, circuit failures, and abnormal operating conditions. Cell failure faluts include those instances where a thyristor cell actually fails due to an open or short circuit as well as those cases where a cell fails to commutate properly due to firing strategy problems. Cirucit failures include open and short circuits both in the supply line and the motor leads, while abnormal operating conditions involve such things as low line voltage or excessive motor voltage.

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Ballston Lake, NY, United States of America

John D D'Atre