General Electric Technology Gmbh

Konstantin Vershinin

Jonathan Christopher Nicholls

David Reginald Trainer

Colin Charnock Davidson

John Lewis Outram

Rajaseker Reddy Ginnareddy

Francisco Jose Moreno Munoz

Javier Francisco Chivite-Zabalza

Ikenna Bruce Efika

Jonathan Nicholls

Francisco Jose Moreno Munzo

Colin Chamrock Davidson

Fault protection of a voltage source converter is provided. An apparatus has a chain-link circuit in series with a director switch. The chain-link circuit includes cells including an energy storage element and cell switching elements connected with anti-parallel diodes. Each cell switching element has a cell switching element controller. The director switch includes director switch units, each having a director switching element and a director switch unit controller. Each cell switching element controller monitors for a fault current and turns-off its associated cell switching element and reports a fault event to a fault controller. Each director switch unit controller monitors for a fault current and reports a fault event to the fault controller but the director switch unit control keeps its associated director switching element turned-on. The fault controller monitors for reports of fault events to order the cell switching elements of at least some of the cells to turn-off.

Fault protection for voltage source converters

A semiconductor switching string includes series-connected semiconductor switching assemblies, each having a main semiconductor switching element that, when switched on, conducts current flow from a first terminal to a second terminal, and that, while turning off, transitions from a reverse recovery mode in which a reverse recovery current flows from the second terminal to the first terminal to a blocking mode in which no current flows. Each main semiconductor switching element has an active auxiliary circuit, each including an auxiliary semiconductor switching element and a resistive element. Each control unit is connected with each auxiliary semiconductor switching element. Each control unit switches a respective auxiliary semiconductor switching element into a conducting state to divert current through the corresponding resistive element. Each control unit having the auxiliary semiconductor switching elements in their conducting state simultaneously while each main semiconductor switching element is operating in reverse recovery mode or blocking mode.

Semiconductor switching string

An apparatus and methods of breaking a circuit using a switch are disclosed. In an example, a variable voltage is applied across a switch, which comprises a series connection of switching elements which are individually controllable between a blocking state and a conductive state. The state of the switching elements is controlled such that at least a portion of switching elements are in the blocking state, and fewer switching elements are in the blocking state when the applied voltage magnitude is low than when the applied voltage magnitude is high.

Switch apparatus

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Stafford, United Kingdom

Konstantin Vershinin