American Superconductor Corporation

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Patrick S Flannery

John R Brubaker

David George Oteman

Matthew Wayne Tilstra

Douglas C Folts

Peter M Winn

Jie Yuan

Venkata Giri Venkataramanan

Gary Steven Parnes

Andrew Specht

Mark D Putnam

Peter Hansen

Robert McFetridge

David G Oteman

A system for load balancing on a multi-phase power line connected to a single phase lateral power line, includes a contactor configured to selectively connect each phase of the multi-phase power line to the single phase lateral power line. There is a phase change device connected in parallel with the contactor and a controller. During the phase change state, the controller connects the input of the phase change device to the multi-phase power line and connects the output of the phase change device the single phase lateral power line. The controller causes the phase change device to output a voltage to the single phase lateral line initially aligned with the first phase and then rotated to align with the second phase and causes the contactor changes connection to the second phase of the multi-phase power line and disconnect the phase change device from the power lines.

Load re-balancing on a multi-phase power system

A static synchronous compensator configured to be installed in and provide reactive power to a medium voltage electric distribution system. There is a multi-level cascaded H-bridge (CHB) converter in an enclosure, having a nominal operating voltage in the medium voltage range. There is a first electrical bushing connecting the medium voltage electric distribution system to the input of the CHB converter. There is a second electrical bushing connecting ground or floating ground to the output of the CHB converter. There is a cooling system, which circulates the cooling fluid between in the interior of the enclosure to cool the CHB converter. There is a controller to control the converter to output reactive power at a medium voltage level.

Multi-level cascaded H-bridge STATCOM circulating cooling fluid within enclosure

A power electronics based system using natural, convection cooling, includes an enclosure housing a plurality of discrete components distributed in a vertical direction from a bottom portion to a top portion of the enclosure and having a heat density weighted average center at a first height along the vertical direction. There is a heat exchanger adjacent to the enclosure, including an inlet port and an outlet port in fluid communication with the enclosure. The heat exchanger has a vertical cooling average center at a second height. There is a cooling fluid disposed in the enclosure and in the heat exchanger to cool the discrete components. The discrete components are positioned in the vertical direction in the enclosure such that the first height of the heat density weighted average center along the vertical direction is below the second height of the vertical cooling average center of the heat exchanger.

Natural convection cooling for power electronics systems having discrete power dissipation components

A static synchronous compensator includes at least one converter pole for producing a first phase of an AC voltage waveform having a fundamental cycle. The first phase of the AC voltage waveform includes alternating converter pole charging and discharging regions in each fundamental cycle. The at least one converter pole includes a plurality of cascaded H-bridge cells, each having a DC voltage source and a plurality of switches. The switches are capable of being switched to produce a plurality of switching states. There is a controller configured to control the switching states of the plurality of switches of each of the cascaded H-bridge cells based on the voltages of DC voltage sources of the H-bridge cells and on whether the AC waveform is in the converter pole charging region or the converter pole discharging region.

Switching scheme for static synchronous compensators using cascaded H-bridge converters

A method for providing electric power to a power system includes receiving, at a slave node of a power converter having a plurality of slave nodes, a first synchronization signal via a first communication channel, the first synchronization signal purporting to represent a master timing characteristic of a master control node of the converter; receiving, at the slave node of the converter, a second synchronization signal via a second communication channel, the second synchronization signal purporting to represent a master timing characteristic of the master control node of the converter; synchronizing an internal timing characteristic of the slave control node with the master timing characteristic of the master control node using the first synchronization signal; determining that the first synchronization signal is invalid; and synchronizing an internal timing characteristic of the slave control node with the master timing characteristic of the master control node using the second synchronization signal.

Power converter with dual ring network control

A wind turbinehas a back-to-back AC/DC/AC power electronic converter chain in which the grid side converteris connected in series with DFIG stator windings The machine side converteris fed from the rotor windingsof the DFIG Series connection of the grid side converterenables voltage sag ride-through capability via control of the stator flux. In the event of a grid voltage sag, the series converter allows for a controlled response in the stator flux and electromagnetic shaft torque, protects the machine side converter and enables continued power delivery to the grid.

Growing community of inventors

Madison, WI, United States of America

Patrick S Flannery