General Electric Company

Abb Schweiz Ag

Piniwan Thiwanka Bandara Wijekoon

Stefan Schroeder

Christof Martin Sihler

Simon Herbert Schramm

Ara Panosyan

Manoj Ramprasad Shah

Eva-Maria Baerthlein

Rohit Dev Gupta

Jie Shen

Said Farouk Said El-Barbari

Tiziana Bertoncelli

Sebastian Pedro Rosado

Pierluigi Tenca

Henri Baerd

Mark Aaron Chan Chan

Paolo Soldi

Mark Aaron Chan

Svend Erik Rocke

Nicolai Hytten

Eric Ayres Browne

Jean-Louis Pouliquen

A power distribution system for providing a desired value of voltage regulation is presented. The system includes at least one power source, at least one sink, a distribution feeder configured to couple the at least one power source to the at least one sink. The system includes a plurality of modular voltage regulation units coupled to the distribution feeder, where each of the plurality of modular voltage regulation units includes a transformer including a primary winding having a first end and a second end and a secondary winding having a first end and a second end; and at least one switch coupled to the primary winding of the transformer, where the first end of the secondary winding is coupled to at least one of the first and second ends of the primary winding via the at least one switch. A method of operating a power distribution system is also presented.

System and method for regulating voltage in a low voltage power distribution system

A subsea power module includes an outer pressure compensated vessel defining an interior chamber and one or more heat generating electrical components disposed within the interior chamber. The outer pressure compensated vessel is configured to maintain a pressure within the interior chamber substantially the same as an ambient pressure outside the outer pressure compensated vessel. Each of the electrical components may be disposed within an inner chamber of a pressure vessel disposed within the interior chamber of the outer pressure compensated vessel. Each of the one or more heat generating electrical components is configured to transfer heat generated within the interior chamber of the outer pressure compensated vessel through the wall defining the interior chamber to a fluid, such as seawater, surrounding the outer pressure compensated vessel.

System for cooling heat generating electrically active components for subsea applications

A subsea power distribution module includes an outer vessel defining an interior chamber and a plurality of power modules disposed within the interior chamber. The outer vessel is configured to maintain a pressure within the interior chamber substantially the same as an ambient pressure outside the outer vessel. Each power module includes a pressure vessel defining an interior chamber and a power converter disposed within the interior chamber of the pressure vessel. Each pressure vessel is configured to maintain a substantially constant pressure within the interior chamber of the pressure vessel.

Methods and systems for subsea direct current power distribution

A submersible power system includes at least one DC power source and at least one submersible power distribution system electrically coupled to the at least one DC power source. The at least one submersible power distribution system includes at least one receptacle configured to be exposed to an underwater environment. The at least one submersible power distribution system also includes a plurality of power conversion modules removably positioned within the at least one receptacle. Each power conversion module of the plurality of power conversion modules includes an enclosure configured to be exposed to the underwater environment. The at least one submersible power distribution system further includes at least one switchyard module selectably coupled to and uncoupled from the plurality of power conversion modules. The at least one switchyard module includes a plurality of switches configured to electrically bypass and isolate each power conversion module from the DC power source.

A system for operating an on-load tap changer (OLTC) includes a plurality of legs that include mechanical switches. At least one leg switches from a first to a second tap of the OLTC on receipt of a tap change signal. At least one mechanical switch is activated to establish an electrical connection between one of the first and the second tap and a power terminal of the OLTC. Further, the system includes semiconductor switches that are parallel to the mechanical switches and when activated electrically couple one of the first and the second tap and the power terminal. The system includes a processing unit that selectively activates and deactivates the mechanical and semiconductor switches in such a way that electrical contact is maintained between at least one of the taps and the power terminal during the transition of at least one leg from the first tap to the second tap.

System and method for operating an on-load tap changer

A submersible power distribution system is provided. The system includes at least one receptacle configured to be exposed to an underwater environment and a plurality of power conversion modules positioned within the at least one receptacle. Each of the plurality of power conversion modules includes a first enclosure configured to be exposed to the underwater environment, the first enclosure defining a first interior cavity configured to have a first pressure. Power conversion modules also include at least one second enclosure positioned within the first interior cavity. The at least one second enclosure defines a second interior cavity configured to have a second pressure that is lower than the first pressure. The at least one second enclosure is configured to restrict exposure of non-pressure-tolerant power electronics in the second interior cavity to the first pressure.

Submersible power distribution system and methods of assembly thereof

A DC power transmission system is configured to generate an electric field including components substantially constant with respect to time and varying with time. The DC power transmission system includes an AC stage configured to receive AC electrical power. The AC stage includes a transformer including primary windings and secondary windings configured to be electromagnetically coupled to, and electrically isolated from, each other. The AC stage also includes an AC/AC converter having substantially no insulating features against the at least one substantially constant component of the electric field. The AC/AC converter is electrically coupled to the primary windings. The DC power transmission system also includes an AC/DC conversion stage positioned downstream of the AC stage. The AC/DC conversion stage includes an AC/DC rectifier configured to convert AC electrical power to DC electrical power without external control. The AC/DC rectifier is coupled to the secondary windings.

DC power transmission systems and method of assembling the same

A power transmission system is provided. The power transmission system includes at least one power substation for receiving power from a power source, and a Direct Current (DC) cable for transferring the power from the power source to the power substation. The DC cable includes a plurality of segments individually or in combination forming a path to route the power to the power substation. The system further includes at least one segment switch unit electrically coupled to each segment. At least one of the segment switch units includes a shorting switch element for providing a short circuit path to prevent the power from the power source to be routed to a respective segment in response to a shorting command, and a disconnect switch element for disconnecting the respective segment in response to a disconnect command.

Systems and methods for power transmission with cable segment failover support

A load tap changer includes a mechanical switch, a semiconductor switch and an impedance branch or an uncontrolled semiconductor switch. The mechanical switch is connected to a power terminal of a voltage conversion device to carry an electric current and is activated to switch from a first tap to a second tap of the voltage conversion device when a tap change signal is received. The semiconductor switch is then connected between the first tap and the power terminal of the voltage conversion device and is disconnected before the mechanical switch is connected to the second tap. The impedance branch or the uncontrolled semiconductor switch is connected between the second tap and the power terminal of the voltage conversion device before the mechanical switch is connected to the second tap. The impedance or the uncontrolled semiconductor switch is disconnected after the mechanical switch is connected to the second tap.

Load tap changer

A multi-phase converter includes a plurality of phase paths. Each phase path includes at least one dc-link that is independent from every other phase path dc-link such that each output phase voltage is generated from a corresponding dc-link voltage source that can be different from every other phase voltage dc-link voltage source. A total dc-link voltage level is determined for each output phase voltage. A common-mode injection voltage is calculated based on all dc-link voltage levels and all phase reference voltages. Each phase path reference voltage is then adjusted based on the calculated common-mode injection voltage, such that each generated output phase voltage level is adjusted in response to its corresponding adjusted reference voltage.

Multi-phase converter system and method

A power converter includes an active front end (AFE) that is coupled by a dc link stage to a plurality of H-bridge inverters. One or more multi-phase electro-magnetic energy conversion devices, such as transformers or electric machines, with open windings that are connected to only the AFE or only the H-bridge inverters or to both the AFE and H-bridge inverters, provide a regenerative or partial regenerative power converter.

Power converter based on H-bridges

A power conversion device according to the aspects of the present technique is presented. The device includes a first converter and a second converter operatively coupled to the first converter. Moreover, the device includes a phase leg operatively coupled between the first converter, the second converter, where the phase leg includes a first unidirectional switch, a second unidirectional switch operatively coupled to the first unidirectional switch, and a first bidirectional switch, where a first end of the first bidirectional switch is operatively coupled to at least one of the first unidirectional switch and the second unidirectional switch.

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Munich, Germany

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