General Electric Company

Sebastian Pedro Rosado

Henry Todd Young

Jason Daniel Kuttenkuler

Christof Martin Sihler

Alvaro Jorge Mari Curbelo

Simon Herbert Schramm

Stefan Schroeder

Paolo Soldi

Ajith Kuttannair Kumar

Manoj Ramprasad Shah

Ara Panosyan

Zhihui Yuan

Piniwan Thiwanka Bandara Wijekoon

Tiziana Bertoncelli

Thomas Brueckner

A method and system for a control power supply system is provided. The control power supply system includes a first conductor configured to carry a direct current (DC) electrical current from a source to a load, a second conductor configured to carry the DC electrical current from the load to the source, and an AC power source coupled to at least one of the first and the second conductors, the AC power source configured to superimpose a selectable relatively high frequency AC component onto the DC electrical current to generate a composite power signal.

Method and system for control power in remote DC power systems

A method and system for a control power supply system is provided. The control power supply system includes a first conductor configured to carry a direct current (DC) electrical current from a source to a load, a second conductor configured to carry the DC electrical current from the load to the source, a electrical device electrically coupled in series with at least one of the first and second conductor. The electrical device is configured to fail in a shorted condition such that failure of the electrical device maintains a direct current (DC) ring bus including the first and second conductor. The control power supply system also includes a control power circuit electrically coupled in parallel with at least a portion of the electrical device such that a DC voltage across at least a portion of the electrical device provides a DC voltage supply to the control power circuit.

A power converter module including a voltage source current controlled power converter for providing unidirectional current having at least four output voltage levels is provided. The voltage source current controlled power converter includes an input terminal and an output terminal, and a first conductive path and a second conductive path is coupled in parallel to each other between the input terminal and the output terminal. Each of the conductive paths comprises at least one diode and at least one switch coupled in series to the respective conductive path. The at least one diode in the first conductive path are coupled closer to the input terminal and the at least one diode in the second conductive path are coupled closer to the output terminal. The voltage source current controlled power converter further includes at least two energy storage elements coupled between the first conductive path and the second conductive path.

Voltage source current controlled multilevel power converter

A power converter apparatus includes a primary bridge having a plurality of diagonally opposed primary power elements, and a secondary bridge having a plurality of diagonally opposed secondary power elements. The primary and secondary bridges are electrically coupled by a transformer. At least one control unit is configured to phase-shift switch the primary and secondary power elements, such that one or more of the primary and secondary power elements are switched off under near-zero current conditions to reduce voltage and current stresses and commutation losses within the power converter.

Power converter and method

A power converter includes a plurality of switches that interconnect first and second input terminals of the power converter with first and second output terminals of the power converter. The switches are switched to convert power from the input terminals to the output terminals. During the switching, voltage spikes are mitigated by a first RLC branch connected from the first input terminal to the first output terminal and by a second RLC branch connected from the second input terminal to the second output terminal.

Apparatus and method for mitigating perturbations in a power converter

A controller for a power converter includes one or more controller modules operably linked to a transformer core of the power converter, to primary bridge switches of the power converter, and to secondary bridge switches of the power converter, wherein the one or more controller modules are configured to avoid saturation of the transformer core by modulating pulse widths of first electrical pulses sent to the primary bridge switches, based at least on measurements of DC components of current through primary and secondary windings adjacent the transformer core, and by modulating pulse widths of second electrical pulses sent to the secondary bridge switches, based at least on measurements of DC components of current through the primary and secondary windings.

Apparatus and method for avoiding transformer saturation

A direct current (DC) power distribution system is provided for an aircraft. The system includes a DC system bus configured to carry electrical power from a source of electrical power to a plurality of electrical loads. The electrical loads are onboard the aircraft. The DC system bus includes a load side. The system includes a plurality of power converter modules that are electrically coupled in series to the DC system bus on the load side of the DC system bus. The power converter modules are configured to be electrically attached to corresponding sub-sets of the electrical loads. At least one of the power converter modules is configured to be short circuited in response to a fault such that the at least one power converter module does not supply electrical power to the corresponding subset of the electrical loads.

System and method for power distribution

A power converter control system includes primary bridge controller that is configured to actuate a first plurality of gate drive units that switch a first plurality of power elements in a primary bridge of a power converter. The control system further includes a secondary bridge controller separate from the primary bridge controller that is configured to actuate a second plurality of gate drive units to switch a second plurality of power elements in a secondary bridge of the power converter.

Power converter control system and method with separate primary and secondary controllers

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.

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Munich, Germany

Sebastian Pedro Rosado