Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Siemens Energy Global Gmbh & Co. Kg

Thomas Westerweller

Peter Menke

Mike Dommaschk

Hans-Joachim Knaak

Volker Hussennether

Herbert Gambach

Christoph Armschat

Roland Schuster

Adnan Chaudhry

Matthias Burkhardt

A converter arrangement includes a converter phase extending between first and second DC voltage poles. The converter phase includes an AC voltage terminal, a first converter arm extending between the first DC voltage pole and the AC voltage terminal and a second converter arm extending between the AC voltage terminal and the second DC voltage pole. The first converter arm includes a first series circuit of two-pole switching modules and the second converter arm includes a second series circuit of two-pole switching modules. Each of the switching modules includes power semiconductor switches and an energy store. A phase module arrester in an arrester branch is parallel with the two series circuits of the switching modules. The phase module arrester is configured for overvoltage protection of the switching modules of the two series circuits. A method for short-circuit protection of the converter arrangement is also provided.

Converter arrangement having a phase module arrester and method for short-circuit protection thereof

A multilevel power converter has at least one phase module with a plurality of modules connected between positive and negative DC voltage connections. The phase module has a first phase module branch connected to the positive DC voltage connection, and a second phase module branch connected to the negative DC voltage connection. Each of the modules has at least two electronic switching elements and an electric energy storage unit. A third phase module branch connects the first phase module branch to the second phase module branch. A switching device connects an AC voltage connection of the multilevel power converter to a first connection node between the first phase module branch and the third phase module branch in a first switch position and connects the AC voltage connection to a second connection node between the third phase module branch and the second phase module branch in a second switch position.

Multilevel power converter

A device for inverting an electric parameter in the field of power transmission and distribution has a converter that can be connected between an alternating current grid and a DC circuit and having power semiconductor valves extending between an alternating current connection and a DC voltage connection. Each power semiconductor valve has a series circuit of bipolar submodules, each with an energy storage device and a power semiconductor circuit in parallel with the energy storage device, and a grid connection unit connected to the alternating current connection for connecting to the alternating current grid. Simple, effective, and inexpensive symmetrization of the voltages in the DC voltage circuit relative to ground potential is brought about. A star point reactor is connected between the grid connection unit and the inverter with a potential node, including throttle coils connected to a grounded star point. The throttle coils are implemented so that said coils implement a current path with a high impedance to ground potential for alternating current at the base frequency of the alternating current grid, and with low impedance to ground potential for DC current.

Star-point reactor

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Stegaurach, Germany

Thomas Westerweller