Ge Energy Power Conversion Technology Gmbh

Varun Raghunath

Martin Geske

Hendrik Gloes

A method of short-circuiting a faulty submodule for a voltage-source power converter is disclosed. The submodule is based on a full-bridge, asymmetric full-bridge or half-bridge circuit design having power semiconductor switches with anti-parallel freewheeling diodes and optionally non-controllable semiconductor valves. The methodincludes identifying a faulty semiconductor device and determining a failure mode selected from a short-circuit failure mode and an open circuit failure mode. The method further includes selecting a minimum number of power semiconductor switches suitable to provide a bypass path through the submodule depending on the identified faulty semiconductor device and the determined failure mode and driving the selected power semiconductor switches by a modified driving voltage compared to normal operation to cause them to break down in order to provide a durable, stable, low impedance short-circuit path between the AC voltage terminals of the submodule. A power converter comprising a series connection of such submodules and supporting the method of short-circuiting a faulty submodule is also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Berlin, Germany

Varun Raghunath