Abb Schweiz Ag

General Electric Company

Chromatic Technologies, Inc.

North Carolina State University

Abb S.p.a.

Honeywell International Inc.

Yu Du

Xiaoqing Song

Yuzhi Zhang

Chang Wei

Wei Cai

Rihua Xiong

Eddy C Aeloiza

Hongrae Kim

Ruizheng Wang

Taosha Jiang

Adil Oudrhiri

Medhanei Abraha

Rolando Burgos

Timothy J Owen

Zhiguo Pan

Li Qi

Terrill Scott Clayton

Harshang Shah

Thomas Anthony Kendzia, Iii

Lyle D Small

Christopher Alan Belcastro

Rajib Mikail

Qin Huang

Lei Cao

Rostan Rodrigues

Emanuele Borla

Yunfeng Liu

Daniel Edward Loringer

Neil Xavier Blythe

Sebastian Walter Freund

Rodrigo Rodriguez Erdmenger

Xiaoming Yuan

Xiaoyan Zhang

Philip M Rolchigo

Su Lu

Chao Yang

Jassin Marcel Fritz

Zhigang Deng

Saijun Mao

Lukas William Johnson

Veerakumar Bose

Rudolf Konrad Selmeier

Jiyang Xia

Harish Suryanarayana

Waqas Mahmood Arshad

Yuxiang Shi

Zichi Zhang

Paolo Antonello

Tao Cui

Matthias Carl Lang

Luca Ghezzi

Jonathan Nagurney

Shengxian Wang

Tong Wu

Pierre Sébastien Huck

Patrick Schneider

Cathal Clancy

Chun Cao

Xiaoquing Song

Ross Haugberg

Elisa Jubany Arribas

Wenxi Yao

In one aspect, a modular static transfer switch is provided. The module static transfer switch includes an output configured to couple to a load, a first input configured to couple to a first power source, and a second input configured to couple to a second power source. The modular static transfer switch further includes a plurality of sold-state switch modules each comprising at least one solid-state switch. A first plurality of the solid-state switch modules are coupled in parallel between the first input and the output, each configured to selectively couple the first power source to the output using the at least one solid-state switch. A second plurality of the solid-state switch modules are coupled in parallel between the second input and the output, each configured to selectively couple the second power source to the output using the at least one solid-state switch.

Modular static transfer switches

Unique systems, methods, techniques and apparatuses of solid state circuit breaker protection are disclosed. One exemplary embodiment is a solid state circuit breaker comprising a primary switching device including a first terminal and a second terminal and a voltage clamping circuit coupled in parallel with the primary switching device. The voltage clamping circuit includes a metal-oxide varistor (MOV) coupled in series between the first terminal and an auxiliary semiconductor device, the auxiliary semiconductor device being arranged so as to selectively couple the MOV with the second terminal, and a bypass circuit coupled between the first terminal and the auxiliary semiconductor device.

Voltage clamping circuit for solid state circuit breaker

A method of operating a static transfer switch is provided. The method includes monitoring a voltage waveform for each phase of first and second power sources, and calculating flux for each phase of the power sources. The method also includes determining (i) a first flux difference between the respective flux of the first phases of the first and second power sources, (ii) a second flux difference between the respective flux of the second phases of the first and second power sources, and (iii) a third flux difference between the respective flux of the third phases of the first and second power sources. The method further includes turning off a third solid-state switch to disconnect the third phase of the first power source from a load, in response to the controller determining that the third flux difference is greater the first and second flux differences.

Systems and methods of accelerating transfer in a static transfer switch

In one aspect, a solid-state switching apparatus is provided that includes a pair of anti-parallel thyristors, a quasi-resonant turn-off circuit, a sensor, and a control circuit. The turn-off circuit is coupled in parallel with the pair of anti-parallel thyristors and includes a first selectively conductive path and a second selectively conductive path. The sensor is configured to sense a thyristor current conducted by at least one of the pair of anti-parallel thyristors. The control circuit is configured to receive the sensed thyristor current from the sensor and determine a magnitude of the sensed thyristor current and a polarity of the sensed thyristor current. The control circuit is further configured to activate, in response to determining that the magnitude is greater than a threshold value, one of the first selectively conductive path and the second selectively conductive path based on the polarity to commutate and interrupt the thyristor current.

Thyristor current interrupter

In one aspect, a quasi-resonant turn-off circuit is provided. The quasi-resonant turn-off circuit is couplable in parallel with a pair of anti-parallel thyristors. The quasi-resonant turn-off circuit includes a resonant capacitor and an energy recovery circuit. The resonant capacitor is configured to supply a charge to the pair of anti-parallel thyristors to decrease a turn-off time of the pair of anti-parallel thyristors. The energy recovery circuit is configured to recharge the resonant capacitor using remnant energy left in parasitic inductances coupled to the quasi-resonant turn-off circuit after the pair of anti-parallel thyristors is off.

Quasi-resonant thyristor current interrupter

Solid state switching device including: a pair of line terminals including first and second line terminals for electrical connection with a corresponding phase conductor of an electric line; a switching assembly including one or more solid state power switches, the switching assembly having a first and second power terminals electrically connected with the first and second lines terminals, respectively; a heat sink element in thermal coupling with the switching assembly to adsorb heat from the switching assembly; an additional heat extraction arrangement to extract heat from the switching assembly and convey at least a portion of the adsorbed heat along the phase conductor through the first and second line terminals.

Solid state switching device

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an energy storage system includes one or more power sources, one or more energy storage components, and one or more solid state circuit breakers disposed between the one or more power sources and the one or more energy storage components such that electrical power is exchanged between the one or more power sources to the one or more energy storage components through the one or more solid state circuit breakers. The energy storage system also includes a controller configured to operate the one or more solid state circuit breakers to control current exchanged with the one or more energy storage components and protect the one or more energy storage components from the one or more power sources during a fault condition.

Current control and circuit protection for distributed energy resources

A method includes energizing a transformer from a deenergized state by turning on a solid-state transfer switch to conductively couple a power source on a first side of the solid-state transfer switch and a transformer on a second side of the solid-state transfer switch, and evaluating an inrush current to the transformer from the power source. The method includes turning off the solid-state transfer switch to conductively decouple the power source and the transformer in response to the inrush current meeting a first criterion, determining a recoupling timing for the solid-state transfer switch, and turning on the solid-state transfer switch in response to the recoupling timing effective to complete energization of the transformer with the inrush current to the transformer being limited by the first criterion.

Inrush current limiting transformer energization apparatuses, methods, systems, and technique

A soft switching resonant converter is disclosed. The converter includes a power switch operable to connect and disconnect a DC link rail node and an output node. A resonant capacitor is coupled with the power switch. An auxiliary leg is coupled with a DC link midpoint node and the output node. An active damper is coupled in series with the resonant capacitor and the output node and is controllable to provide a first resistance of the active damper in a first state and a second resistance of the active damper in a second state, the first resistance having a lower magnitude than the second resistance. A driver controls the damper switch to provide a first resistance during the soft switching operation of the power switch and a second resistance after the soft switching operation of the power switch.

Active damping of soft switching resonant converters

A circuit protection system includes a plurality of circuit protection devices and a central controller. Each circuit protection device includes a protection switch for connecting or disconnecting a corresponding protected circuit, and a sensing module for sensing electrical parameter data. The central controller is in communication with each of the circuit protection devices, and is constructed to receive the electrical parameter data; determine whether a fault condition has occurred based on the electrical parameter data; and send a signal to open the protection switch for each protected circuit experiencing a fault condition.

Circuit protection system

An apparatus and method that can accelerate the turn off time for a thyristor current interrupter. Following commutation of a load current from a main thyristor to an auxiliary turn-off unit, a capacitor of the auxiliary turn-off unit can provide a resonant current to create a zero current crossing for turning the main thyristor off, as well as provide a reverse bias voltage for the main thyristor. The auxiliary turn-off unit can hold the main thyristor off and facilitate sufficient time being available for main thyristor to block forward system voltage. A voltage level of another capacitor of the auxiliary turn-off unit can, with a switch of the auxiliary turn-off unit and the main thyristor turned off, be increased to a level that triggers at least one voltage-clamping unit to absorb electrical power from that capacitor. The load current passing in the auxiliary turn-off unit can be decreased as the electrical power is absorbed to a level at which one or more auxiliary thyristor switches of the auxiliary turn-off unit can be turned off.

Thyristor current interrupter and auxiliary quasi-resonant turn-off unit

Direct-current-to-direct-current (DC-DC) power converters that include two or more multi-quadrant, multi-level, DC-DC, switching converter subcircuits, connected in parallel at respective input and output sides, so as to provide a multi-channel, multi-quadrant, multi-level configuration, are disclosed. The DC-DC power converters further include a control circuit configured to control the switching converter subcircuits so that corresponding switching semiconductors in each of the switching converter subcircuits are switched in an interleaved manner. In some embodiments, each of the switching converter subcircuits is a three-level, neutral-point-clamped, four-quadrant DC-DC converter circuit. In other embodiments, each of the switching converter subcircuits is a three-level, neutral-point-clamped, two-quadrant DC-DC converter circuit. In any of these embodiments, a filter capacitor may be connected between across a pair of output terminals at the output sides of the switching converter subcircuits.

Interleaved multi-channel, multi-level, multi-quadrant DC-DC converters

A static transfer switch is provided for supplying power to a load alternately from two different power sources. Switching between the two power sources may occur within a fraction of one electrical cycle. In response to sensing degraded performance in the power source supplying the load, a gate signal is turned off to a first switch coupled between the power source and the load. A third switch coupled between an energy storage and the first switch is also closed to release a current to the input or output of the first switch The current forces a drop in current conducted through the first switch and causes the first switch to open and stop conducting current. A second switch coupled between the alternate power source and the load is then closed to supply power to the load from the alternate power source.

Static transfer switch with turn off circuit

A resonant turn-off circuit is provided to disconnect an inadequate power source and transfer a load to an alternate power source. In the circuit, a main switch is turned off before the AC cycle of the power source crosses zero. As a result, the main switch may be turned off quickly to transfer electric power supplied to a load to a second power source. The circuit may include resonant switches, a capacitor, a pre-charging power supply and an inductor. When it is desired to turn off the main switch, a resonant switch is turned off to cause a voltage reversal across the switch.

Static transfer switch with resonant turn-off

A multi-phase power converter includes two or more multi-phase, bi-directional, multi-level, switching power converter subcircuits, connected in parallel at respective AC and DC sides, so as to provide a multi-channel, bi-directional, multi-level configuration. The AC sides of the switching converter subcircuits are directly coupled to one another and to a multi-phase AC input via series interface reactors, and the DC sides of the switching converter subcircuits are directly connected to one another and to a common split-capacitor bank at each level of the multi-level outputs of the switching converter subcircuits. A control circuit is configured to selectively control one or more switching semiconductor devices in each of the switching converter subcircuits. In some embodiments, the control circuit includes a closed-loop zero-sequence controller and a zero-sequence generator configured to eliminate circulating current among the switching converter subcircuits and to balance voltages across levels of the common split-capacitor bank.

Modular, multi-channel, interleaved power converters

Growing community of inventors

Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Yu Du