Control methods for power converters

• Main Authors: BANHAM-HALL, DOMINIC DAVID, BUTCHER, MARTIN SAMUEL
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 26.11.2014
• Subjects: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC,OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWERSUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUTPOWER; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; ELECTRICITY; GENERATION

A method of operating a power converter arrangement is described. The power converter arrangement includes a dc link (2) and a dc load/source (4) such as a battery. An active rectifier/inverter (20) having dc terminals (24a, 24b) is connected to the dc link (2) and is adapted to provide a variable dc link voltage V 1 between maximum and minimum limits. An interleaved buck (or step down) converter (1) having a plurality of converter circuits is connected between the dc link (2) and the dc load/source (4). Each converter circuit includes a first switch (6 1 , 6 2 , 6 3 ), a second switch (8 1 , 8 2 , 8 3 ) and a reactor (101, 102 , 10 3 ). The power converter arrangement is controlled according to a method where one or more null values of dc link voltage are determined with reference to the voltage V 2 across the dc load/source (4). If a null value of dc link voltage is between the maximum and minimum limits, the active rectifier/inverter (20) is controlled (e.g., by a controller (30)) to provide a dc link voltage that is substantially the same as the null value of dc link voltage.