Circulating current control for compact MMC converters
This technology improves a type of high-power electrical converter called a modular multilevel converter (MMC), which is used to transfer power between two electrical systems — for example, between a high-voltage transmission grid and a local power network. The innovation is a control technique that injects a carefully chosen signal into the converter's internal current management loop, which smooths out problematic low-frequency energy fluctuations in the capacitors that store charge within the converter. The result is that the converter can operate at higher switching speeds, the capacitors inside it can be made physically smaller, and the entire converter becomes more compact and power-dense. This is essentially a software and control improvement that makes expensive, large hardware smaller and more efficient without changing the fundamental converter architecture.
What you could build
A licensed control algorithm or embedded firmware module integrated into utility-scale MMC power converters used in HVDC transmission links, offshore wind interconnects, and industrial motor drives — sold to or licensed by power electronics OEMs such as ABB, Siemens Energy, or GE Grid Solutions.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia's grid modernization investments and Dominion Energy's HVDC and offshore wind projects create demand for compact, efficient power converters from suppliers and integrators operating in the state.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- —
- Granted
- December 11, 2018
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 102852
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.