Line-frequency switching controller for multilevel converters
This technology improves the efficiency of large-scale power converters used in high-voltage DC transmission and industrial motor drives by adding a smarter, lower-switching-frequency control stage. Specifically, it inserts or bypasses a capacitor within each phase arm of the converter based on real-time voltage comparisons, reducing energy losses that normally occur from high-frequency switching. The result is a modular multilevel converter that can handle the same power levels with less heat generation and lower component stress. This approach effectively combines two converter architectures—line-frequency commutated and voltage-source—into a single, more efficient system.
What you could build
A control system or power converter module for HVDC transmission infrastructure, large industrial motor drives, or offshore wind power collection networks; primary buyers would be grid equipment OEMs like ABB, Siemens Energy, or GE Vernova, and large utilities investing in transmission upgrades.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia's growing data center corridor and the state's transmission infrastructure buildout create demand from utilities and grid equipment integrators who could license or co-develop this converter technology.
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
- Jian Liu, Dong Dong
- Granted
- November 29, 2022
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 11515807
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.