The augmented modular multilevel converter

The Controlled Transition Bridge (CTB) is a class of converter topology that combines series connected semiconductor “director valves” with chains of switched capacitor modules, “chainlink circuits”, in such a way that the director valves carry the main current for a significant portion of the period and the chainlink circuits provide a controlled traverse of voltage between different director valves conducting. This combination is applicable to HVDC where efficiency is paramount, since it allows thyristors or diodes to be used for the director valves to reduce the conduction losses, with the chainlink circuits providing commutation and direct control of the rate of change of transition voltage. Since the chainlink portion of the AMMC only has to manage the transition between the upper and lower director valves, the size of the capacitors in the individual sub-modules can be reduced, reducing the converter footprint. Also the trapezoidal waveform that results can be tailored to give reduced harmonic levels, so reducing filtering required for the AC waveform to meet regulations on distortion at the point of common coupling for the converter (PCC). An analysis is presented of an example of this type of converter where a modular multilevel converter (MMC) is combined with a conventional thyristor bridge, the Augmented MMC (AMMC). Various aspects of the operation of the bridge are discussed, including the management of the charge in the chainlink capacitors and the converter losses.