Agile uninterruptible power supply for efficient critical load support and grid contingency ride-through
The present disclosure provides a method for maintaining continuous power to a critical load. The method comprises providing a source side converter (SSC) configured to provide autonomous grid support including reactive power support during fault conditions and a load side converter (LSC) configured to support the critical load by boosting voltage at load terminals through autonomous injection of reactive current, each coupled to a DC energy storage. The method includes coupling the SSC to an AC source and coupling the LSC to the critical load. The AC source and the critical load are connected via a bypass connection including a ride-through inductor with measurement capability. Under nominal source conditions, the SSC and the LSC are controlled so that a majority of power consumed by the critical load flows through the bypass connection. The method involves monitoring electrical parameters of the bypass connection and compensating for critical load variations using either the SSC or LSC or both based on bypass connection measurements.
1 . An uninterruptible power supply system comprising:
a source side converter (SSC) coupled to an AC source and configured to provide autonomous grid support including reactive power support during fault conditions;
a load side converter (LSC) coupled to a critical load and configured to support the critical load by boosting voltage at load terminals through autonomous injection of reactive current;
a DC energy storage coupled to the SSC and the LSC;
a bypass connection between the AC source and the critical load, the bypass connection including a ride-through inductor with measurement capability;
one or more sensors configured to measure electrical parameters associated with the bypass connection; and
a controller configured to:
(i) operate the SSC and the LSC during nominal source conditions to minimize power flow through the SSC and the LSC and transfer a majority of load power through the bypass connection;
(ii) compensate for critical load variations using either the SSC or LSC or both based on bypass connection measurements;
(iii) operate the LSC during abnormal source conditions to inject reactive power to the critical load through the ride-through inductor and to maintain stable voltage and frequency without requiring opening of the bypass connection; and
(iv) maintain terminal AC voltage of the LSC synchronized with AC source voltage to enable seamless bypass breaker reclosure after fault clearance.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the bypass connection comprises a breaker in series with the ride-through inductor, which is configured to be opened due to abnormal AC source conditions or for maintenance purposes.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensors are configured to measure both current and voltage.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to autonomously return the SSC to pre-fault load level at fault clearance so that the AC source sees consistent load level.
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the SSC and LSC is coupled to a separate DC energy storage device.