AC/DC substation configurable between charging and powering modes

A system, comprising:

• a mobile machine, comprising:
• a battery bus electrically coupled to a battery;
• a traction bus electrically coupled to an electric motor;
• and
• a configurable power module for transferring DC electrical energy to the mobile machine, the configurable power module comprising:
• an input structured to receive medium-voltage AC power from an external source;
• a first power converter comprising:
• a first three-phase transformer electrically coupled to the input, the first three-phase transformer configured to provide a phase shift and a first step-down voltage from the medium-voltage AC power, and
• first multi-pulse rectification circuitry in a single stage configured to produce a first ripple voltage from the first step-down voltage,
• a second power converter comprising:
• a second three-phase transformer electrically coupled to the input, the second three-phase transformer configured to provide the phase shift and a second step-down voltage from the medium-voltage AC power, and
• second multi-pulse rectification circuitry in a single stage configured to produce a second ripple voltage from the second step-down voltage,
• a DC filter configured to provide a filtered output from the first ripple voltage and the second ripple voltage, and
• adjustable connectors electrically coupled to the DC filter, the adjustable connectors being changeable between a charging mode and a powering mode, the charging mode configured to provide current of the filtered output to the battery bus via a first charging conductor while the mobile machine is stationary, the powering mode configured to provide voltage of the filtered output to the traction bus via a powering conductor while the mobile machine is moving.

A method, comprising:

• receiving medium-voltage AC power at a substation from an external source;
• stepping down, in a first power converter of the substation, the medium-voltage AC power to a first stepped-down AC voltage;
• providing multi-pulse rectification to the first stepped-down AC voltage to generate a first rectified DC voltage;
• stepping down and phase shifting, in a second power converter of the substation, the medium-voltage AC power to a second stepped-down AC voltage;
• providing multi-pulse rectification to the second stepped-down AC voltage to generate a second rectified DC voltage;
• filtering in a DC filter the first rectified DC voltage and the second rectified DC voltage;
• in a charging mode, feeding DC current from one of the first power converter and the second power converter of the substation through a first charging conductor to a battery of a stationary mobile machine;
• converting from the charging mode to a powering mode, comprising establishing a series connection between the first power converter and the second power converter;
• and
• in the powering mode, supplying the first rectified DC voltage and the second rectified DC voltage as a series combination from the substation through a powering conductor to an electric motor of a moving mobile machine.