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US 2026/0149279 A1Published application
Supply unit for a dc load, method for operating same, and electrolysis system
AssigneeSMA Solar Technology AG
InventorAndreas Falk
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The disclosure relates to a supply unit for a DC load, and includes a DC terminal for connecting to the DC load, a first AC terminal connected to a DC bus via a first AC/DC converter, a second AC terminal for connecting to a second AC voltage and which is connected to the DC terminal via a second AC/DC converter, an energy storage unit connected to the DC bus via a first DC/DC converter, a second DC/DC converter which connects the DC bus to the DC terminal and which can be operated in a current-controlling mode with respect to the DC terminal, and a control unit for controlling the supply unit.
Claims17
A supply unit for a DC load, wherein the supply unit comprises:
- a DC terminal configured to connect to the DC load;
- a first AC terminal connected to a DC bus via a first AC/DC converter;
- a second AC terminal connected to the DC terminal via a second AC/DC converter;
- an energy storage device connected to the DC bus via a first DC/DC converter;
- a second DC/DC converter connected between the DC bus and the DC terminal and configured to be operated in a current-controlling mode with respect to the DC terminal;
- and
- a control circuit configured to control the supply unit;
- wherein the first DC/DC converter comprises a bidirectional DC/DC converter, and the control circuit is configured to operate the first DC/DC converter in a voltage-controlling mode with respect to the DC bus, and
- wherein the first AC/DC converter comprises a bidirectional AC/DC converter, and the control circuit is configured to operate the first AC/DC converter in a voltage-controlling mode with respect to the first AC terminal.
6 more elements
A method for operating a supply unit for a DC load, wherein the supply unit comprises:
- a DC terminal configured to connect to the DC load;
- a first AC terminal connected to a DC bus via a first AC/DC converter;
- a second AC terminal connected to the DC terminal via a second AC/DC converter;
- an energy storage device connected to the DC bus via a first DC/DC converter;
- a second DC/DC converter connected between the DC bus and the DC terminal and configured to be operated in a current-controlling mode with respect to the DC terminal;
- and
- a control circuit configured to control the supply unit;
- wherein the first DC/DC converter comprises a bidirectional DC/DC converter, and the control circuit is configured to operate the first DC/DC converter in a voltage-controlling mode with respect to the DC bus,
- wherein the first AC/DC converter comprises a bidirectional AC/DC converter, and the control circuit is configured to operate the first AC/DC converter in a voltage-controlling mode with respect to the first AC terminal, and
- wherein the supply unit is connected via its DC terminal to an electrolyzer as the DC load, and wherein the supply unit is connected via its first AC terminal to a first AC voltage and via its second AC terminal to a second AC voltage, comprising:
- supplying the electrolyzer in partial load operation or during pre-charging of the electrolyzer with a power flow through the first AC/DC converter, which is operated in a voltage-controlling mode with respect to the first AC terminal, while a power flow through the second AC/DC converter is suppressed, and
- supplying the electrolyzer in normal operation with a simultaneous power flow through the first AC/DC converter and the second AC/DC converter.
9 more elements
A method for starting a supply unit for a DC load that comprises:
- a DC terminal configured to connect to the DC load;
- a first AC terminal connected to a DC bus via a first AC/DC converter;
- a second AC terminal connected to the DC terminal via a second AC/DC converter;
- an energy storage device connected to the DC bus via a first DC/DC converter;
- a second DC/DC converter connected between the DC bus and the DC terminal and configured to be operated in a current-controlling mode with respect to the DC terminal;
- and
- a control circuit configured to control the supply unit;
- wherein the first DC/DC converter comprises a bidirectional DC/DC converter, and the control circuit is configured to operate the first DC/DC converter in a voltage-controlling mode with respect to the DC bus,
- wherein the first AC/DC converter comprises a bidirectional AC/DC converter, and the control circuit is configured to operate the first AC/DC converter in a voltage-controlling mode with respect to the first AC terminal, and
- wherein the supply unit is connected via its DC terminal to an electrolyzer as the DC load, and wherein the supply unit is connected via its first AC terminal to a first AC voltage and via its second AC terminal to a second AC voltage,
- wherein the supply unit is connected via its first AC terminal to a first secondary winding and via its second AC terminal to a second secondary winding of a transformer unit, wherein a black start or brown start method of the supply unit comprises:
- providing a DC bus voltage on the DC bus by a voltage-controlling operation of the first DC/DC converter;
- providing a first AC voltage at the first AC terminal of the supply unit by a voltage-controlling operation of the first AC/DC converter with respect to the first AC terminal;
- and
- closing an AC isolation unit associated with the supply unit and/or the first AC/DC converter, provided that it is not already closed.
12 more elements
An electrolysis system, comprising:
- one or more electrolyzers as DC loads,
- one or more supply units, wherein each of the one or more supply units comprise:
- a DC terminal configured to connect to a DC load of the one or more DC loads;
- a first AC terminal connected to a DC bus via a first AC/DC converter;
- a second AC terminal connected to the DC terminal via a second AC/DC converter;
- an energy storage device connected to the DC bus via a first DC/DC converter;
- a second DC/DC converter connected between the DC bus and the DC terminal and configured to be operated in a current-controlling mode with respect to the DC terminal;
- and
- a control circuit configured to control the supply unit;
- wherein the first DC/DC converter comprises a bidirectional DC/DC converter, and the control circuit is configured to operate the first DC/DC converter in a voltage-controlling mode with respect to the DC bus,
- wherein the first AC/DC converter comprises a bidirectional AC/DC converter, and the control circuit is configured to operate the first AC/DC converter in a voltage-controlling mode with respect to the first AC terminal, and
- one or more transformer units that are part of the one or more supply units, respectively, or via which the one or more supply units can be connected to an AC network, respectively.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.