New configuration of 36-pulse voltage source converter for STATCOM application

This paper proposes a new configuration of 36-pulse voltage source converter for STATCOM application, composed of two 6-pulse bridges and a pulse-interleaving auxiliary circuit. The converter topology was devised to increase the number of pulses of the output voltage without increasing the number of 6-pulse bridges and coupling transformers. The operational feasibility of proposed system was verified by computer simulations with PSCAD/EMTDC software and experimental works with 2 kVA hardware prototype. The proposed converter can be widely used for the power quality compensator and the distributed power generation, such as solar and fuel cell power system.