Analysis of commutator configurations for the protection of a line commutated converter

Four practical commutator configurations are analyzed. The commutators are used to protect a line-commutated converter and load in the event of a line outage. Simplified postfault circuit models for each commutator are used for the analysis. The results are used to simplify the model of an ideal voltage clamp and identify critical operating parameters. A graphical technique for establishing the maximum clamping voltage of a practical voltage clamp is obtained from the simplified model of an ideal voltage clamp. The four commutators are compared with regard to their application suitability.<>