A Controllable Secondary Multikilowatt DC Current Source With Constant Maximum Power Factor in its Three-Phase Supply Line

A type of industrial size dc converter for submegawatt applications is described and illustrated with the characteristics of a small scale 10 kW model. High conversion efficiency near 97 percent is maintained at full power and with an internal frequency of operation near 10 kHz. The system is characterized by the behavior of a true current source with inherent short circuit capability of its output terminals. All power is processed via a firmly controlled high Q series resonant circuit. Feasibility of power densities in excess of 1 kW/kg component weight is demonstrated. This high power density reflects itself in low quantities of material needed for construction of these systems. Operation of the dc converter as part of a rectifier-filter converter system, powered from a three-phase supply line is described. Test data demonstrate a high power factor PF≃0.95 for all conditions of converter loading. Data obtained from a thyristor bridge-filter system are presented and subjected to comparative analysis.