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  • Over-voltage protection system and method

Title: Over-voltage protection system and method

An over-voltage protection system includes an electronic valve connected across two terminals of a circuit and an over-voltage detection circuit connected across one of the plurality of semiconductor devices for detecting an over-voltage across the circuit. The electronic valve includes a plurality of semiconductor devices connected in series. The over-voltage detection circuit includes a voltage divider circuit connected to a break-over diode in a way to provide a representative low voltage to the break-over diode and an optocoupler configured to receive a current from the break-over diode when the representative low voltage exceeds a threshold voltage of the break-over diode indicating an over-voltage condition. The representative low voltage provided to the break-over diode represents a voltage across the one semiconductor device. A plurality of self-powered gate drive circuits are connected to the plurality of semiconductor devices, wherein the plurality of self-powered gate drive circuits receive over-voltage triggering pulses from the optocoupler during the over-voltage condition and switch on the plurality of semiconductor devices to bypass the circuit.
Inventors:
; ;
Issue Date:
OSTI Identifier:
1354787
Assignee:
General Electric Company NETL
Patent Number(s):
9,640,982
Application Number:
14/533,762
Contract Number:
AC26-07NT42677
Resource Relation:
Patent File Date: 2014 Nov 05
Research Org:
National Energy Technology Laboratory, Pittsburgh, PA, and Morgantown, WV (United States)
Sponsoring Org:
USDOE
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
42 ENGINEERING
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Works referenced in this record:

Protection of thyristors against overvoltage with breakover diodes
journal, January 1988
  • Lawatsch, H.M.; Vitins, J.
  • IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, Vol. 24, Issue 3, p. 444-448
  • DOI: 10.1109/28.2894

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