阅读说明：本技术 晶闸管起动装置 (Thyristor starter ) 是由 松本泰明 荻野宏之 川口裕敬 安藤彰修 于 2017-06-21 设计创作，主要内容包括：晶闸管起动装置(100)构成为通过依次执行使转换器(1)的直流输出电流断续地为零来进行逆变器(2)的转流的第一模式、以及通过同步机(20)的感应电压来进行逆变器(1)的转流的第二模式,使同步机(20)从停止状态加速到规定的旋转速度。在使具有第一电感的第一同步机起动的第一情况下,与使具有比第一电感大的第二电感的第二同步机起动的第二情况相比,从第一模式切换为第二模式时的切换旋转速度被设定为更高的旋转速度。(The thyristor starter (100) is configured to accelerate the synchronous machine (20) from a stopped state to a predetermined rotational speed by sequentially executing a first mode in which the DC output current of the converter (1) is intermittently set to zero to carry out the commutation of the inverter (2), and a second mode in which the DC output current of the synchronous machine (20) is commutated to the inverter (1) by the induced voltage of the synchronous machine (20). In a first case where a first synchronous machine having a first inductance is started, a switching rotational speed when switching from a first mode to a second mode is set to a higher rotational speed than in a second case where a second synchronous machine having a second inductance larger than the first inductance is started.)

1. A thyristor starter device for starting a synchronous machine, comprising:

a converter configured to convert alternating-current power into direct-current power;

a DC reactor for smoothing the DC power; and

an inverter configured to convert the dc power supplied from the converter via the dc reactor into an ac power of a variable frequency and supply the ac power to the synchronous machine,

the thyristor starter is configured to accelerate the synchronous machine from a stopped state to a predetermined rotational speed by sequentially executing a first mode in which commutation of the inverter is performed by intermittently making a direct-current output current of the converter zero and a second mode in which commutation of the inverter is performed by an induced voltage of the synchronous machine,

in a first case where a first synchronous machine having a first inductance is started, a switching rotational speed for switching from the first mode to the second mode is set to a higher rotational speed than in a second case where a second synchronous machine having a second inductance larger than the first inductance is started.

2. The thyristor starter according to claim 1, further comprising:

a position detector configured to detect a rotor position of the synchronous machine;

a first control unit configured to control an ignition phase of a thyristor in the inverter based on a detection signal of the position detector; and

a second control unit configured to control an ignition phase of a thyristor in the converter so that the direct-current output current matches a current command value based on a detection signal of the position detector,

in the first case, the current command value in the first mode is set to a higher current value than in the second case.

3. The thyristor firing apparatus of claim 2,

in the first mode, the current command value is set to be a current value that becomes larger as the rotation speed of the synchronous machine increases.

4. The thyristor firing apparatus of claim 3,

in the first mode, the current command value varies discretely in accordance with the rotation speed of the synchronous machine.

5. The thyristor firing apparatus of claim 3,

in the first mode, the current command value is continuously changed in accordance with the rotation speed of the synchronous machine.

6. A thyristor firing arrangement according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein,

the synchronous machine includes:

a stator that receives supply of ac power from the inverter;

a rotor; and

and a fan attached to a rotating shaft of the rotor and configured to circulate a cooling medium through ventilation paths formed in the stator and the rotor.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a thyristor starting device.

Background

Thyristor starters for starting synchronous machines such as generators and motors have been developed (see, for example, international publication No. 2014/033849 (patent document 1)). The thyristor starter includes a converter that converts ac power to dc power, a dc reactor that smoothes the dc power, and an inverter that converts the dc power supplied from the converter via the dc reactor into ac power of a variable frequency and supplies the ac power to a synchronous machine. By controlling the ac power supplied to the synchronous machine, the stopped synchronous machine can be started and driven at a predetermined rotational speed.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In the above thyristor starter device, the inverter has at least six thyristors. By sequentially firing the six thyristors two at a time in synchronization with the rotation of the synchronous machine, the inverter can supply the three-phase ac power to the synchronous machine to increase the rotation speed of the synchronous machine.

However, in the commutation operation of the inverter, when a short-circuit fault occurs in any one of the six thyristors, the other normal thyristor is ignited, whereby a path through which a fault current flows can be formed by the thyristor. Therefore, the components such as the normal thyristor and the armature winding are damaged by the fault current.

Further, the larger the fault current or the longer the energization time of the fault current, the more the damage to the component parts is, and therefore the higher the possibility of damage to the component parts is.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a thyristor starter device capable of suppressing damage due to an accident current.

Means for solving the problems

According to one aspect of the present invention, a thyristor starter converter, a dc reactor, and an inverter are provided for starting a synchronous machine. The converter is configured to convert ac power to dc power. The DC reactor smoothes DC power. The inverter is configured to convert dc power supplied from the converter via the dc reactor into ac power of variable frequency and supply the ac power to the synchronous machine. The thyristor starter is configured to accelerate a synchronous machine from a stopped state to a predetermined rotational speed by sequentially executing a first mode in which commutation of an inverter is performed by intermittently making a direct-current output current zero and a second mode in which commutation of the inverter is performed by an induced voltage of the synchronous machine. In a first case where a first synchronous machine having a first inductance is started, a switching rotational speed for switching from a first mode to a second mode is set to a higher rotational speed than in a second case where a second synchronous machine having a second inductance larger than the first inductance is started.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, a thyristor starter capable of suppressing damage due to an accident current can be provided.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a circuit block diagram showing a configuration of a thyristor starter according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a timing chart showing an operation of the thyristor starter.

Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration and operation of the inverter shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a timing chart schematically showing an ideal commutation operation of the inverter in the load commutation mode.

Fig. 5 is a circuit diagram for explaining the path of the accident current.

Fig. 6 is a circuit diagram schematically showing a path of the fault current shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing operation waveforms of line-to-line voltage and fault current.

Fig. 8 is a timing chart schematically showing the relationship between the rotational speed of the synchronous machine and the dc current output from the converter when the switching rotational speed is X% of the rated rotational speed.

Fig. 9 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a relationship between the inductance and the switching rotational speed of the synchronous machine started by the thyristor starter.

Fig. 10 is a timing chart schematically showing a relationship between the rotation speed of the synchronous machine and the dc current output from the converter.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a relationship between the rotation speed of the synchronous machine and the current command value in the discontinuous commutation mode.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view showing an example of a cooling structure of a synchronous machine.

Fig. 13 is a timing chart schematically showing the relationship between the rotational speed of the synchronous machine and the dc current output from the converter in the discontinuous commutation mode.

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a relationship between the rotation speed of the synchronous machine and the current command value in the discontinuous commutation mode.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing another example of the relationship between the rotation speed of the synchronous machine and the current command value in the discontinuous commutation mode.

Fig. 16 is a timing chart schematically showing the relationship between the rotational speed of the synchronous machine and the dc current output from the converter in the discontinuous commutation mode.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The same or corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will not be repeated.

[ embodiment 1]

Fig. 1 is a circuit block diagram showing a configuration of a thyristor starter according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. Referring to fig. 1, a thyristor starter 100 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention accelerates a stopped synchronous machine 20 to a predetermined rotational speed, thereby starting the synchronous machine 20.

The synchronous machine 20 includes a stator having armature windings ATU, ATV, ATW and a rotor having field windings 22. The synchronous machine 20 is, for example, incorporated in a gas turbine of a thermal power plant and is rotationally driven by the gas turbine. In the following description, the predetermined rotation speed is also referred to as a "rated rotation speed". For example, when the frequency of the ac power supply 30 is 60Hz, the rated rotation speed is set to 3600 rpm.

The thyristor starter 100 is connected to the secondary side of the transformer TR. The primary side of the transformer TR is connected to the ac power supply 30. The transformer TR converts the three-phase ac voltage supplied from the ac power supply 30 into a three-phase ac voltage having a predetermined voltage value and supplies the three-phase ac voltage to the thyristor starter 100.

The thyristor starter 100 includes a converter 1, a dc reactor 3, and an inverter 2. The converter 1 is a three-phase full-wave rectifier including at least six thyristors, and converts three-phase ac power from a transformer TR into dc power of variable voltage.

The dc reactor 3 is connected between the positive side output terminal 1a of the converter 1 and the positive side input terminal 2a of the inverter 2. The dc reactor 3 smoothes the dc output current Id of the converter 1. The negative-side output terminal 1b of the converter 1 and the negative-side input terminal 2b of the inverter 2 are connected to each other. Further, another dc reactor 3 may be connected between the negative-side output terminal 1b of the converter 1 and the negative-side input terminal 2b of the inverter 2.

The three output terminals 2c, 2d, and 2e of the inverter 2 are connected to the three armature windings ATU, ATV, and ATW of the synchronous machine 20, respectively. The inverter 2 is a three-phase separately-excited inverter including at least six thyristors U, V, W, X, Y, Z.

The thyristor starter 100 further includes converters 4 and 5, a voltage detector 6, a position detector 7, a current detector 9, an inverter control unit 10, and a converter control unit 13.

The current transformer 4 detects a three-phase alternating current flowing from the transformer TR to the converter 1, and supplies a signal representing the detected value to the current detector 9. The current detector 9 calculates the dc current Id output from the converter 1 based on the signal from the current transformer 4, and supplies a signal indicating the calculated value to the converter control unit 13. Specifically, the current detector 9 has a full-wave rectification type diode rectifier, and converts the detected three-phase alternating current into a direct current Id.

The converter 5 detects the current flowing from the inverter 2 to the armature windings ATU, ATV, ATW of the synchronous machine 20, and supplies a signal indicating the detected value to the position detector 7.

The voltage detector 6 detects instantaneous values of the three-phase ac voltages Vu, Vv, Vw supplied from the inverter 2 to the synchronous machine 20, and supplies a signal indicating the detected values to the position detector 7. Specifically, the voltage detector 6 detects two line voltages (in fig. 1, an ac voltage Vu-V between the U-phase and V-phase phases and an ac voltage Vv-W between the V-phase and W-phase phases) among line voltages of three-phase ac voltages in the armature windings ATU, ATV, and ATW of the synchronous machine 20. In this way, the ac voltages of the U-phase, the V-phase, and the W-phase can be obtained by calculation by detecting at least two line-to-line voltages among the ac voltage Vu-V of the U-phase-V-phase, the ac voltage Vv-W of the V-phase-W-phase, and the ac voltage Vw-U of the W-phase-U-phase. The conversion from the line-to-line voltage to the phase voltage is performed in the voltage detector 6 or the position detector 7.

The position detector 7 detects the position of the rotor of the synchronous machine 20 based on the signals from the converter 5 and the voltage detector 6, and supplies signals indicating the detected values to the inverter control unit 10 and the converter control unit 13.

The inverter control unit 10 controls the ignition phase of the inverter 2 based on the signal from the position detector 7. Specifically, the inverter control unit 10 includes a control angle calculation unit 11 and a gate pulse generator 12. The control angle calculation unit 11 calculates a phase control angle (ignition angle) γ based on the detected position of the rotor of the synchronous machine 20, and supplies the calculated phase control angle γ to the gate pulse generator 12. The gate pulse generating circuit 40 generates a gate pulse (ignition command) to be supplied to the gate of the thyristor of the inverter 2 based on the phase control angle γ received from the control angle computing unit 11. The inverter control unit 10 corresponds to an embodiment of the "first control unit".

Converter control unit 13 controls the ignition phase of converter 1 based on the signal from position detector 7 and the signal from current detector 9. specifically, converter control unit 13 controls the ignition phase of converter 1 so that dc current Id output from converter 1 matches current command value Id ＊. converter control unit 13 corresponds to an embodiment of the "second control unit".

The converter control unit 13 includes a speed control unit 14, a current control unit 15, a control angle calculation unit 16, and a gate pulse generator 17, the speed control unit 14 calculates the rotational speed of the synchronous machine 20 based on the detected position of the rotor of the synchronous machine 20, and the speed control unit 14 generates a current command value Id ＊ as a target value of the dc current Id based on the calculated rotational speed.

The current control unit 15 calculates a deviation Δ Id between the current command value Id ＊ and the direct current Id, and generates a voltage command value VDC1 ＊ based on the calculated deviation Δ Id, specifically, the current control unit 15 includes a proportional element (P: proportional element), an integral element (I: integral element), and an adding unit, the proportional element multiplies the deviation Δ Id by a predetermined proportional gain and outputs the result to the adding unit, the integral element integrates the deviation Δ Id by the predetermined integral gain and outputs the result to the adding unit, the adding unit adds the outputs from the proportional element and the integral element, and generates a voltage command value VDC1 ＊, and the voltage command value VDC1 ＊ corresponds to a control command for a direct current voltage VDC1 to be output from the converter 1.

The converter 1 controls the dc voltage VDC1 to be larger than the dc voltage VDC2 on the input terminal side of the inverter 2 by the voltage drop amount caused by the dc reactors 3. Thereby, the direct current Id is controlled.

The control angle calculation unit 16 calculates a phase control angle α based on the voltage command value VDC1 ＊ supplied from the current control unit 15, and the control angle calculation unit 16 supplies the calculated phase control angle α to the gate pulse generator 17.

The gate pulse generating circuit 40 generates a gate pulse (ignition command) to be supplied to the gate of the thyristor of the converter 1 based on the phase control angle α received from the control angle computing unit 16, and controls the switching of the converter 1 in accordance with the gate pulse generated by the gate pulse generator 17, thereby outputting a dc current Id conforming to the current command value Id ＊ from the converter 1.

Next, the operation of the thyristor starter 100 will be described with reference to fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a timing chart showing the operation of the thyristor starter 100. Fig. 2 shows the dc current Id output from the converter 1 and the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20.

In the thyristor starter 100, the commutation of the thyristor in the inverter 2 is performed by the back electromotive force (induced voltage) induced by the armature windings ATU, ATV, ATW of the synchronous machine 20. This commutation is referred to as "load commutation".

However, when the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20 is low, that is, when the synchronous machine 20 is started or at a low speed, the commutation of the thyristor may fail because the induced voltage generated in the armature windings ATU, ATV, and ATW is low. Therefore, when the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20 is low, "intermittent commutation" is adopted in which the dc output current Id of the converter 1 is intermittently set to zero to perform commutation of the inverter 2.

As shown in fig. 2, the thyristor starter 100 is configured to accelerate the synchronous machine 20 from a stopped state to a rated rotation speed by sequentially switching between an intermittent commutation mode (first mode) and a load commutation mode (second mode).

Specifically, when the synchronous machine 20 in the stopped state is started at time t equal to 0, the thyristor starter 100 executes the discontinuous commutation mode. In the discontinuous commutation mode, the direct current Id shows a pulse waveform. The peak value of each pulse is usually set to a constant value (Id — I0). The peak value is set, for example, such that the integrated value of the ac power supplied to the synchronous machine 20 during the intermittent commutation mode satisfies a power amount for accelerating the stopped synchronous machine 20 to the switching rotational speed.

When the rotational speed of the synchronous machine 20 reaches about 10% of the rated rotational speed, the thyristor starter 100 switches from the discontinuous commutation mode to the load commutation mode. In the following description, the rotation speed at the time of switching from the discontinuous commutation mode to the load commutation mode is also referred to as "switching rotation speed". In the example of fig. 2, the switching rotational speed is set to about 10% of the rated rotational speed.

Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration and operation of the inverter 2 shown in fig. 1. Referring to fig. 3, the thyristors U, V, W have their anodes connected to the positive side input terminal 2a and their cathodes connected to the output terminals 2c, 2d, 2e, respectively. The anodes of thyristors X, Y, Z are connected to output terminals 2c, 2d, and 2e, respectively, and their cathodes are connected to negative-side input terminal 2 b.

By turning on one of the thyristors U, V, W and one of the thyristors X, Y, Z in synchronization with the three-phase ac voltages Vu, Vv, Vw, the inverter 2 converts the dc power supplied from the converter 1 via the dc reactor 3 into variable-frequency, variable-voltage three-phase ac power and supplies the converted power to the stator (armature windings ATU, ATV, ATW) of the synchronous machine 20. This can increase the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20.

For example, as shown in fig. 3, when the thyristor U, Z is turned on, the U-phase voltage Vu of the synchronous machine 20 appears at the input terminal 2a of the inverter 2 via the inductor Lu and the thyristor U, and the W-phase voltage Vw appears at the input terminal 2b of the inverter 2 via the inductor Lw and the thyristor Z. That is, an alternating-current voltage Vw-U between the W-phase and U-phase phases of the synchronous machine 20 appears between the input terminals 2a and 2b as a direct-current voltage VDC 2. The reactors Lu, Lv, and Lw show inductances of the armature windings ATU, ATV, and ATW of the synchronous machine 20, respectively.

Fig. 4 is a timing chart schematically showing an ideal commutation operation of the inverter 2 in the load commutation mode. Fig. 4 shows the three-phase ac voltages Vu, Vv, Vw, the conducting thyristors of the six thyristors of the inverter 2, and the dc voltage VDC2 which is present between the input terminals 2a, 2b of the inverter 2.

In fig. 4, the point at which the line-to-line voltages Vu-V, Vv-w, Vw-u become 0V is a reference point of the phase control angle γ, and γ is 0 ° at the reference point. In the load commutation mode, a gate pulse is supplied to the thyristor at a timing that is advanced in phase by a desired angle γ from a reference point. For example, a gate pulse is supplied to the thyristor V during the conduction of the thyristor U, and then a gate pulse is supplied to the thyristor W during the conduction of the thyristor V. Similarly, a gate pulse is supplied to the thyristor X during the conduction period of the thyristor Z, and then a gate pulse is supplied to the thyristor Y during the conduction period of the thyristor X.

The line-to-line voltages Vu-v, Vv-w, Vw-u of the synchronous machine 20 appear as a dc voltage VDC2 in sequence between the input terminals 2a, 2b of the inverter 2 in accordance with the transition of the turned-on thyristors. The inverter control unit 10 sequentially and satisfactorily ignites the six thyristors U, V, W, X, Y, Z two at a time in accordance with the rotation of the synchronous machine 20, and controls the path of the current flowing through the synchronous machine 20.

Here, a case where a short-circuit fault of an anode-cathode electrical short circuit occurs in any one of the six thyristors U, V, W, X, Y, Z of the inverter 2 in the load commutation mode is considered.

For example, when a short-circuit fault occurs in the thyristor U, if a gate pulse is supplied to the thyristor V to turn on the thyristor V, a path of the fault current Ia is formed so as to include the thyristor V, U as shown in fig. 5. Therefore, the normal thyristor V and the armature winding and other components are damaged by the fault current Ia. The larger the accident current Ia is, or the longer the energization time of the accident current Ia is, the more the damage to the component parts is, and therefore the higher the possibility of damage to the component parts is.

The path of the fault current Ia shown in fig. 5 is represented by an equivalent circuit diagram as shown in fig. 6. In the equivalent circuit diagram of fig. 6, the inductance of the reactor L corresponds to the sum of the inductances of the armature windings ATU and ATV. The ac supply voltage corresponds to the line-to-line voltage Vu-v of the synchronous machine 20. The resistance component of each armature winding is set to be negligibly small.

When the thyristor V is turned on, the fault current Ia flows through the thyristor V via the reactor L. When the effective value of the line-to-line voltage Vu-V is represented by V, the line-to-line voltage Vu-V is expressed by the following expression (1).

The accident current Ia is a current that is delayed in phase by 90 ° from the line-to-line voltage Vu-v. In the case where γ ═ pi/2, the accident current Ia is given by the following formula (2). Where L is the inductance of the reactor L and ω is the angular velocity of rotation of the synchronous machine 20.

FIG. 7 shows operation waveforms of the line-to-line voltage Vu-v and the accident current Ia when π/2 ≦ γ < π. In addition, the current waveform shown by the broken line in fig. 7 shows the accident current Ia when γ ═ pi/2.

The accident current Ia has a bilaterally symmetric waveform centered on θ ═ pi. The circuit equation of γ ≦ θ ≦ π + γ during the turn-on period of the thyristor V is given by the following equation (3).

If equation (3) is solved under the condition that θ ═ ω t ═ pi — γ and Ia ═ 0 is substituted, equation (4) below can be obtained. The current waveform is the same as a current waveform obtained by extracting a part of the current waveform where γ ═ π/2 is π - γ ≦ θ ≦ π + γ.

Ia is the maximum when θ is ═ pi, and the maximum value is obtained by the following formula (5).

As can be seen from equation (5), when the rotation speed (rotation angular velocity ω) and the phase control angle γ of the synchronous machine 20 are constant, the smaller the inductance of the reactor L, the larger the fault current Ia. This indicates that the fault current Ia of the synchronous machine 20 having a small inductance is larger than that of the synchronous machine 20 having a large inductance. In the following description, the synchronous machine 20 having the first inductance is also referred to as a "first synchronous machine", and the synchronous machine 20 having the second inductance larger than the first inductance is also referred to as a "second synchronous machine".

The energization time of the fault current Ia is represented by the rotation period × 2 γ/2 π of the synchronous machine 20. Thus, the energization time is inversely proportional to the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20. This means that the lower the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20, the longer the energization time of the fault current Ia.

In this manner, in the load commutation mode, when a short-circuit fault occurs in any one of the six thyristors U, V, W, X, Y, Z of the inverter 2, the fault current Ia flows through the components of the thyristor starter 100 and the synchronous machine 20. The smaller the inductance of the synchronous machine 20, the larger the magnitude of the fault current Ia. The lower the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20, the longer the energization time of the fault current Ia.

Here, according to the timing chart of fig. 2, in the load commutation mode, the timing at which the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20 is the lowest is the timing at which the discontinuous commutation mode is switched to the load commutation mode. Therefore, if a short-circuit fault occurs at this timing, the energization time of the fault current Ia becomes longest, and thus, a large damage is given to the components.

In particular, in the first synchronizer, the accident current Ia becomes larger corresponding to the smaller inductance compared to the second synchronizer, and therefore the damage thereof is expected to become larger.

Therefore, the thyristor starter 100 according to embodiment 1 is configured to be able to change the switching rotational speed in accordance with the inductance of the target synchronous machine 20. Specifically, when the first synchronous machine is started (first case), the switching rotational speed is set to a higher rotational speed than when the second synchronous machine is started (second case).

The operational effect when the switching rotational speed is increased in a certain synchronizer will be described with reference to fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a timing chart schematically showing the relationship between the rotational speed of the synchronous machine 20 and the dc current Id output from the converter 1 when the switching rotational speed is set to X% of the rated rotational speed (where X > 10), and is a graph compared with fig. 2. In fig. 8, the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20 shown in fig. 2 is shown by a one-dot chain line. The dc currents Id in the discontinuous commutation mode and the load commutation mode are set to be equal to each other in fig. 2 and 8.

As shown in fig. 8, when the switching rotational speed is X% of the rated rotational speed, the rotational speed of the synchronous machine 20 at the timing of switching from the discontinuous commutation mode to the load commutation mode becomes higher than when the switching rotational speed is 10% of the rated rotational speed. Therefore, when a short-circuit fault occurs at this timing, the energization time of the fault current Ia becomes shorter. This can reduce damage to the components caused by the fault current Ia.

As described above, when the first synchronous machine is started, the accident current Ia becomes larger than that when the second synchronous machine is started, and therefore the operational effect of increasing the switching rotational speed becomes remarkable. As a result, the thyristor starter 100 can suppress damage to the constituent components caused by the fault current without depending on the inductance of the target synchronous machine.

Fig. 9 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the relationship between the inductance and the switching rotational speed of the synchronous machine 20 started by the thyristor starter 100.

As shown in fig. 9, when the inductance of the synchronous machine 20 is L1 or more, the switching rotational speed is set to X1% of the rated rotational speed. On the other hand, when the inductance of the synchronous machine 20 is L2 or more and less than L1, the switching rotational speed is set to X2% of the rated rotational speed (X2 > X1). When the inductance of the synchronous machine 20 is L2 or less, the switching rotational speed is set to X3% of the rated rotational speed (X3 > X2). Thus, even when the thyristor starter 100 starts the synchronous machine 20 having a small inductance, damage to components when a short-circuit fault occurs in the inverter 2 can be suppressed.

Further, the user of the thyristor starter 100 can set the switching rotational speed based on the inductance of the target synchronous machine 20 by referring to the relationship shown in fig. 9. The switching rotational speed set by the user can be stored in advance in a memory inside the thyristor starter 100. The inverter control unit 10 and the converter control unit 13 control the ignition phases of the inverter 2 and the converter 1, respectively, in accordance with the switching rotational speed stored in the memory. Thus, when the rotational speed of the synchronous machine 20 reaches the set switching rotational speed, the thyristor starter 100 switches from the discontinuous commutation mode to the load commutation mode.

As described above, according to the thyristor starter according to embodiment 1 of the present invention, when a synchronous machine (first synchronous machine) having a first inductance is started, the conduction time of the fault current can be shortened by increasing the switching rotational speed as compared with the case where a synchronous machine (second synchronous machine) having a second inductance larger than the first inductance is started. Thus, even when a synchronous machine having a small inductance is started, damage to the thyristor starter and the components of the synchronous machine due to an accident current can be suppressed.

[ embodiment 2]

According to the thyristor starter 100 of embodiment 1, when the first synchronous machine is started, the time taken to switch the intermittent commutation mode becomes longer because the switching rotational speed is higher than when the second synchronous machine is started. Therefore, the rising rate (rate of rise of the rotation speed) of the synchronous machine 20 is reduced, and as a result, it may happen that it takes time to start the synchronous machine 20.

Therefore, in the thyristor starter 100 according to embodiment 2, when the first synchronous machine is started, the current command value Id ＊ in the discontinuous commutation mode is set to a higher current value than when the second synchronous machine is started.

Fig. 10 is a timing chart schematically showing a relationship between the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20 and the dc current Id output from the converter 1, and is a graph compared with fig. 2. In fig. 10, the rotation speed and the direct current Id of the synchronous machine 20 shown in fig. 2 are indicated by a one-dot chain line.

As shown in fig. 10, the maximum value of the dc current Id (i.e., the peak value of the pulse) output from the converter 1 during the period from the stopped state to the switching rotational speed (X% of the rated rotational speed) of the synchronous machine 20 is I1. Since the increase rate is increased by increasing I1 to be larger than I0, the time required for the synchronous machine 20 to accelerate to the switching rotational speed can be shortened as compared with the case where the dc current Id is I0. By adjusting the size of I1, the time taken to switch the commutation mode between fig. 2 and fig. 10 can be made equal.

The adjustment of the direct current Id shown in fig. 10 can be achieved by adjusting the current command value Id ＊, and fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20 and the current command value Id ＊ in the discontinuous commutation mode.

In fig. 11, the current command value Id ＊ is set so that the current value increases as the inductance of the synchronous machine 20 decreases, and the switching rotational speed increases as the inductance of the synchronous machine 20 decreases (see fig. 9), so that the current command value Id ＊ also increases according to the relationship in fig. 11, and the time taken for the intermittent commutation mode can be prevented from increasing.

The data representing the relationship shown in fig. 11 may be stored in advance in a memory inside the thyristor starter 100, and the converter control unit 13 may generate the current command value Id ＊ based on the inductance of the synchronous machine 20 supplied from the outside by referring to the data.

As described above, according to the thyristor starter according to embodiment 2 of the present invention, the synchronous machine 20 can be started in a short time, in addition to the same operational effects as those of embodiment 1.

[ embodiment 3]

When the armature windings ATU, ATV, and ATW of the synchronous machine 20 are energized by the thyristor starter 100, heat loss (joule heat) occurs in the armature windings ATU, ATV, and ATW. The heat loss is proportional to the square of the magnitude of the current. In order to prevent the synchronous machine 20 from being overheated due to heat loss, the synchronous machine 20 is provided with a cooling structure.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view showing an example of a cooling structure of the synchronous machine 20. Referring to fig. 12, a fan 25 is mounted on a rotating shaft of a rotor 24 in the synchronous machine 20. The fan 25 is rotationally driven by the rotation of the rotor 24. When the fan 25 rotates, the cooling medium circulates through a ventilation path formed in the rotor 24 and the stator 26 as indicated by arrows in the figure. The cooling medium is, for example, hydrogen gas or air. A cooler 27 is provided inside the stator frame facing the ventilation path. The cooling medium circulated through the ventilation path is cooled by the cooler 27, that is, the cooler 27 provided in the stator frame so as to face the ventilation path.

In this way, since the fan 25 is rotated by the rotational force of the rotor 24, the rotational speed of the fan 25 is also reduced when the rotational speed of the synchronous machine 20 is low. Therefore, it is not easy to circulate the cooling medium in the ventilation path, and as a result, the cooling capacity of the cooling medium is reduced. Therefore, if the dc current Id in the discontinuous commutation mode is increased as in embodiment 2, the synchronous machine 20 may overheat.

Further, if the cooling capacity of the cooling medium is increased to suppress overheating of the synchronous machine 20, the capacity of the cooler must be increased, which may lead to an increase in the size of the apparatus.

Therefore, in the thyristor starter 100 according to embodiment 3, the magnitude of the direct current Id is changed in accordance with the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20 in the discontinuous commutation mode. Specifically, in the discontinuous commutation mode, the direct current Id is increased as the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20 is high for hundreds of years.

Fig. 13 is a timing chart schematically showing the relationship between the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20 and the dc current Id output from the converter 1 in the discontinuous commutation mode.

As shown in fig. 13, the maximum value of the dc current Id (i.e., the peak value of the pulse) output from the converter 1 during the period from the stopped state to Y% of the rated rotational speed (where Y < X) of the synchronous machine 20 is I1L. In addition, while the synchronous machine 20 reaches X% (switching rotational speed) from Y% of the rated rotational speed, the maximum value (peak value of pulse) of the dc current Id output from the converter 1 is I1H (I1H > I1L).

Y% of the rated rotation speed is set based on, for example, the lower limit rotation speed of the fan 25 (see fig. 12) that can circulate the cooling medium through the ventilation path. Thus, in the rotational speed range (0 to Y% of the rated rotational speed) in which the cooling capacity of the cooling medium is reduced, the current supplied to the synchronous machine 20 becomes a low current value, and therefore, the heat loss (joule heat) of the synchronous machine 20 is suppressed. As a result, overheating of the synchronous machine 20 can be suppressed.

On the other hand, if the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20 is higher than the above rotation speed range, that is, if the cooling capacity of the cooling medium is ensured, the current supplied to the synchronous machine 20 is increased. This can increase the rate of rise of the synchronous machine 20, and thus can prevent the time taken for the intermittent commutation mode from increasing.

Fig. 13 shows the rotational speed and the direct current Id of the synchronous machine 20 shown in fig. 10 by a one-dot chain line. The relationship I1L < I1 < I1H holds between I1L, I1H and I1. Since the increase rate is increased by increasing I1H to be larger than I1, the time required for the synchronous machine 20 to accelerate from Y% to X% of the rated rotational speed can be shortened as compared with the case where the dc current Id is I1. By adjusting the size of I1H, the time taken to switch the commutation modes between fig. 10 and fig. 13 can be made equal.

The adjustment of the direct current Id shown in fig. 13 can be achieved by adjusting the current command value Id ＊ according to the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20, that is, in the discontinuous commutation mode, the current command value Id ＊ is set so that the current value becomes larger as the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20 becomes higher.

In the present specification, "change according to the rotational speed of the synchronous machine 20" means that the current command value Id ＊ changes discretely according to the rotational speed of the synchronous machine 20, or the current command value Id ＊ changes continuously according to the rotational speed of the synchronous machine 20.

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing a relationship between the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20 and the current command value Id ＊ in the discontinuous commutation mode, as shown in fig. 14, when the rotation speed of the synchronous machine is 0rpm or more and Y% or less of the rated rotation speed, the current command value Id ＊ is set to I1l, and when the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20 is higher than Y% and X% or less of the rated rotation speed, the current command value Id ＊ is set to I1H.

The data representing the relationship shown in fig. 14 may be stored in advance in a memory inside the thyristor starter 100, the converter control unit 13 may generate the current command value Id ＊ based on the calculated rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20 by referring to the data, and the data may be in the form of a table or a function.

As described above, the thyristor starter according to embodiment 3 of the present invention has the following operational advantages in addition to the operational advantages similar to those of embodiment 1. Even in the case of adopting a structure in which the synchronous machine 20 is cooled by the rotational force of the synchronous machine 20, the synchronous machine 20 can be started in a short time while suppressing overheating of the synchronous machine 20. In addition, the cooling structure for suppressing overheating of the synchronous machine 20 can be prevented from becoming large.

In embodiment 3 described above, the configuration in which the current command value Id ＊ is changed in two steps in the discontinuous commutation mode is illustrated (see fig. 14), but the current command value Id ＊ may be changed in three or more steps.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 15, the current command value Id ＊ may be continuously changed according to the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20 in the discontinuous commutation mode, and in the example of fig. 15, the current command value Id ＊ is I2L when the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20 is 0rpm, and is I2H (I2H > I2L) when the rotation speed of the synchronous machine 20 is 10% of the rated rotation speed (i.e., the switching rotation speed), and the current command value Id ＊ linearly changes according to the rotation speed.

Fig. 16 is a timing chart schematically showing the relationship between the rotational speed of the synchronous machine 20 and the dc current Id output from the converter 1 when the discontinuous commutation mode is executed according to the relationship shown in fig. 15.

As shown in fig. 16, the direct current Id continuously changes during the time from the stop state to the switching rotational speed of the synchronous machine 20. Fig. 16 shows the rotational speed of the synchronous machine 20 shown in fig. 10 and the direct current Id by a one-dot chain line. The relationships I2L < I1 < I2H hold among I2L, I2H and I1. By adjusting the magnitude of I2H, the time taken to switch between the commutation modes in fig. 10 and 16 can be made equal.

In embodiments 1 to 3, the case where the synchronous machine 20 is a generator rotationally driven by a gas turbine in a thermal power plant has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the synchronous machine 20 may be a synchronous machine used in a general industrial field. For example, the synchronous machine 20 may be a synchronous machine for a cooling fan of a steel plant.

The embodiments disclosed herein are examples and are not limited to the above. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and all changes that come within the meaning and range equivalent to the claims are intended to be embraced therein.

Description of the reference numerals

1 converter, 2 inverter, 3 DC reactor, 4, 5 converter, 6 voltage detector, 7 position detector, 9 current detector, 10 inverter control part, 11, 16 control angle operation part, 12, 17 gate pulse generator, 14 speed control part, 15 current control part, 20 synchronous machine, 22 exciting winding, 24 rotor, 25 fan, 26 stator, 27 cooler, 30 AC power supply, 100 thyristor starting device, ATU, ATV, ATW armature winding, U, V, W, X, Y, Z thyristor, TR transformer.