Powering The Way - A Paper on AC Link TM Technology for 21st Century HVDC Transmission

The new AC-Linktrade HVDC transmission converter employs a new technical approach that bypasses the problems affecting currently available products. This new approach is based on the AC-Linktrade topology which was originally validated in the military. The AC-Linktrade technology, patented globally, is a resonant converter topology which is naturally ldquosoft switchingrdquo, which is characterized by negligible switch turn-on and no turn-off losses. With no switching losses, the AC Linktrade system can use high voltage solid state power devices (i.e. IGBTs or IGCTs) and run at high converter frequencies (up to 20 kHz using IGBTs). Power electronics systems that rely on PWM topologies are limited by the PWM characteristic of ldquohard switchingrdquo, which produces undesirable switching losses and high dv/dt (voltage rate of change). With switching losses as a limiting factor, PWM systems must use lower voltage switches, and more of them. The result is higher cost, higher complexity, higher component count, and thereby higher risk factors.