Modular Power Conversion System Scalable Series Topology
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Solution Overview
Problem
Power conversion systems face high rewiring costs and complexities when scaling up to meet changing energy requirements, particularly in high-rise buildings and long-distance solar PV installations, as existing systems require extensive rewiring for each upgrade.
Innovation Solution
A modular power conversion system with multiple units connected in series, where additional units can be easily added by short wiring, sharing input voltage and controlling conversion ratios synchronously to maintain optimal power transfer, reducing the need for extensive rewiring and allowing for scalable and cost-effective upgrades.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the system is scaled up by adding more solar PV cells and power conversion systems, then the energy generation capacity is improved, but the rewiring cost and system complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The power conversion system is divided into multiple independent conversion units, each capable of autonomous operation. Each unit processes a portion of the total power independently, allowing modular scaling without requiring complex rewiring of the entire system. The segmentation enables incremental capacity expansion by simply adding individual units rather than redesigning the whole system.
Solution Approach 2:
Each conversion unit is designed with universal functionality to handle multiple operations including MPPT, charge control, and power conversion. This multi-functionality within each unit reduces the need for additional specialized components when scaling up, simplifying the overall system architecture and reducing rewiring requirements.
2Power
If new conversion units are added to scale up the system, then the power handling capability is improved, but the material expenditure and service cost increase due to long-distance wiring requirements
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the power conversion into multiple distributed units, each unit can be positioned closer to local solar PV arrays, reducing the distance of wiring required. This eliminates the need for long-distance cable runs from a centralized conversion point, significantly reducing material costs for wiring and installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a centralized power conversion architecture to a distributed modular architecture. This dimensional change in system topology allows each conversion unit to serve a localized area, reducing the spatial extent of wiring required and thereby reducing material expenditure.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system configuration is changed to meet higher load requirements, then the adaptability is improved, but the service cost and installation time increase due to rewiring requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The modular conversion unit design enables dynamic reconfiguration of the system to meet changing load requirements. Units can be easily added, removed, or repositioned without requiring extensive rewiring, allowing the system to adapt flexibly to different operational scenarios and load profiles.
Solution Approach 2:
Each conversion unit is pre-configured with complete functionality including MPPT and charge control capabilities. This preliminary configuration allows units to be deployed as plug-and-play modules, eliminating the need for complex on-site wiring and configuration work during system expansion or reconfiguration.
Data Source
AI summary
A power conversion system is to be used with an energy source. A plurality of conversion units are used in series via their output with the energy source output. A positive pin of a first converter and the negative pin of a last converter of the series are for connection to an output (14, 16) of the energy source, and for each two neighboring converters in this series a negative pin of an upstream converter is connected to a positive pin of a downstream converter which both pins are decoupled from the energy source except for the positive pin of the first converter and the negative pin of the last converter. A master monitor unit is adapted to monitor the output power of the energy source and to control the input voltage of each conversion unit synchronously in dependence on the monitored output power. In this way, a set of conversion units are configured, with the conversion units sharing the output from the energy source. This provides a scalable system.