Analysis of a Series VSC Converter Topology for MVDC Applications

Abstract

Medium voltage converters can have many different topologies depending on power levels and voltage ratings. For higher voltage, modular converters become an interesting solution as they avoid the series connection of multiple switches and they can offer some extra functionalities such as DC fault blocking capabilities. Standard topologies preferred for lower voltage values, such as 2-level converters and 3-level NPC converters, due to the available devices on the market, are usually oversized in terms of current ratings in applications where the ratio nominal voltage over nominal power (Vn /Pn ) is high. Additionally they lack some useful functionalities available in modular converters. The converter architecture proposed in this paper aims at providing a better solution to the device utilisation factor in high Vn /Pn applications, avoiding the series connection between switches and offering extra functionalities like DC fault blocking capabilities and DC voltage adaptation.

Damiano Lanzarotto, SuperGrid Institute; Pierre-Baptiste Steckler, SuperGrid Institute; Francois Wallart, SuperGrid Institute; Loic Leclere, SuperGrid Institute.

Presented at PCIM 2026, Jun 2026, Nuremberg, Germany.

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