AC/DC or DC/AC converter system with outboard commutation inductors

Claim 1

In an AC/DC converter system interconnecting AC phase lines with two direct current (DC) terminals defining opposite poles for such converter, the converter system including 12 rectifying devices equally distributed about twelve successive phase voltages oriented vectorially in a star-fashion and at 30 degrees to one another; one set of 6 of said rectifying devices being associated with one DC terminal, a second set of 6 of said rectifying devices being associated with the other DC terminal; said rectifying devices becoming operatively conducting between said DC terminals in cyclic sequential order so that two commutating devices are commutating one another from one phase voltage to the next phase voltage at 60 degrees phase shift; the combination of: in each of said two sets of rectifying devices three pairs of rectifying devices are arranged in a staggered fashion so that one rectifying device of a pair is next in said sequential order of conduction relative to another rectifying device of another pair; while being associated with a rectifying device ranking third in said sequential order and belonging to the third pair of such set; a group of three inductors being provided for each of said sets of rectifying devices, each such group being connected between the associated pole and the respective pairs of rectifying devices; two inductors of a group being operatively associated with the two commutating rectifying devices in said sequential order; the other inductor of said group being associated with the third rectifying device which is in sequential order relative to said two commutating rectifying devices; such two inductors of a group being effective to reduce the rate of change of the commutating currents in both of said two commutating rectifying devices so as to extend the duration of the attending commutation and reduce the harmonics of the currents drawn from said phase lines, and said pair of inductors being effective via said other inductor of said group to prevent interference by said third rectifying device upon the commutation of said commutating devices.