Many older industrial power converters have control systems designed 15 to 25 years ago. At that time, many of the components and techniques that are common today, did not exist. Many of these designs are woefully inadequate by todays standards. To compound the problem, in many cases the original manufacturer no longer supports the product. Many of the original components may no longer be available. The unbalance caused by aging analog timing components can cause significant but subtile problems in the converter system operation.
We have successfully installed custom designed control systems for older power converters, using readily available industrial microprocessor systems. These allow microsecond timing accuracy, while providing a host of advanced diagnostic information. The control for each power converter can communicate with a central process workstation, to supply detailed information to the operator, as well as allowing remote access to authorized personel in maintenance or engineering.
The above is an example of an operators screen from a large SCR rectifier installation. Similar installations have been operating for over 10 years with excellent reliability.
Custom controls have been provided for both SCR, and LTC equipment, as well as for specialized process controls. The features available are more advanced than are found in most new converter equipment.
