Patent ID: 7586216

Claim:
An electric power converter comprising: a converter control unit; a generator-side converter coupled to a stator bus via a generator contactor; a grid-side converter; a common direct current (DC) bus coupling the generator-side converter and the grid-side converter; a dynamic brake coupled to the DC bus, the dynamic brake including a chopper connected across the DC bus and a dynamic brake resistor connected between the chopper and the DC bus, the dynamic brake configured to dissipate excess electrical power in the dynamic brake resistor in response to receiving a braking power dispatch signal from the converter control unit; and a crowbar circuit coupled to the generator contactor via the stator bus, the crowbar circuit configured to engage a dump load resistor coupled to the stator bus in response to receiving the braking power dispatch signal from the converter control unit, the dump load resistor being rated for about a full power rating of the generator-side converter.