Powerful electric drives based on active bidirectional converters within industrial Smart Grid

The paper addresses the issue of associating a concept of Smart Grid with a powerful main electric drive of plate mill rolling stand. This paper will review all theoretical capabilities of reactive power compensation in the supply mains by the main electric drive and present the resulting benefits to be gained in our understanding of the Smart Grid. Typical features of power electric equipment of the main electric drive allow us development of the control of the reactive power consumption or generation. The reactive power consumption or generation can be carried out by using of back to back converters which connect the electric drive with supply mains. Experiments in the plate mill were performed at the difficult-to-form steel grade in the range of roughing and finish rolling. It was found out that the reactive power generation can be used in the range of the roughing. The huge prospects of main electric drive integration of the plate mill rolling stand to the Smart Grid have been determined as they are able to provide high power and capabilities of the controlling reactive power flow by means of back to back converters. It can reduce a share of the consumption reactive power from a substation and to improve the power quality