LS Electric's Transformer Patent for HVDC Systems Canceled in Korea

(Source: LS Electric)

LS Electric Co. Ltd.'s Korean patent for a "High Voltage Direct Current System Having Transformer" (Patent No. 2502391) has been canceled by the Korean Intellectual Property Tribunal. 

The patent, registered in February 2023, described technology involving transformers connected to high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems and modular multilevel converters (MMCs). The invention aimed to provide an HVDC system equipped with a transformer designed to eliminate voltage imbalances, enhancing the efficiency and reliability of power transmission. 

This technology was applicable to LS Electric's core business in HVDC transmission systems, where alternating current (AC) generated at power plants is converted into direct current (DC) for transmission, and then reconverted back into AC in the receiving area. 

LS Electric filed the patent application with the Korean Intellectual Property Office in 2016. However, five months after the patent was granted, a cancellation request was filed in July 2023. 

In January 2024, the Patent Tribunal decided to cancel the patent. LS Electric did not appeal the tribunal's decision, making the cancellation final in March 2024. There are no corresponding overseas patents related to this technology. The cancellation may impact LS Electric's competitive position in the HVDC market.