Patent Grant
7557295
The disclosure relates to a isolating tube for a cooling element which can be loaded with high voltage, to a cooling element which contains this isolating tube, and to methods for production of the isolating tube.
In this case, in principle, the expression high voltage should be understood as meaning an operating voltage of more than 1 kV. The preferred voltage range is below 100 kV and mainly relates to apparatuses and installations which carry heavy current and have rated voltages of typically 10 to 50 kV.
The current-carrying capability of apparatuses and installations such as these is limited thermally. Passive cooling elements, such as cooling ribs, are used for the lower rated-current range. However, the options for increasing the rated-current range with the use of known passive cooling elements are very restricted. Active cooling elements (for example air-air heat exchangers with fans) are therefore used for heavier rated currents, such as those which are carried in heavy-current appliances in the form of generator switches.
In addition to active cooling elements such as these, high-power, passive cooling elements have also already been proposed for use in heavy-current switchgear. High-power passive cooling elements such as these include heat pipes. In the case of heat pipes, the heat which is created by current-flow losses in the switch is used to vaporize an agent. The vaporized agent is transported to an external heat exchanger, where it emits the heat losses formed in the switch again by condensation.
Generator switches are generally encapsulated on a single-phase basis and have an inner conductor which is arranged in the encapsulation and is at high-voltage potential. Heat which is formed by current-flow losses on the inner conductor must be dissipated to the surrounding air through the grounded encapsulation. This means that an electrically isolating path must be located between a vaporizer, which is at high-voltage potential, and a condenser, which is kept at ground potential, for the heat pipe, and must be designed appropriately for the required high voltage (for example 150 kV BIL). The vaporizer and condenser are held in a vacuum-tight manner at the two ends of the hollow isolating body.
Since a high-power passive cooling element such as this has no moving parts such as fans, this cooling element can be used to remove heat losses from the encapsulation at low cost and efficiently. In this case, the hollow isolating body carries out a number of functions, in particular that of carrying the agent and that of isolation of the potentials of the vaporizer and condenser. The reliability of a high-power passive cooling element such as this and of a high-voltage installation equipped with a cooling element such as this is ensured only if the isolating tube carries out the abovementioned functions over many years.
DE 22 38 987 A1 describes an isolating tube of the abovementioned type. This isolating tube forms a heat pipe, together with a metal cylinder which is fitted to one of its ends and with a cooling and closure element which is fitted to the opposite end. Heat losses which are produced by the operating current in a switch with little liquid are dissipated from the switch by this heat pipe. The heat losses are in this case absorbed by the heat pipe by vaporization of a liquid, for example of a fluorocarbon, in the metal cylinder which is attached to those parts of the switch which form the heat losses, and is emitted to the surrounding area by condensation of the liquid vapor on the cooling and closure element. The isolating tube may be composed of a glass-fiber-reinforced epoxy resin or the like and is arranged in the interior of a pole tube, which is filled with quenching liquid and is closed by the cooling and closure element. The individual parts of the heat pipe are connected to one another in a vacuum-tight manner by means of suitable seals or by adhesive bonding. A capillary structure which lines the inner wall of the isolating tube allows the heat pipe to be installed horizontally.
A metal-encapsulated switchgear assembly having heat pipes is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,137 A and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,297 A. Each heat pipe may be composed of insulating material. The heat pipe then has a container, which is formed from ceramic, for holding an agent, for example a fluorided hydrocarbon, as well as a capillary structure, which is arranged in the container and is composed of glass fibers.
A heat pipe for use in electrical high-voltage circuits is described in G. Yale Eastman: “The Heat Pipe” Scientific American, Volume 218 (May 31, 1968), pages 38 to 46, in particular on page 42. This heat pipe is produced exclusively from insulating material and contains a glass container, in which a capillary structure composed of glass fibers and fluorided hydrocarbon as an agent for the heat pipe are arranged.
EP 242 669 A discloses a heat-absorbing component of a capillary-pumped cooling circuit, in which the capillary material is porous plastic, such as polytetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene or polystyrene.
A cooling element having a hollow isolating body is already known from DE 2 051 150 A. The hollow isolating body is in the form of a hollow post insulator and keeps a switch-pole conductor track which is at high-voltage potential at a distance from the wall of a pole housing which is filled with a switching liquid. A cooler is held on the wall and is connected via two flow lines, which are arranged in the post insulator, to an annular space surrounding the current path. A vaporization means is located in the cooler, in the flow lines and in the annular space. Current which is carried in the current path heats that part of the vaporization agent that is located in the annular space, via the switching liquid. Vapor that is formed in the process is passed via one of the two flow lines into the cooler, in which it condenses, emitting the heat that was absorbed during vaporization. The resultant condensation falls down in the cooler and forces liquid vaporization agent located in the cooler back again into the annular space through the other flow line, in which annular space a new vaporization-condensation cycle is initiated for the liquid vaporization agent that has been supplied.
An isolating tube is disclosed, which can be manufactured easily and can easily be fitted in a cooling element, which is still distinguished by high operational reliability even after many years of operation in severe electrical, thermal and chemical load conditions. Methods are disclosed for production of an isolating tube.
An exemplary isolating tube has a mechanically load-bearing plastic tube composed of a fiber-reinforced plastic, as well as a diffusion barrier which is held coaxially by the plastic tube. A design such as this ensures that the isolating tube reliably satisfies the requirement for a cooling element in a high-voltage installation. This is because the plastic tube can absorb the mechanical and thermal loads that occur during fitting and operation of the cooling element, so that materials, in particular such as glass or ceramic, can be chosen for the diffusion barrier which, although they are comparatively brittle, particularly effectively constrain diffusion processes, however. Since the diffusion barrier is mechanically lightly loaded owing to the load reduction provided by the plastic tube, even any cracks which may occur in the diffusion barrier do not adversely affect the diffusion-constraining effect of this barrier. This is because cracks such as these are not loaded with significant forces and cannot become sufficiently larger during operation of the cooling element. Adequate diffusion constraint is therefore always ensured. Furthermore, metal fittings can be fitted to the ends of the plastic tube in a manner which is particularly advantageous in terms of production engineering, in particular by adhesive bonding, and are used for the attachment of major parts of the cooling element, such as the vaporizer, the condenser and bellows for expansion compensation and for absorption of mechanical forces which are introduced into the cooling element, for example, by vibration oscillations. Furthermore, the fibers that are provided in the plastic tube prevent fragmentation of the isolating tube and thus increase the operational reliability of the cooling element equipped with this tube, as well as that of a high-voltage installation in which this cooling element is installed.
Since, even at high temperatures, glass and ceramic are resistant to the agent that is used in the cooling element and may be chemically aggressive, a glass or ceramic tube is advantageously provided as the diffusion barrier, and is arranged on the inside of the plastic tube. Because the ductility of glass and ceramic is low, it is recommended that a reversibly deformable damping layer be arranged between the plastic tube and the glass or ceramic tube in order in this way to protect the diffusion barrier against the influence of mechanical forces. It is also advantageous to cover the inner surface of the glass or ceramic tube with fragmentation protection in the form of a film. This prevents fragments from becoming detached and falling off in the event of mechanical damage to the diffusion barrier. Cracks formed in the event of damage can therefore not propagate, so that the diffusion-constraining effect of the diffusion barrier is essentially maintained.
One proven exemplary method for production of the isolating tube is characterized in that fiber material which has been pre-impregnated with polymer or has not been impregnated is wound on a casing surface of a diffusion barrier, which is in the form of a tube, forming a preformed body, in that the preformed body formed in this way is arranged in a mold and is soaked with polymer in the situation in which the preformed body does not contain impregnated fiber material, and in that the polymer which is introduced by pre-impregnation or soaking is cured in the mold at a raised temperature.
If the diffusion barrier is not in the form of a prefabricated tube, then, in another exemplary production method, fiber material which has been pre-impregnated with polymer or has not been impregnated is wound onto a casing surface of a removable winding core, during the winding process, sections of the diffusion barrier which are in the form of films are inserted into the fiber material, a preformed body which is formed in this way is arranged in a mold and is soaked with polymer in the situation in which the preformed body does not contain impregnated fiber material, and subsequently the polymer which is introduced by pre-impregnation or soaking is cured in the mold at a raised temperature.
There is no need for the mold for production of the isolating tube if the plastic tube and a diffusion barrier which is in the form of a tube are prefabricated, the external diameter of the diffusion barrier and the internal diameter of the plastic tube are matched to one another, and the two tubes are adhesively bonded to one another after insertion of the diffusion barrier into the plastic tube.
Further features and their advantageous effects on the invention will become evident from the exemplary embodiment described in the following text.
This exemplary embodiment of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to drawings, in which:
The same reference symbols denote parts having the same effect in all of the figures. The section of a high-voltage installation 20 illustrated in
The cooling elements 1 each have a closed vacuum-tight volume in which an agent is arranged which can in general be circulated under the influence of the force of gravity or else by capillary forces. A cooling element 1 which operates with the aid of the force of gravity is therefore arranged at an angle to the horizontal. A vaporizer 3 is then located at the lower end of the cooling element 1, and a condenser 4 is located at the upper end. The vaporizer 3 is made from metal and is thermally coupled to the electrical conductor 21. The condenser 4 is also made of metal. This condenser is mounted on the encapsulation 22, but can also be mounted alongside the encapsulation 22. In principle, the condenser 4 may be a separate object, which is fitted outside the encapsulation 22 and emits heat to the exterior. It can also be thermally coupled to the encapsulation 22. In general, it has cooling ribs which extract the heating effect of the electrical conductor 21. As can be seen from
A collecting container, which is not illustrated, can be provided in the area of the condenser 4, and its volume is variable in the event of pressure changes in the interior of the cooling element 1. Furthermore, an auxiliary gas, such as air at a partial pressure of a few hundred millibars, can also be provided in the interior of the cooling element, as well as the agent medium, ensuring that the cooling element 1 has high dielectric strength even when the agent partial pressure is low, as it may be at low temperatures.
During operation, the rated current which is carried in the electrical conductor 21 and is produced in the generator heats the installation to a considerable extent. Since parts of the installation which are at particular risk, for example insulators to which the electrical conductor is fitted, must not exceed a typical temperature limit of 105° C., only a specific rated current can be carried which, for example, may be 13 kA without cooling. The agent is vaporized in the vaporizer 3, and heat is extracted from the electrical conductor 21 in the process. If a suitable agent is used, such as acetone or a hydro-fluoro-ether, the electrical conductor 21 can be kept below the temperature limit despite the rated current having been increased considerably in comparison to an uncooled installation. The vaporized agent is liquefied with condensation heat being emitted in the condenser 4, and flows back again into the vaporizer 3 via the angled cooling element 1, by virtue of the force of gravity. If the cooling element has capillaries, then the liquefied agent reaches the vaporizer as a result of the capillary forces, possibly against the force of gravity. In order to additionally achieve rapid liquefaction, the condenser 4 should typically be heated at most to about 70° C. The suitably designed and suitably distributed cooling elements in the installation thus make it possible to increase the rated current to, for example, 22 kA without exceeding the predetermined temperature limit. However, since this is possible only with correctly operating cooling elements 1, it is important for safe and reliable operation of the installation that the cooling elements and in particular their isolating tube 5 are distinguished by having a long life and high operational reliability.
In the exemplary embodiment of the isolating tube 5 illustrated in
A reversibly deformable damping layer 52 is arranged between the plastic tube 50 and the diffusion barrier 51, which is in the form of a glass or ceramic tube. Since, depending on where the high-voltage installation 20 is used, the cooling element 1 may be subject to temperatures of between −40° C. and 105° C., an elastomer polymer, for example based on silicone, is in general provided as the damping layer 52. At the same time, the damping layer also produces an adhesively bonded joint between the plastic tube 50 and the diffusion barrier 51. A wall thickness of at least about 1 mm, together with the damping layer 52, in general provides adequate protection for the diffusion barrier 51 against undesirably high stress loads.
The inner surface of the diffusion barrier 51, which is in the form of a glass or ceramic tube, is covered with fragmentation protection 53, which is advantageously formed by a film, for example based on PTFE. Fragmentation protection such as this prevents fragments from falling off if the diffusion barrier 51, which is in general composed of brittle material, such as glass or ceramic, has been damaged by incorrect handling or during operation of the cooling element and has cracks and/or discontinuities which, although they decrease its mechanical strength, do not significantly adversely affect its diffusion characteristics. The fragmentation protection 53 can be adhesively bonded or applied directly to the inner surface of the glass or ceramic tube. If it is in the form of a flexible film, it can be wound as a single-layer or double-layer tube with little prestressing, and can be fixed on the inner surface of this tube with the aid of the prestressing force, after being inserted into the glass and ceramic tube.
The diffusion barrier may also be in the form of a flexible film based on glass and/or ceramic, and may be embedded in the fiber body during the production of the plastic tube 50. For good mechanical strength, it may be advantageous for the film to contain a support based on polymer, on which flexible glass or flexible ceramic is held as a diffusion-constraining material.
If required, a capillary structure 54 as indicated in
The shield 55 can be formed in the casing surface of the plastic tube 50 or can be applied to this casing surface, for example by extrusion coating or by shrinking it on. The shield lengthens the creepage distance on the outside of the isolating tube 5, and considerably reduces the risk of surface flashovers.
One of two metal fittings 56, 56′ is held in a vacuum-tight manner at each of the two ends of the plastic tube 2. As can be seen, the metal fitting 56 or 56′, respectively, is adhesively bonded to the plastic tube with the aid of a respective connection layer 57 or 57′, which is applied to one of the two end faces of the plastic tube 50. A connection layer such as this is in general composed of a cured polymer, for example based on epoxy, and in addition to the connection function also ensures protection of the end surface of the plastic tube 50, which is in general subsequently machined and therefore has unprotected fibers. In order to increase the strength of the adhesively bonded joint, the connection layer 57 or 57′ is continued to a section of the casing surface of the plastic tube 50 adjacent to the end face. As can be seen, the two metal fittings 56 and 56′ are fitted at each of the mutually facing ends with a shielded electrode 58 or 58′, respectively, which is passed in an annular shape around the plastic tube 50. Any sharp edges that there may be at the ends of the plastic tube 50 and of the diffusion barrier 51 are therefore electrically shielded. At the same time, this defines an isolation gap, annotated with the reference symbol I in
If the diffusion barrier 51 is in the form of a tube, then fiber material which has been pre-impregnated with polymer or has not been impregnated is first of all wound onto the casing surface of the diffusion barrier during the production of the isolating tube 5. A preformed body formed in this way is then inserted into a mold. If impregnated fiber material is not used, the preformed body is soaked with polymer. The preformed body containing the soaked or pre-impregnated fiber material is then cured in the mold, at a raised temperature.
In another exemplary manufacturing method, fiber material which has pre-impregnated with polymer or has not been impregnated is wound onto the casing surface of a removable winding core. Sections of the diffusion barrier in the form of films are inserted into the fiber material during the winding process. The preformed body formed in this way is arranged in a mold, as already described, and, in the case of a performed body which does not contain impregnated fiber material, is soaked with the polymer. The polymer introduced by pre-impregnation or soaking is cured in the mold at a raised temperature.
In both exemplary methods, the metal fittings 56 and 56′ can be fixed to the plastic tube 50 while the polymer is curing, forming the connection layers 57 and 57′.
The isolating tube 5 can also be produced from a prefabricated plastic tube 50 and a prefabricated diffusion barrier 51 in the form of a tube. In this production process, the external diameter of the diffusion barrier 51 and the internal diameter of the plastic tube 50 are matched to one another, for example by machining. Once the diffusion barrier has been inserted into the plastic tube, the two tubes are adhesively bonded to one another. In this exemplary method, the fragmentation protection 53 can be applied to the inside of the diffusion barrier 51 while it is actually being produced. This also applies to the shield 55, which can be formed into the prefabricated plastic tube 50 in advance, or can be applied to its casing surface by extrusion-coating with a polymer, for example a silicone, or by shrinkage of a polymer hollow body onto it. The metal fittings 56 and 56′ can be fixed to the plastic tube 50 by adhesive bonding.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restricted. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and all changes that come within the meaning and range and equivalence thereof are intended to be embraced therein.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04405704 | Nov 2004 | EP | regional |
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to EP Application 04405704.0 filed in Europe on Nov. 16, 2004, and as a continuation application under 35 U.S.C. §120 to PCT/CH2005/000629 filed as an International Application on Oct. 27, 2005, designating the U.S., the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3662137 | Cleaveland | May 1972 | A |
| 3767835 | Engelhardt | Oct 1973 | A |
| 3769551 | Corman et al. | Oct 1973 | A |
| 3778680 | Vaneerden | Dec 1973 | A |
| 4005297 | Cleaveland | Jan 1977 | A |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2 051 150 | Apr 1972 | DE |
| 2 238 987 | Feb 1974 | DE |
| 0 242 669 | Oct 1987 | EP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20070209790 A1 | Sep 2007 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/CH2005/000629 | Oct 2005 | US |
| Child | 11798482 | US |
