1. Technical Field
This invention relates to high-voltage circuit breakers. More specifically, this invention relates to a multi-phase high-voltage circuit breaker and devices for fitting onto the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In high-voltage circuit breakers, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), either alone or in combination with some other gas such as nitrogen or tetrafluoromethane, may be used as both an electrical insulating medium and a current interrupting medium. As an electrical insulating medium, SF6 allows for reduced gaps between high voltage components and ground potential surfaces. As a current interrupting medium, SF6 enables the extinction of high current arcs across the circuit breaker contacts so as to accomplish the switching function, which is the main purpose of high voltage circuit breakers.
Circuit breakers having a three phase tank design are generally known in the art and may have various configurations, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,686,553; 6,437,276; and 4,027,125, the disclosures of each of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. Typical three phase circuit breakers include three separate gas-insulated tanks or enclosures, which together operate to perform the interrupting action of the breaker. The three separate tanks are usually individually pressured and controlled, but they may share the same gas system through interconnected piping.
Every gas filled circuit breaker includes a means to fill and empty the gas in the tank of each phase of the circuit breaker. The gas piping from the three phase units is often connected together for ease of gas handling. Also, the gas temperature and pressure need to be sensed to allow concurrent monitoring or calculation of the gas density. In all three phases of the circuit breaker, the gas temperature must be maintained above a predetermined temperature to prevent liquefying of the insulating gas. Each of these functions requires entries into the enclosure or tank so that the gas and sensors may enter and exit the tank.
Entry into the tanks has been accomplished by machining or casting access holes at various locations on the enclosure wall and adding relatively long lengths of conduit, cable, or piping that lead to the control cabinet of the circuit breaker. Long lengths of gas piping in cold weather conditions require that heaters be added to the pipe and that insulation be wrapped over them to prevent gas from liquefying inside the piping. Typically, tank designs allow for entries into the interior cavity through the end cap of the tank, which is a cover that seals one end of the tank. The situation is further complicated in that the outboard phases of the circuit breaker are usually rotated outward relative to the center phase, destroying symmetry and complicating the conduit, piping, and cable runs to the cabinet. Such rotation is usually incorporated into the design of the breaker to provide adequate space for the bushings located on top of the three phase tanks.
The disclosure contained herein describes attempts to solve one or more of the problems described above.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a gas mounting device for a high voltage circuit breaker, wherein the mounting device is operable to be placed fitted integrally on one end of a tank of the circuit breaker, the mounting device being substantially a ring shape and comprising at least three entries that are capable of accepting a peripheral device for ingress such that access is obtainable into the tank. The device may also contain one or more mounting mechanisms sized and positioned to accept an end cap. Another embodiment is a circuit breaker comprising the mounting device as described herein. With the mounting device, the machined entries are operable to place a tank heater, a particle trap, gas valves, piping, and monitoring or sensory equipment into the interior of the tank.
In another embodiment, a three phase circuit breaker includes three tanks, three gas mounting devices fitted integrally on at least one end of each of the tanks, and a piping system which connects the three tanks through the machined entries of the mounting device such that the three phases share a single gas system.
In another embodiment, a high voltage circuit breaker includes a first circuit breaker tank and a second circuit breaker tank. A first mounting device may be located at one end of the first tank and has a first removable end cap and a plurality of access points into the first tank. The first tank may have access points are not located on the first end cap. A second mounting device is located at one end of the second tank. The second mounting device has a second removable end cap and a plurality of access points into the second tank. The second tank access points are not located on the second end cap. A first conduit fluidly connects one of the first tank access points to one of the second tank access points. Optionally, a third circuit breaker tank includes a third mounting device located at one end of the third tank. The third mounting device has a third removable end cap and a plurality of access points into the third tank, and the third tank access points are not located on the third end cap. A third conduit fluidly connects one of the third tank access points to one of the second tank access points. One of the access points on each tank may accept a peripheral device, such as a tank heater, a particle trap, a monitor or a sensor, into the tank. Optionally, the second tank access points are located around a central position of the circuit breaker and the second tank, the first tank access points are located around a position on the first tank that faces the second tank, and the third tank access points are located around a position on the third tank that faces the second tank.
Various aspects and applications of the present invention will become apparent to the skilled artisan upon consideration of the brief description of the figures and the detailed description of the invention, which follows:
Before the present devices and methods are described, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular designs, processes, compositions, or methodologies described, as these may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular versions or embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention which will be limited only by the appended claims.
It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments of the present invention, the preferred designs, methods, devices, and materials are now described. All publications mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the invention is not entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention.
The present invention may be included in existing and/or new circuit breaker designs. In various embodiments, the circuit breaker may be a high voltage circuit breaker, such as a circuit breaker designed to be operated at least approximately 69 kilovolts (kV), or between about 50 kV and about 800 kV, on at least the input or the output terminals. Other voltages are possible.
An example of a three-phase circuit breaker is illustrated in
Typically, in gas-type circuit breakers, extinction of the arcs drawn between the contacts of the interrupter in the arcing area at the axial end of the movable contacts is aided by means of a blast of high pressure gas to the arcing area. The blast of high pressure gas may be released by operation of a blast nozzle. The opening operation of the blast nozzle may be synchronized with the opening of the contacts and may be accomplished by an associated linkage. A description of an exemplary blast nozzle, contacts and operating linkage may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,852,548, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Other examples of blast mechanisms include the circuit breakers described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,650,941; 6,307,172; and 6,744,001, the disclosures of each of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. The gas serves a dual function of insulating the electronic components of the interior cavity and of extinguishing the arc as a blast or puff. The gas may be any insulating gas such as sulfurhexafluoride, tetrafluromethane, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and mixtures thereof.
While a mounting device as described herein may be used in connection with any circuit breaker tank, the drawings used herein illustrate the mounting device when used in connection with a three phase circuit breaker such as is shown in
The entries are operable to place various elements or peripheral devices, such as a tank heater, a particle trap, gas valves, piping, and/or monitoring and sensory equipment into the interior cavity of the tank. Therefore, the mounting device eliminates the need to machine access holes directly into the tank wall for each such item, as is the prior art practice. Access holes and fittings have previously been placed through the end caps 80 of the tanks. Specifically, a heater tube may be placed into the interior cavity of the tank through one of the machined entries of the device. In addition, the tubing that connects the mounting brackets may itself be a peripheral device that exchanges or passes insulating gas between the tanks.
The mounting device may be designed such that multiple circuit breaker tanks or the multiple phase tanks of an individual breaker may be connected by appropriate piping. Additionally through the machined entries of the mounting device, the interior cavity of the tank of the breaker may be monitored by a control unit or housing. Therefore, any suitable monitoring and/or sensory equipment may be placed through the machined entries of the mounting device.
Another embodiment is a high voltage circuit breaker wherein each tank has a mounting device with three identical machined entries as described. A typical circuit breaker may include a contact mechanism movable between an open and closed position, a driving mechanism operable to drive the contact mechanism between the open and closed positions, and a tank having at least one wall defining an interior chamber enclosing the contact mechanism, the interior chamber being filled with an insulating gas. Suitable circuit breaker
Referring to
In some embodiments, the entries 28 are drilled, machined or cast into the mounting device 10 and may have a diameter of about 1.5 inch. Other sizes are possible. Optionally, the entries 28 may be threaded to accept peripheral devices such as conduit, hose or pipe and/or the like.
The mounting device 10 is preferably cast aluminum, although steel, copper or other sturdy materials may be used. The ring may include threaded receptacles 29 or other mounting mechanisms to which an end cap may be secured.
Mounting device 10 may be a separate ring of approximately two inches in thickness that is attached to a tank end by welding, bolting or other securing means. Other thicknesses are possible. Alternatively, mounting device 10 may be formed integrally with the tank. Preferably and optionally, the tank may include entries, such as ⅜-inch thick holes through the tank wall, sized and positioned to match entries 28 or the mounting ring so that an end cap may be removed from mounting ring 10 while any items inserted into entries 28 may remain in place.
As illustrated in
Another embodiment is a three phase circuit breaker comprising three tanks having at least one wall defining an interior chamber, the interior chamber being designed to be filled with an insulating gas, three identical mounting devices fitted integrally on at least one end of each of the tanks, each mounting device having substantially a ring shape and comprising at least three identical machined entries through a lower portion of the ring such that access is obtainable through the mounting device into the tank, and a piping system which connects the three tanks through the machined entries of the mounting devices such that the three phases share a single gas system.
Referring to
Alternatively, another embodiment includes fitting a mounting device inside the tank interior cavity. Thus, the end cap 80 of the tank may include pre-fabricated entries through the tank wall, which correspond to the entries through the mounting device. The mounting device with entries may provide support for the conduit and/or functional elements placed through the end cap wall of the tank to access the interior cavity. Therefore, the mounting device may be placed internally or externally with an end of the circuit breaker tank.
As seen in
Other positions are possible. Preferably, referring to
In some embodiments, one entry 50 on each mounting device 10 may used to attach a tank heater and/or a particle trap which extends into the interior cavity of the tank 30. Other entry points 20 may allow connection of gas valves and piping to either isolate the gas of each phase tank 30 or to connect the gas of the tanks/enclosures together. Suitable seals such as o-rings, double o-rings, welding, or other gasketing may be included in each entry such as to seal the interior cavity of the tank from the external environment. The piping 40 may be designed to eliminate the problem of gas liquidifying in cold weather without the need for auxiliary heating of the piping, any liquid naturally flowing into the warm enclosure to be boiled back into gas. One such design is on U-shaped piping 40 that connects the three phases of the breaker. The U-shape ensures that any liquidified SF6 gas in the piping would not collect in the piping, but would enter the tank(s) through gravity feed.
For example, insulators around the piping may be added, especially for applications below about −45° C. One entry point may be used to mount a temperature/pressure probe for gas density monitoring of the tanks. This probe may be attached directly to the housing or control unit 70. Other entries and piping 60 may be used to connect the tank with the operation of the interruption mechanism. The horizontal rod 90 connecting the three phases preferably contains no gas and is used to operate the interruption functions of the circuit breaker.
The gas mounting device lowers the total circuit breaker cost while providing greater functionality and flexibility in configuring the circuit breaker for different customer requirements. The gas mounting device provides an accessible place for the component access machining, while allowing retrofitting on existing round pressure vessel shaped breakers.
The disclosed invention provides a modified mounting design with identical machined entries into the interior cavity of the tank which may be located very near to the control housing. While preferred embodiments have been described in detail, variations may be made to these embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the attached claims.