Breaker device for interrupting current on a transmission line

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10475600-B2
Application number	US-201515327557-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2015
Priority date	Jul 25, 2014
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

A breaker device for interrupting current flowing on a transmission line, the device comprising three electrical branches (B1, B2, B3) connected in parallel, including a main branch (B1) in which the current to be interrupted flows and an auxiliary branch (B2), the main branch comprising at least one semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL1) connected in series with at least one mechanical interrupter/disconnector (Sm), the auxiliary branch (B2) comprising at least one thyristor, the breaker device further comprising a control circuit (CM) suitable for interrupting a current that flows in the main branch. Once the current is interrupted in the semi-conductor element of the breaker cell of the main branch, the control circuit acts to command the thyristor of the auxiliary branch (B2) to be put into a conductive state whenever a current flowing in the voltage limiter(s) reaches the value of the current that is flowing in the transmission line.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A breaker device for interrupting current flowing on a transmission line, the device comprising three electrical branches connected in parallel: a main branch (B 1 ) in which the current to be interrupted flows; an auxiliary branch (B 2 ); and a voltage limiter branch (B 3 ); the main branch comprising at least one semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL 1 , CEL G1 ) connected in series with at least one mechanical interrupter/disconnector (S m ), the semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL 1 , CEL C1 ) including at least one semi-conductor element ( 1 , 4 ) configured to be commanded to open or close and that is connected in parallel with a voltage limiter ( 5 , 3 ), the auxiliary branch (B 2 ) comprising at least one assembly that is constituted by at least one capacitor (Ca) connected in parallel with at least one resistor (Ra), said assembly being connected in series with at least one thyristor, the device further comprising a control circuit (CM) configured to command opening of the semi-conductor element of the semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL 1 , CEL G1 ) and opening of the mechanical interrupter/disconnector (S m ), the control circuit (CM) further configured to act, once the current is interrupted in the semi-conductor element of the semi-conductor breaker cell, to command the thyristor of the auxiliary branch (B 2 ) to be put into a conductive state at an instant that is after or at the instant at which the current flowing in the voltage limiter(s) reaches the value of the current (I 1 ) that is flowing in the transmission line.

2. The breaker device according to claim 1 , for interrupting current on the transmission line, wherein the control circuit (CM) is further configured to:
apply an opening command (K 1 ) to the mechanical interrupter/disconnector (S m ) at an instant t 0 ;
apply an opening command (K 2 ) to the semi-conductor element of the semi-conductor breaker cell at an instant t 1 that is after the instant t 0 , such that a current passing through said semi-conductor element decreases until it is zero, and such that a current passing through the voltage limiter(s) increases until it reaches the value of the current that is flowing in the transmission line; and
apply a command for putting the thyristor of the auxiliary branch in a conductive state at an instant t 2 that is after or at the instant at which the current flowing in the voltage limiter(s) reaches the value of the current (I 1 ) that is flowing in the transmission line.

3. The breaker device according to claim 2 , wherein, when the main branch (B 1 ) comprises at least two parallel sub-branches, each sub-branch includes at least one current-balancing cell configured to balance the current between the various parallel sub-branches.

4. The breaker device according to claim 3 , wherein a current-balancing cell is constituted by a semi-conductor element configured to conduct the current and being connected in parallel with a voltage limiting circuit.

5. The breaker device according to claim 4 , wherein the semi-conductor element is an IGBT.

6. The breaker device according to claim 2 , wherein each semi-conductor breaker cell is connected in series with at least two sub-branches, each sub-branch comprising at least one mechanical interrupter/disconnector and/or at least one current-balancing cell configured to balance the currents between the sub-branches.

7. The breaker device according to claim 2 , wherein the control circuit (CM) is further configured to:
at an instant that precedes the instant t 0 , apply a preliminary opening command to the semi-conductor element of the breaker cell of the main branch;
when the preliminary opening command is applied to the semi-conductor element of the breaker cell of the main branch, measure charge in storage capacitors connected in parallel with the thyristor of the auxiliary branch; and
allow the opening command to be applied to the mechanical interrupter/disconnector (S m ) at the instant t 0 , if a measurement of the charge of the storage capacitors matches a predetermined charge value.

8. The breaker device according to claim 2 , wherein the semi-conductor element is an IGBT.

9. The breaker device according to claim 2 , wherein the semi-conductor element is a GTO thyristor.

10. The breaker device according to claim 2 , wherein the semi-conductor element is a silicon thyristor or a silicon carbide thyristor or a gallium nitride thyristor.

11. The breaker device according to claim 1 , wherein the main branch (B 1 ) includes at least one additional semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL C1 ) that is placed in parallel with the semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL 1 ), said additional semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL C1 ) having breaking capacity that is greater than the breaking capacity of the semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL 1 ).

12. The breaker device according to claim 11 , wherein the additional semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL C1 ) includes at least one voltage limiter ( 5 ) connected in parallel with the voltage limiter of the semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL 1 ).

13. The breaker device according to claim 11 , wherein the control circuit (CM) is further configured to:
apply an opening command (K a ) to the semi-conductor element of the semi-conductor breaker cell at an instant t a ;
apply an opening command (K b ) to the mechanical interrupter/disconnector (S m ) and a closing command (K c ) to the semi-conductor element of the additional semi-conductor breaker cell (CEL C1 ) at an instant t b that is after the instant t a , such that the semi-conductor element of the additional semi-conductor breaker cell becomes conductive;
apply an opening command (K d ) to the semi-conductor element of the additional semi-conductor breaker cell at an instant t c that is after the instant t b , such that a current passing through the semi-conductor element of the additional semi-conductor breaker cell decreases until it is zero, and such that a current passing through the voltage limiter(s) increases until it reaches the value of the current that is flowing in the transmission line; and
apply a command (K e ) for putting the thyristor of the auxiliary branch in a conductive state at an instant t d that is after or at the instant at which the current flowing in the voltage limiter(s) reaches the value of the current (I 1 ) that is flowing in the transmission line.

14. The breaker device according to claim 11 , wherein the control circuit (CM) is further configured to apply a preliminary opening command to the semi-conductor element of the breaker cell of the main branch at the instant t a , and:
to act when the preliminary opening command is applied to the semi-conductor element of the breaker cell of the main branch to measure charge in storage capacitors connected in parallel with the thyristor of the auxiliary branch; and
to allow the opening command to be applied to the mechanical interrupter/disconnector (S m ), if a measurement of the charge of the storage capacitors matches a predetermined charge value.

15. The breaker device according to claim 11 , wherein the semi-conductor element of the additional semi-conductor breaker cell is a GTO thyristor.

16. The breaker device according to claim 11 , wherein the semi-conductor element of the additional semi-conductor breaker cell is a silicon thyristor or a silicon carbide thyristor or a gallium nitride thyristor.

17. The breaker device according to claim 15 , wherein the semi-conductor element of the semi-conductor breaker cell is an IGBT.

18. The breaker device according to claim 11 , wh

Assignees

• Alstom Technology Ltd
• General Electric Technology Gmbh

Inventors

• Berard David
• Yang Yang

Classifications

• H02M1/34

  Snubber circuits · CPC title

• H02H7/222 Primary

  for switches · CPC title

• H01H9/548 Primary

  Electromechanical and static switch connected in series · CPC title

• H03K17/567

  Circuits characterised by the use of more than one type of semiconductor device, e.g. BIMOS, composite devices such as IGBT · CPC title

• H02H9/005

  avoiding undesired transient conditions · CPC title