Interconnection equipment for a high-voltage DC grid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10516261-B2
Application number	US-201615767236-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2016
Priority date	Oct 16, 2015
Publication date	Dec 24, 2019
Grant date	Dec 24, 2019

Abstract

An item of interconnection equipment for a high-voltage DC grid includes first and second terminals for connection to first and second lines of a high-voltage DC grid, a third terminal for connection to a local station or a line of the high-voltage grid, a node connected to the first to third terminals, a first superconductor current limiter and a first controlled switch connected in series between the first terminal and the node, a second superconductor current limiter and a second controlled switch connected in series between the second terminal and the node, a third superconductor current limiter and a third controlled switch connected in series between the third terminal and the node, and a current injector configured to inject an electrical current into the node.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising an item of interconnection equipment for a high-voltage direct-current network, wherein said item of interconnection equipment comprises first, second, and third terminals, a node, a first current limiter, a second current limiter, a third current limiter, first, second and third controlled switches, and a current injector, wherein said first and second terminals are configured for connection to first and second lines of said high-voltage direct-current network, wherein said third terminal is configured for connection to a local station or to a line of the high-voltage network, wherein said node is connected to said first to third terminals, wherein said first current limiter and said first controlled switch are connected in series between said first terminal and said node, wherein said second current limiter and said second controlled switch are connected in series between said second terminal and said node, wherein said third current limiter and said third controlled switch are connected in series between said third terminal and said node, wherein said current injector is configured to inject an electrical current into said node upon a voltage drop on said node, and wherein said first, second, and third current limiters are superconductor current limiters.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said current injector is configured to inject a current with an energy that is greater than or equal to 1/k×Vi×Ic×Δt open , wherein Vi is a nominal voltage on the first and second terminals, wherein Ic is a critical current of the limiter having the highest critical current out of the first current limiter, the second current limiter, and the third current limiter, wherein Δtopen is a maximum time tolerated for a fault, wherein
k =[ V×Cp ave(Tc−Tmax) ×( T max− Tc )]/[ V×Cp ave(T0−Tc) ×( Tc−T 0)],

wherein Cp ave is an average heat capacity between two temperatures for said current limiter, wherein T max is a maximum safety temperature of said current limiter, wherein T c is a trip temperature of said current limiter, wherein T0 is a nominal operating temperature of said current limiter, and wherein V is a volume of superconductor material in said current limiter.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said current injector comprises a capacitor connected between said node and ground.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein one of said first to third superconductor current limiters has a highest critical current, wherein, during a time interval defined by a maximum time tolerated for a fault, said highest critical current delivers a particular charge, wherein said particular charge, when divided by a nominal voltage on said first and second terminals, defines a particular capacitance, wherein said current injector has a capacitance that is connected between said node and ground and that is greater than or equal to said particular capacitance.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a control circuit for controlling said first, second, and third controlled switches, wherein said controller is configured to measure voltages at said terminals of said first, second, and third current limiters and to measure currents passing through said first, second, and third current limiters, wherein said control circuit is further configured to determine that a voltage across a particular current limiter exceeds a first threshold and that a current through said particular current limiter exceeds a second threshold, and, upon making such a determination, to cause a particular controlled switch to open, wherein said particular current limiter is selected from the group consisting of said first current limiter, said second current limiter, and said third current limiter, and wherein said particular controlled switch is in series with said particular current limiter.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a control circuit for controlling said first, second, and third controlled switches, wherein said control circuit is configured to generate a command to open a particular controlled switch upon detecting that a square of a voltage at terminals of a particular current limiter exceeds a third threshold, wherein said particular current limiter is selected from the group consisting of said first current limiter, said second current limiter, and said third current limiter, and wherein said particular controlled switch is in series with said particular current limiter.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a control circuit for controlling said first, second, and third controlled switches, wherein said control circuit is configured to generate a command to open a particular controlled switch upon detecting that a ratio of a voltage across said first current limiter and current through said first limiter exceeds a fourth threshold, wherein said particular current limiter is selected from the group consisting of said first current limiter, said second current limiter, and said third current limiter, and wherein said particular controlled switch is in series with said particular current limiter.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein said control circuit is configured to generate said command to open said first controlled-switch no more than one millisecond after the crossing of one of the first and second thresholds.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein said control circuit is configured to generate said command to open said first controlled-switch no more than one millisecond after the crossing of the third threshold.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of said terminals is configured to sustain a voltage at least equal to ten thousand volts and a current that is at least equal to one thousand amperes.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first, second, and third controlled switches are electromechanical switches, each of which has a breaking time of between five milliseconds and fifty milliseconds.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising high-voltage lines, wherein said item of interconnection equipment is one of three identical items of interconnection equipment, and wherein first and second terminals of each of said items of interconnection equipment are interconnected via said high-voltage lines, wherein said high-voltage lines and said items of interconnection equipment define a high-voltage direct current electrical network.

Assignees

• Inst Supergrid
• Inst Polytechnique Grenoble
• Univ Grenoble Alpes

Inventors

• Leon Garcia William
• Bertinato Alberto
• Tixador Pascal
• Raison Bertrand
• Luscan Bruno

Classifications

• Y02E40/60

  Superconducting electric elements or equipment; Power systems integrating superconducting elements or equipment · CPC title

• H02H7/28

  for meshed systems · CPC title

• Y02E60/60

  Arrangements for transfer of electric power between AC networks or generators via a high voltage DC link [HVCD] · CPC title

• H02H9/023

  Current limitation using superconducting elements · CPC title

• H01H33/596

  for interrupting DC · CPC title