Generator switch with a cooling device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10755872-B2
Application number	US-201816179321-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2018
Priority date	May 2, 2016
Publication date	Aug 25, 2020
Grant date	Aug 25, 2020

Abstract

A generator switch including an encapsulation lying at ground potential and an electrical conductor arranged in an insulated fashion inside the encapsulation and at high-voltage potential, as well as a gravity-driven cooling device having an evaporator and a condenser arranged above the evaporator and a coolant. The cooling device is formed as a closed loop-type coolant circuit. During operation of the generator switch, a level of the liquid coolant in the line system in a static cooling device is at least as high as the upper end of the insulating section in the insulator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A generator switch, comprising
an encapsulation which is at ground potential during operation of the generator switch,
an electrical conductor which is arranged in an electrically insulated fashion inside the encapsulation and is at high-voltage potential during operation of the generator switch, a gravity-driven cooling device having an evaporator and a condenser arranged above the evaporator and further having a coolant, wherein the evaporator is thermally conductively connected to the electrical conductor and is therefore at high-voltage potential during operation of the generator switch, and wherein the condenser is connected to the encapsulation and is therefore at ground potential during operation of the generator switch,
wherein the evaporator is connected to the condenser by means of a line system having an insulator, so that during operation of the generator switch coolant vapor can be conveyed from the evaporator to the condenser and liquid coolant can be conveyed from the condenser to the evaporator,
wherein the insulator has an insulating section with an upper end,
wherein the line system has a coolant line, which connects a coolant outlet of the condenser to a coolant inlet of the evaporator, and furthermore has a coolant vapor line which connects a coolant vapor outlet of the evaporator to a coolant vapor inlet of the condenser, in such a way that a closed loop-type circuit is formed,
in that, during operation of the generator switch, a level of the liquid coolant in the line system with the cooling device in a static condition is at least as high as the upper end of the insulating section in the insulator,
wherein the insulator has a portion of the coolant line configured as a first insulating channel and a portion of the coolant vapor line configured as a second insulating channel, and
wherein the insulator has an insulating body that receives the two insulating channels, and, for each insulating channel, a first connecting piece connected to the electrical conductor and a second connecting piece connected to the condenser.

2. The generator switch as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the coolant vapor line is configured to be thermally insulated from the coolant line.

3. The generator switch as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a coolant reservoir is arranged in the condenser.

4. The generator switch as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a coolant reservoir is arranged in the coolant line.

5. The generator switch as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a coolant reservoir is connected to the electrical conductor, so that the coolant reservoir is at the high-voltage potential of the electrical conductor.

6. The generator switch as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first connecting piece is arranged at the lower end of the insulating section and the second connecting piece is arranged at the upper end of the insulating section, and they are made of metal, and in that their ends led from the outside into the first or second insulating channel are respectively configured as field-control electrodes.

7. The generator switch as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least the first connecting piece or the second connecting piece are configured bifurcating pieces having a multiplicity of coolant vapor connections or a multiplicity of coolant connections, respectively.

8. The generator switch as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the evaporator contains a group of at least two evaporator components, each with at least two connections,
wherein a first connection of the two connections of a first evaporator component of the group of evaporator components forms the coolant inlet of the evaporator, wherein a first connection of the at least two connections of a second evaporator component of the group of evaporator, and
wherein a second connection of the first evaporator component is connected to a second connection of the second evaporator component or to a connections of a third evaporator component of the group of evaporator components.

9. The generator switch as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the condenser is configured as a heat exchanger and has two spaces separated from one another by a thermally conductive wall, on which a first space of the two spaces is part of a primary circuit for the coolant and the coolant vapor communicates with the coolant outlet and the coolant vapor inlet of the condenser, while the second space of the two spaces is part of a secondary circuit for a heat-storing fluid and has two fluid connections that can be connected to a thermal load.

10. The generator switch as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the thermally conductive wall is configured to be electrically insulating.

11. The generator switch as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cooling device has a sensor for detecting the level or at least a predefined minimum level height of the coolant in the liquid state.

12. The generator switch as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the sensor has a network interface for linking into a data network, so that the sensor can be linked operatively into the data network in such a way that it can perform at least one of the following functions:
a) transmission of status information of the sensor to the data network;
b) execution of an instruction from the data network;
wherein the data network is in particular a LAN, a WAN or the Internet.

13. The generator switch as claimed in claim 12 , wherein an alarm can be sent to the data network when the predefined minimum level height of the coolant is fallen below.

14. The generator switch as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the insulator has an insulating body that receives the two insulating channels, and, for each insulating channel, a first connecting piece connected to the electrical conductor and a second connecting piece connected to the condenser.

15. The generator switch as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the evaporator contains a group of at least two evaporator components, each with at least two connections,
wherein a first connection of the two connections of a first evaporator component of the group of evaporator components forms the coolant inlet of the evaporator, wherein a first connection of the at least two connections of a second evaporator component of the group of evaporator, and
wherein a second connection of the first evaporator component is connected to a second connection of the second evaporator component or to a connections of a third evaporator component of the group of evaporator components.

16. The generator switch as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the condenser is configured as a heat exchanger and has two spaces separated from one another by a thermally conductive wall, on which a first space of the two spaces is part of a primary circuit for the coolant and the coolant vapor and communicates with the coolant outlet and the coolant vapor inlet of the condenser, while the second space of the two spaces is part of a secondary circuit for a heat-storing fluid and has two fluid connections that can be connected to a thermal load.

17. The generator switch as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the cooling device has a sensor for detecting the level or at least a predefined minimum level height of the coolant in the liquid state.

18. The generator switch as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the sensor has a network interface for linking into a data network, so that the sensor can be linked operatively into the data network in such a way that it can perform at least one of the following functions:
a) transmission of status information of the sensor to the data network;
b) execution of an instr

Assignees

• Abb Power Grids Switzerland Ag

Inventors

• Hiller Andreas
• Ganter Philipp
• Mauroux Jean-Claude

Classifications

• H02G5/10

  Cooling · CPC title

• H01H9/52 Primary

  Cooling of switch parts (cooling of contacts H01H1/62) · CPC title

• F28D15/04

  with tubes having a capillary structure · CPC title

• H01B7/29

  Protection against damage caused by extremes of temperature or by flame {(heat dissipation or conduction H01B7/42)} · CPC title

• H01H2009/526

  of the high voltage switches · CPC title